Members of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) look forward to the Annual Meeting year in and year out. For residents, it’s an opportunity to cram for boards and network; for veterans of the field, it’s the time to catch up with old colleagues and review the latest in evidence-based dermatology practices. In addition, many smaller specialty organizations host meetings around the AAD’s location and dates, adding to the camaraderie and scientific advancement.
However, in unprecedented fashion, the executive leadership of the AAD made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 AAD Annual Meeting, originally scheduled for March 20 to 24 in Denver, CO.1 The threat of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), a rapidly moving viral infection, has shuttered a number of doors, from nonessential businesses2 to entire countries.3 Travel restrictions come from national governments4 as well as American institutions. The AAD stated its conference cancellation was due in part to the limited number of academic faculty available to present.1
The Dermatologist seeks to provide practical and clinical insight, industry news, and peer perspectives on and in modern dermatology. We find it our responsibility to continue to deliver newsworthy updates to the dermatologic field, including topics that were intended to be covered at the many meetings formerly taking place later this week. We also plan to cover in the coming days and weeks how dermatology can assist our patients and colleagues elsewhere in medicine during this pandemic.5
We applaud the efforts of our audience, their staffs, and colleagues as we move into this new chapter in public health, and we look forward to continuing to advance dermatology and patient care through The Dermatologist.
Steven R. Feldman, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Editor
Lauren Mateja, Managing Editor
References
1. Hruza GJ. 2020 AAD annual meeting is canceled due to COVID-19 outbreak. American Academy of Dermatology. Published March 10, 2020. Accessed March 16, 2020. https://www.aad.org/member/meetings/am2020
2. Orso A, Tornoe R, Collins Walsh S, Terruso J, McCrystal L. Philly orders sweeping shutdown of businesses and services as coronavirus spreads. Philadelphia Inquirer. March 16, 2020. Accessed March 16, 2020. https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/philadelphia-shutdown-coronavirus-20200316.html
3. Schaeffer D. Coronavirus: the lockdown has begun in Italy. ABC News. Published March 16, 2020. Accessed March 16, 2020. https://abcnews.go.com/US/coronavirus-lockdown-begun/story?id=69616377
4. Londoño E, Ortiz A. Coronavirus travel restrictions, across the globe. The New York Times. March 16, 2020. Accessed March 16, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-travel-restrictions.html
5. Bashyam AM, Feldman SR. Dermatology and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dermatologist. 2020;28(3):8. Accessed March 16, 2020. https://www.the-dermatologist.com/article/dermatology-and-covid-19-pandemic
