Letters from the IEC President

Robert Bissonnette, MD FRCPC MSc

A Look Back at 2021

The IEC continued to deliver a full schedule of successful symposia and publish several manuscripts in 2021, while embarking on exciting new endeavors that strengthen our commitment to education and research. Key among these were our inaugural Dermatology Residents Virtual Meeting and new Education and Research Committees, as well as the IEC Fellowship Program, which you can read about below.

We also unveiled a new visual identity, complete with a refreshed and contemporary new logo, and we redoubled our efforts to keep you all informed with our revamped e-newsletter.

Inaugural Dermatology Residents Meeting

The IEC’s inaugural Dermatology Residents Virtual Meeting, "Advanced Topics in Atopic Dermatitis," was held in October with great success. We were delighted to welcome attendees from nine countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, India, Italy, Singapore, and the United States. Postmeeting, 100% of respondents completing the evaluation agreed that they were “very likely” or “likely” to make changes to their practices as a result of what they learned, while 83% expected their patients' outcomes to improve.

The impressive scientific and practical content was driven by my Program Co-Chair Emma Guttman, MD PhD, and our faculty, the IEC Councilors—all leading international experts in AD—who developed and delivered the 10 presentations and led the six live group discussions during this comprehensive one-day program.

In the coming months, we will announce details of our second annual Dermatology Residents Meeting. In the meantime, I recommend that program directors and supervising clinicians encourage their early-career dermatologist colleagues to take advantage of the on-demand sessions from our inaugural meeting and from our recent symposia.

New Education and Research Committees

Because education and research are central to the mission and goals of the IEC, we have launched new committees to provide strategic and tactical guidance and oversight of these areas.

The IEC Education Committee is responsible for prioritizing and recommending educational offerings that meet the needs of healthcare professionals worldwide who care for patients with AD. Its goals include promoting clinical excellence in the management of AD, cost-effective healthcare, and professional development for dermatologists who treat patients with AD. To accomplish this, the committee develops a plan to deliver and disseminate an annual schedule of web-based and in-person activities.

The Education Committee comprises the following 12 IEC Councilors and Associates:

The IEC Research Committee is responsible for monitoring the science relevant to the IEC in order to prioritize, recommend, and promote IEC activities that support and advance research related to AD. These include IEC Councilor and Associate surveys and manuscripts, IEC annual Top Ten Atopic Dermatitis Articles, Target AD Registry, and IEC fellowships and research grants.

The Research Committee consists of the following 11 IEC Councilors and Associates:

AN EYE ON 2022 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

IEC 2022 educational symposia get underway March 24 with Diagnosis and Management of Non-Atopic Forms of Dermatitis in Atopic Dermatitis Patients at the 2022 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The program will analyze the pathophysiology of non-atopic forms of dermatitis; recognize allergic and irritant, dermatitis in AD patients; and examine patch testing in AD patients and the impact of flares and systemic medications.

Then in May, I’m excited to announce that the IEC is planning its first presence at a South American meeting, at the XXXIX RADLA CHILE 2022-Virtual Edition. Reunión Anual de Dermatólogos Latinoamericanos (RADLA; Annual Meeting of Latin American Dermatologist) is a professional scientific organization that brings together dermatologists and dermatology residents from 15 Latin American countries.

Check our website often for information on these and additional symposia that we will announce over the next several months.

THANK YOU

Our remarkable accomplishments in 2021 would not have been possible without the dedication of our Councilors and Associates from around the globe, coupled with the outstanding leadership from our Board of Directors, hard work of our staff, and support from our corporate sponsors and donors. This year began my first term as IEC President, and I am especially grateful to Immediate Past President Dr. Emma Guttman for propelling the IEC forward.

Please all accept my heartfelt thanks and appreciation.

September 2021

I am excited to announce that the IEC will present the Inaugural Dermatology Residents Virtual Meeting—Advanced Topics in Atopic Dermatitis—on Saturday, October 23, 2021. This one-day, comprehensive program on the most up-to-date information about the diagnosis, treatment, pathophysiology, and comorbidities related to the management of AD is designed for and open to all dermatology residents and fellows.

Emma Guttman, our Immediate Past-President and co-chair of the Program,  was involved in extensive planning to design a curriculum with sessions that range from epidemiologic trends, prevention strategies, current and novel treatments, to translational research. In addition to didactic lectures presented by international experts in AD, participants will have the opportunity to participate in interactive discussions with the expert faculty and other residents.

The IEC is now accepting registration for this inaugural meeting on a first-come, first-served basis. I invite dermatology residents to sign up today to be amongst the first group of attendees to what will become an annual event. I look forward to welcoming you to a stimulating and informative educational program.

June 2021

I am pleased to share two announcements with you in this issue!

NEW IEC LOGO UNVEILED

I am delighted to officially introduce our new IEC logo, which marks our first rebranding since the IEC was founded in 2014. The IEC has grown and evolved, and we have refreshed our logo to reflect who we are today and symbolize our dynamic future.

The IEC board chose to maintain a visual connection to the spirit of the original logo, which represented the IEC admirably for many years. We retained but updated two core elements of the original logo: the stylized globe, which reflects our international presence, and the keratinocyte-inspired textures, which represent both healthy and inflamed skin.

Our new modernized globe creates the impression of dimension and movement to convey our expanding global reach and our focus on the future. The keratinocyte textures bring a rich dimensionality, and the globe includes a greater range of skin tones to reflect the diversity of both our IEC Councilors and Associates and the patients we serve.

We are proud of all that the IEC has accomplished since 2014, and our new logo reaffirms our commitment to bring together scientists and physicians dedicated to research, discovery, and the optimal care for patients with AD worldwide. We hope that you like this new look for the IEC.

CLINICIAN/PATIENT EDUCATION CURRICULUM LAUNCHED

I am excited to announce the launch of The Atopic Dermatitis Learning Center: Riding the Next Wave on Medscape. This innovative educational curriculum for clinicians was developed through a strategic partnership between the IEC and Medscape to provide education on the burden of AD, as well as current and emerging treatment options to improve patient outcomes.

I invite you to create your free Medscape log-in and explore the learning center, where you will find continuing medical education (CME) activities in a variety of engaging formats. These range from bite-sized 5-minute videos, expert roundtable discussions, and clinical articles to interactive case studies where clinicians can apply their new knowledge into practice through a virtual environment to portray realistic physician-patient interactions.

To complement this clinician initiative, a patient activity is available on WebMD Education, Atopic Dermatitis Is More Than a Rash: Letting Your Doctor Know What's Bothering You. By improving patients’ understanding and awareness of the burden of AD and opportunities for management, this activity will help them discuss the impact of their AD and work with their doctor to improve management.

Both the clinician and patient activity are supported by an independent educational grant from Lilly awarded to Medscape, with the IEC as a subrecipient.

We are very pleased that all six Steering Committee members for this parallel clinician and patient educational initiative are IEC Councilors:
• Emma Guttman, MD PhD, Steering Committee chair
• Valeria Aoki, MD PhD
• Melinda Gooderham, MSc MD FRCP
• Alan Irvine, MD DSc
• Kristian Reich, MD PhD
• Jonathan Silverberg, MD
We thank these Councilors for their ongoing ambassadorship and support of the IEC!