Meet the Councilor | Amy Paller, MD 

Dr. Amy Paller is the IEC’s inaugural president and co-founder in addition to being the Walter J. Hamlin Professor and Chair of Dermatology, professor of pediatrics, and principal investigator of the NIH-funded Skin Disease Research Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL, USA. 

Dr. Paller is president of the American Dermatological Association and has been president of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology, Society for Investigative Dermatology, Women’s Dermatologic Society, and International Society for Pediatric Dermatology.

She co-authors Hurwitz Clinical Pediatric Dermatology and has edited the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, among other journals.

She was the inaugural co-chair of the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance and has served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Dermatology, Society for Investigative Dermatology, Society for Pediatric Dermatology, Women’s Dermatologic Society, American Board of Dermatology, and American Dermatological Association.

What do you value most about being involved with the IEC?

IEC is a group of colleagues who all care deeply about helping patients and families with atopic dermatitis and are actively working towards the goals of increasing our understanding about AD and our treatment options. This combination leads to tremendous opportunities for global brainstorming, networking, and collaborations.

What do you think will garner the most attention over the coming year (and/or beyond) in this field?  

I am intrigued right now by the potential for disease modification by early aggressive management—both the natural course of the AD itself and the risk/severity of other atopic and non-atopic comorbidities. As a pediatric dermatologist, I am particularly hopeful that our growing arsenal of systemic medications for young children with more severe AD, who are at the highest risks, will have a better long-term life quality because we can intervene early with safe, effective medications.

What do you see as the biggest need among AD patients?

The biggest need for so many is access to the medications that they need. While this is certainly true globally, where so many patients with AD who could benefit from the many new topical and systemic therapies do not have the opportunity to try them, especially in lower- and middle-income countries, even in the United States, we struggle often to get some of the best medications for our patients—and socioeconomic factors play a major role in the ability to have transformational treatment. Also, I am a huge fan of biologics for AD, given their efficacy and safety. However, the requirement for painful injections remains an impediment for children and their families; even if it is feasible to give the medication with the required dosing schedule, many families describe the emotional impact on the child and themselves of the stressful administration event. Figuring out a way to better reduce pain but target the type 2 immune pathway would be a huge advancement.

Describe a professional experience that you won’t forget because of how it impacted your specialty or the way you practice.

I have had so many experiences with patients with AD or rare genetic disorders throughout the years in which an idea that is “outside the box” has changed their lives—and then can be implemented in practices throughout the world. For AD, though, it is really the medications that have emerged during the past decade that have been life-altering and have transformed my pediatric dermatology practice. I have been fortunate to have been an early adopter of new medications by being a research site, and thus seeing early on the impact of these biologics and JAK inhibitors that we have now for AD. Children with moderate to severe AD routinely consumed my practice time and were “frequent flyers,” in my office week after week with infections and misery. Now, so many of these patients come to see me once year or even “visit” through telemedicine because they are clear or virtually clear with their use of medication.

I also have to mention how fortunate I am to have colleagues who share my visions and have been able to run with ideas to make the world a better place for children. I have been involved in planting the seed as president at the start of or during a period of transformation for several organizations—with a group of incredible peers who helped to “water the garden” and make the ideas blossom. Examples are starting the IEC with Emma Guttman that now is making a difference around the world; generating the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA) with a small group of fellow pediatric dermatologists that now includes >1,000 members, has given more than $3 million in grants and fellowships, and has been instrumental in the publication of almost 140 manuscripts; and taking Antonio Torrelo’s vision that the International Society for Pediatric Dermatology do more than cosponsor an every 4 year meeting and grow it into a now 1,600-member, vibrant organization that delivers education about care of children with skin disorders globally. What a privilege to have been involved in these transformative organizations.

What’s the most recent good place you've visited?

Getting on a plane with my husband, two of my sons, and two of my grandchildren for a family trip to San Diego. I have been to San Diego a dozen times for meetings, but the fun and the sites during a family vacation make it so much more magical.