2026 DF Clinical Symposium | January 28-31 | Naples, Florida

Prepare for Another Valuable CME Program

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The 2026 DF Clinical Symposium will be held January 28–31 at The Ritz-Carlton Naples Beach Resort. Save the dates and plan to attend the 23rd annual CME meeting developed especially for practicing dermatologists.

Since 2003, the Dermatology Foundation’s annual DF Clinical Symposium has upheld a tradition of excellence by bringing together leading experts to share the latest, most practical insights for dermatologists. The program features interactive sessions, time for Q&A, and a faculty of top specialists—including many former DF awardees—who advance our understanding of dermatologic diseases and conditions.

Seemal R. Desai, MD at the 2025 DF Clinical Symposium.
Seemal R. Desai, MD at the 2025 DF Clinical Symposium.

Program Co-Chairs

Dr. Chiu is Professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics and Vice Chair of Pediatric Dermatology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Medical Director of Dermatology at Children’s Wisconsin. She obtained a BA in Molecule and Cell Biology from the University of California Berkeley and an M.D. from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. She then completed her pediatrics internship, dermatology residency, and pediatric dermatology fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is a leader in the field of pediatric autoimmune connective tissue disease, specifically morphea but also cutaneous lupus erythematosus and juvenile dermatomyositis. In addition to her research and clinical interests in pediatric connective tissue disease, Dr. Chiu enjoys caring for pediatric patients with complex dermatologic diseases.

Throughout her career, Dr. Chiu has benefited directly and indirectly from the efforts of the Dermatology Foundation® . In addition to learning from DF awardees teaching at CME conferences or using research advances in clinic to treat patients, she was fortunate to receive the Fellowship in Pediatric Dermatology and the Pediatric Dermatology Career Development Award early in her career. She has been a member of the Dermatology Foundation since 2011 and is passionate about supporting the organization as a member and volunteer.

Yvonne E. Chiu, MD*

Dr. Fairley completed medical school, residency training and a research fellowship at the University of Michigan. Dr. Fairley's interests include autoimmune skin diseases, complex medical dermatology, and skin and cutaneous manifestations of systemic illness. She has published over 140 articles and book chapters.

Dr. Fairley is a diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology and a member of the American Academy of Dermatology and the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Dr. Fairley is currently the President of the Dermatology Foundation. She is also an honorary member of the Société Française de Dermatologie and the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Medical Dermatology Society.

Janet A. Fairley, MD

Dr. Jack Resneck is Chair and Bruce U. Wintroub Endowed Professor of Dermatology at UCSF, with a joint appointment at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. He served as Chair of the AMA Board of Trustees (2018–19), AMA President (2022–23), and currently serves as Chair of the World Medical Association, where he recently led a global 30-month effort to revise the Declaration of Helsinki, the foundational document on ethical principles in human research.

A dedicated advocate for physicians and patients, Dr. Resneck brings inclusive, collaborative leadership to efforts aimed at reducing healthcare burdens, improving access, and driving thoughtful innovation—whether in Congress, at UCSF, or through national organizations.

His past roles include board positions with the American Academy of Dermatology, National Quality Forum, and presidency of the California Society for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery. He also serves on the editorial board of JAAD and is a nationally recognized health services researcher, with widely published work on care access, healthcare delivery, digital medicine, and public health.

Jack S. Resneck Jr., MD*

2026 Faculty

Dr. Aguh received her undergraduate degree from Duke University and earned her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, with honors, earning induction into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Dr. Aguh completed her residency at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, serving as the chief resident in her final year training.

Dr Aguh’s area of research focuses primarily on cicatricial alopecia, with an additional interest in pigmentary disorders and dermato-endocrine disorders. She has authored four books on hair loss, has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and given multiple national and international talks on these topics.  As a result of her work, Dr. Aguh is the recipient of numerous prestigious research awards & grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Skin of Color Society, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the Dermatology Foundation.  In April 2019, Dr. Aguh, along with other prominent awardees including then-former Vice President Joe Biden, was honored by the National Minority Quality Forum with the 40 under 40 Leaders in Minority Health award for her academic work.

Crystal Aguh, MD*

Dr. Bolognia is Professor of Dermatology at the Yale University School of Medicine. She has served as President, Vice-President, or Secretary-General of multiple professional organizations. Dr. Bolognia is the senior editor of the textbooks Dermatology and Dermatology Essentials.

Jean Bolognia, MD*

Dr. Kwatra’s clinical expertise includes chronic pruritus, prurigo nodularis, atopic dermatitis, and chronic pruritus of unknown origin. He leads a basic and translational research laboratory and directs a clinical trials unit focused on inflammatory skin diseases.

Dr. Kwatra is also Director of the Maryland Itch Center. He is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is a prior awardee of a Dermatology Foundation® Career Development Award. He has authored or co-authored over 300 publications. 

Shawn Gaurav Kwatra, MD*

Dr. Naik is a nationally recognized leader in inflammatory skin disease, with particular expertise in hidradenitis suppurativa. She is the founding Principal Investigator of HS PROGRESS, a 15-center longitudinal cohort study and biospecimen repository designed to advance understanding of HS pathogenesis, clinical heterogeneity, treatment outcomes, and health disparities. She has co-chaired three national guideline efforts focused on HS management, including the AAD’s Hidradenitis Suppurativa Clinical Practice Guidelines.

As Vice Chair for Health Equity, Dr. Naik leads initiatives to embed equity into clinical care, research, education, and faculty advancement. Her current work includes the development of equity-focused, AI-enabled tools to identify and address gaps in dermatologic care.

Dr. Naik has authored over 120 peer-reviewed publications and 10 book chapters, and her work has been supported by more than $2.5 million in research funding from the NIH, foundations, and industry.

She serves on the JAMA Dermatology Editorial Board and has served in various roles in the American Academy of Dermatology, the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation, the Skin of Color Society, and the Dermatology Foundation® .

Haley Naik, MD, MHSc*

Dr. Nehal is the Director of the Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She is also the co-director of the Multidisciplinary Skin Cancer Management Program at MSKCC, providing comprehensive care for high-risk, complex, and advanced skin cancer patients. She serves as the Program Director of the Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology (MSDO) fellowship at MSKCC and Professor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell. 

Dr. Nehal earned her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine and completed her Dermatology residency and Mohs fellowship at New York University. Her research interests include noninvasive imaging for skin cancers and melanoma of the lentigo maligna type. She has published extensively in the field of cutaneous oncology and Mohs surgery, served on editorial panels for high impact journals, and authored multiple textbooks. Dr. Nehal serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) panel on Nonmelanoma skin cancer and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Squamous cell carcinoma expert panel. She has served on the Board of Directors of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Association of Professors of Dermatology, American College of Mohs Surgery, and the Dermatology Foundation®.

Kishwer S. Nehal, MD

Dr. Rubin directs the Nail Clinic and sees patients of all ages at NYU Langone Dermatologic Surgery & Cosmetics Associates. He is Professor of Dermatology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Rubin specializes in nail disorders, nail surgery, and histopathology of the nail unit. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cutaneous Pathology. Dr. Rubin is the lead editor for the 4th edition of Scher and Daniel’s Nails: Diagnosis, Therapy, Surgery. He is an author of the 3rd and 4th editions of the Atlas and Synopsis of Lever's Histopathology of the Skin, and an associate editor of the 11th and 12th editions of Lever's Histopathology of the Skin. 

He is a current Member at Large of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Dermatopathology, and was previously a member of the Executive Committee of the International Society for Dermatopathology. He is a board member of the European Nail Society, and directs the annual European Nail Society Nail Histopathology Workshop. He is the President of the Council for Nail Disorders (CND), and has served as the Secretary-Treasurer and Treasurer of the CND. At the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates, he serves as a delegate from the American Academy of Dermatology.

Adam I. Rubin, MD

Dr. Simpson is a board-certified dermatologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Washington in Seattle. He graduated from the Medical Scientist Training Program at Northwestern University in Chicago, where he earned his PhD and MD. His thesis focused on desmogleins, which are targeted in the autoimmune blistering disease pemphigus. This led him to pursue dermatology residency on the physician-scientist track at the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as Chief Resident. 

Dr. Simpson received a Research Grant and a Career Development Award from the Dermatology Foundation® , which supported his postdoctoral fellowship at Penn. In 2021, he was recruited to the University of Washington, where he runs a specialty clinic for blistering diseases and built a lab focused on these disorders. His translational research program applies CRISPR gene editing and confocal microscopy to a human skin model with the goal of identifying therapeutic strategies for orphan blistering diseases.

Dr. Simpson has won multiple UW Outstanding Research Mentor Awards and recently received a Young Physician-Scientist Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation and a Rising Star Award from the World Congress on Rare Skin Diseases. He is also a member of the Dermatology Foundation® Advisory Council.

Cory L. Simpson, MD, PhD*

Dr. Stockdale served as president of the ASCCP as well as the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease. Both societies are engaged in education and standards for lower genital tract diseases. 

Dr. Stockdale has presented 95 abstracts, participated in over 140 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 18 chapters, co-edited one booklet, as well as contributed to electronic tool development. 

Dr. Stockdale is a fully engaged clinician and directs the Vulvar Vaginal Disease and Colposcopy Clinics. The Iowa Hospital Vulvar Vaginal Disease Clinic is a highly specialized multi-disciplinary clinic, serving the consultative needs of over 3000 women each year. She is a well-recognized expert in lower genital tract disorders and receives national and international referrals. The Colposcopy Clinic similarly is a highly specialized referral clinic for the diagnosis and treatment of precancerous cervical lesions (cervical dysplasia) as well as vaginal and vulvar dysplasia. 

Colleen K. Stockdale, MD, MS

Dr. Taylor joined the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine as Associate Professor of Dermatology in July 2016, recognized for her pioneering role in establishing the Skin of Color (SOC) subspecialty, her work in clinical trials, and her contributions to dermatology education. At Penn, she has focused on advancing knowledge and addressing research and education gaps related to SOC populations, while leading national conversations on these issues. 

As Vice Chair for DEI in Dermatology, founder of the Skin of Color Society, and President-elect of the American Academy of Dermatology, she has championed national initiatives in education, policy, and research to elevate SOC and DEI topics. Her clinical interests include alopecia—especially Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA), a progressive hair loss condition affecting Black women—pigmentary disorders, and aesthetic procedures in SOC patients. Her research explores CCCA’s epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment, as well as clinical trials on the safety and efficacy of aesthetic interventions in SOC populations, who remain underrepresented in dermatologic research.

Susan C. Taylor, MD

Dr. Van Beek currently serves as the Executive Medical Director of Ambulatory Care for the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics where she also completed 2 terms as Chief of Staff of the hospital system. Dr. Van Beek holds the C. William Hanke Professor of Dermatologic Surgery & Cutaneous Oncology and is director of the ACGME fellowship in Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology. She performs Mohs surgery both at the University of Iowa and the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Dr. Van Beek previously served a six-year term as Secretary-Treasurer of the American Academy of Dermatology. She was also instrumental in implementing the national registry for the American Academy of Dermatology, DataDerm™. Currently DataDerm, is the largest dermatology registry in the world, with over 16 million unique patients and over 60 million patient visits. Dr. Van Beek has a long interest in health policy, previously serving as Chair of the AAD Council on Government Affairs & Health Policy, Chair of the Dermatology Section Council for the AMA, and Chair of the AMA Council on Legislation. She currently serves as a Trustee on the Board for the American Medical Association.

Marta J. Van Beek, MD, MPH

Dr. Vleugels serves as the Director of the Autoimmune Skin Disease Program, Connective Tissue Disease Clinics, and Atopic Dermatitis Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Co-Director of the Rheumatology-Dermatology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

Dr. Vleugels developed and serves as the Program Director of the Brigham and Women's Hospital Dermatology-Rheumatology Fellowship, which is the only formal training opportunity of its kind nationwide. She is Past President of the New England Dermatologic Society and current President of the Rheumatologic Dermatology Society. She was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Dermatology to help lead the world’s largest dermatologic society, which represents more than 20,000 physicians. An international expert in autoimmune connective tissue diseases, Dr. Vleugels’ clinical research focuses on rare autoimmune skin diseases and emerging medical therapies.

Dr. Van Beek previously served a six-year term as Secretary-Treasurer of the American Academy of Dermatology. She was also instrumental in implementing the national registry for the American Academy of Dermatology, DataDerm™. Currently DataDerm, is the largest dermatology registry in the world, with over 16 million unique patients and over 60 million patient visits. Dr. Van Beek has a long interest in health policy, previously serving as Chair of the AAD Council on Government Affairs & Health Policy, Chair of the Dermatology Section Council for the AMA, and Chair of the AMA Council on Legislation. She currently serves as a Trustee on the Board for the American Medical Association.

Ruth Ann Vleugels, MD, MPH, MBA*

Dr. Yu is a dual-board certified adult and pediatric dermatologist specializing in allergic contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis. He completed his pediatric internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, dermatology residency at Medical College of Wisconsin, and pediatric dermatology fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He served as Director of Contact Dermatitis and Atopic Dermatitis clinics at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School for 8 years prior to moving back to his home state of Virginia. 

Dr. Yu is currently Chair of Dermatology at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA where he leads the contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis clinics. Dr. Yu is the President of the American Contact Dermatitis Society and is passionate about running clinical trials and partnering with industry to bring novel therapies to patients with dermatologic conditions.

JiaDe (Jeff) Yu, MD, MS*

Agenda

Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Wednesday, January 28, 2026

7:00 - 8:30 PM - Welcome Reception

Thursday, January, 29, 2026
Friday, January 30, 2026
Saturday, January 31, 2026

Hotel & Visitor Information

The 2026 meeting will take place in Naples, Florida, a premier Gulf Coast destination known for its white sand beaches, vibrant arts, shopping, golf, and outdoor activities. Hosted at the iconic Ritz-Carlton, Naples—set on three miles of beachfront with luxury rooms, spa, dining, pools, and easy access to local attractions—attendees can enjoy both world-class amenities and the city’s coastal charm.

The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
280 Vanderbilt Beach Rd
Naples, FL 34108

Explore Activities in Naples, Florida
Beach at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Florida.
Beach at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Florida.

Become a Sponsor & Exhibitor

The Dermatology Foundation® would like to invite your organization to showcase your commitment to advancing the dermatology specialty by becoming a sponsor at our signature upcoming event - 2026 DF Clinical Symposium, to be held on January 28-31.

Your company will gain unparalleled visibility and networking opportunities among more than 400 key dermatology opinion leaders and clinicians, in a beautiful and relaxed environment.

With a range of novel sponsorship packages available that include Ad Boards, Exhibit Tables, a Mobile App and others, you can choose the level of engagement that best aligns with your goals and budget. Attached is the corporate brochure for your review. Our new Director of Communications, Marketing and Events, Wanda Neal and Erica Gardner, Communications Program Manager would be glad to answer any questions you may have.

We look forward to seeing you in Naples, Florida for this unique medical education conference.

2026 DF Clinical Symposium Sponsorship Opportunities.
2026 DF Clinical Symposium Sponsorship Opportunities.

Program Accreditation and CME Hours

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Yale School of Medicine and The Dermatology Foundation®. The Yale School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Yale School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 16.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

How to Obtain Your CME

Attendees may simply visit Yale’s CME system to download and print a transcript reflecting your CME credits for a DF Clinical Symposium. For more detailed information regarding how to access your CME credits, we are happy to provide Yale CME Credit Access Instructions.

Should you have any questions regarding the CME system, please contact Yale CME at cme@yale.edu.

Recap of 2025 DF Clinical Symposium

 

The 22nd DF Clinical Symposium took place from January 3 to February 1 at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples. Once again, it was a full house, with attendees eager to learn from leading experts in dermatology—many of whom are former DF research awardees. This renowned continuing medical education (CME) program delivers the most up-to-date and authoritative insights on dermatologic diseases and issues.

Take a Look at the Recap in our Digital Magazine Dermatology Focus