Clinical Symposium

A Tradition of Excellence:  DF Clinical Symposium

Since 2003, the Dermatology Foundation has planned and delivered its annual DF Clinical Symposium for the benefit of practitioners and their patients. Long recognized as a high-value program, the DF works each year to assemble today’s experts to deliver the most current information on a wide range of topics that every dermatologist will find useful. The program schedule includes ample time for Q&A and the opportunity to interact with faculty.

Many of the program speakers each year are former DF research awardees who have gone on to make significant contributions to our understanding of dermatologic diseases and conditions. All faculty members are renowned specialty experts, dedicated to delivering the most current and practical information every dermatologist needs to know.

Get Ready for Another High-Value CME Program!

The 2025 DF Clinical Symposium will be held January 29–February 1 at The Ritz-Carlton Naples Beach Resort. Our Co-chairs have developed another top-notch program to be delivered by 12 specialty experts. Save the dates and plan to attend the 22nd annual CME meeting developed especially for practicing dermatologists. Registrations are now being accepted. Reduced fees are available for DF members so be certain to update your membership before registering for the meeting.

REGISTER NOW
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2025 Agenda: Topics

Updates that Matter

Pearls of Wisdom

A Glimpse Into the Future

Clinical Cases in Action

Beyond the Rash

Challenges in Skin Cancer

Past Participants Say It All

"This is just a great meeting! Excellent speakers, topics, well-organized, good therapeutics forum. This is the best meeting I attend."

"The high quality of EVERY talk, the venue, location, and small group settings of morning sessions and symposium. Absolutely the best conference offered all year."

“This is the best derm meeting by far. I love the relaxed atmosphere, excellent topics and great faculty. Also, fantastic locale and venue.”

“By far the best conference I have attended. The topics were relevant, the speakers were entertaining, and I learned how to tweak treatment regimens for many different diseases.”

Meet Our Program Chairs

Janet A. Fairley, M.D.

Janet A. Fairley, MD

Janet A. Fairley, MD was the John S. Strauss Professor of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Iowa from 2007 to 2023. 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.  Dr. Fairley 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

Dermatology Foundation President and Program Co-Chair
Yvonne-Chiu-MD

Yvonne E. Chiu, MD

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 *

DF Board Member and Program Co-Chair
Dr. Jack Resneck Jr., MD

Jack S. Resneck, Jr., MD

Dr. Resneck served as President of the American Medical Association from 2022-2023. He is a passionate advocate for physicians and patients, a prominent spokesperson for innovation, and a champion for a more equitable health care system. Whether testifying before Congress about removing dysfunction from health care, caring for his patients at UCSF, or advocating for physician values in emerging technology, Dr. Resneck channels his leadership to improve the lives of patients and the working environment for America’s physicians to help build stronger, healthier communities. He also holds a joint appointment as an affiliated faculty member at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies.

Dr. Resneck was elected to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees in 2014, served as its chair from 2018 to 2019, and completed his service on the AMA Board in 2024. Former roles include serving as a member of the board of the American Academy of Dermatology, the board of the National Quality Forum, and as President of the California Society for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, and is currently chairing the World Medical Association’s process to revise the Declaration of Helsinki. He is active in health services research, and his studies on patient access to care, health care delivery, digital medicine, and public health have been published in prominent journals and attracted national media attention.

Dr. Resneck received his BA in public policy from Brown University and his MD from UCSF.

Jack S. Resneck, Jr., MD *

Program Co-Chair and Past President, American Medical Association

Meet the 2025 Faculty

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Emily Y. Chu, MD, PhD*

Dr. Emily Chu is an Associate Professor of Dermatology and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, and Director of the Dermatopathology Fellowship Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

Her clinical and research interests focus on melanoma diagnosis and management, cancer-related genodermatoses, and oncodermatopathology; she has published extensively on these topics in prominent peer-reviewed journals and major medical textbooks.

Dr. Chu holds leadership roles in several professional organizations, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Dermatologic Society, Advisory Council for the Dermatology Foundation, the editorial boards of the Journal of Cutaneous Pathology and JID Innovations, and numerous committees within the American Society for Dermatopathology and the American Academy of Dermatology.

Emily Y. Chu, MD, PhD*

Associate Professor of Dermatology
Director, Cancer Genodermatoses Clinic
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
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Seemal R. Dessai, MD

Dr. Desai, a Diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology and a Board-Certified Dermatologist, graduated with honors from Emory University. He received his medical training at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, and received his Doctor of Medicine degree, Magna Cum Laude with honors.

Following medical school, Dr. Desai completed his medical internship in Internal Medicine. He then went on to complete his residency at The University of Alabama at Birmingham and served as Chief Resident for the Department of Dermatology.

Dr. Desai has been active on a local, state, and national level with numerous medical organizations, and is also actively involved in teaching and mentoring medical students and residents. He is the Founder & Medical Director of Innovative Dermatology, a state-of-the-art private practice in the Dallas area, and also serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. 

Dr. Desai authored numerous publications and has been invited to present at countless national and international Dermatology events. His clinical expertise includes the treatment of vitiligo, and other disorders of pigmentation, psoriasis, acne, skin disease in skin of color, cosmeceuticals, and new drug therapies.

He is married with one daughter and one son.

Seemal R. Desai, MD

President, American Academy of Dermatology
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Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE

Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE, is the James J. Leyden Professor (with tenure) of Dermatology and Epidemiology, Director (founding) of the Center for Clinical Sciences in Dermatology, and Director of the Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He is an internationally recognized expert in psoriasis, epidemiology, drug safety, and clinical trials.

Dr. Gelfand is the author of over 330 scientific publications cited over 39,000 times. His research program was the first to establish that psoriasis patients have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality and the first to conduct real world effectiveness studies of psoriasis treatments in the US. He has received over $30 million in investigator initiated research grants from NIH, FDA, PCORI, Foundations, and industry.

Gelfand has trained a new generation of dermatologists, rheumatologists, and cardiologists who focus on research and care of psoriatic disease. Gelfand has given over 10 named lectureships and keynote addresses including the SID ’s Eugene M. Farber lecture and the AAD’s Marion B. Sulzberger lecture and has received numerous prestigious awards including the 2023 Outstanding Contribution Award from the American College of Epidemiology, and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE

James J. Leyden, M.D. Endowed Professor in Clinical Investigation
Professor of Epidemiology in Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Director, Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center
Director, Center for Clinical Sciences in Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania
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Donald Glass, MD, PhD*

Donald A Glass II, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He earned his combined medical and doctoral degree in molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his dermatology residency at UT Southwestern and then joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2011. He is Board-certified by the American Board of Dermatology.

Dr. Glass’s clinical and research expertise centers on keloids (exuberant scarring of the skin), understanding how and why keloids (exuberant scarring of the skin) occur and in finding the genes that predispose people to develop keloids. He sees patients in a keloid-focused clinic and in the process has compiled a registry of individuals and families affected by keloids to collect samples and information to study keloids further. He has delivered a number of presentations and published numerous academic articles. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Academy of Dermatology, the Society of Investigative Dermatology, and the National Medical Association.

He is a Past President of the Skin of Color Society and is the inaugural recipient of the Sanofi and Regeneron Dermatology Foundation (DF) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Mid-Career Award.

Donald Glass, MD, PhD*

Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center
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David Khan, MD

Dr. David A. Khan is Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.  He has been the Program Director for the Allergy & Immunology fellowship program at Southwestern for over 25 years. He is the immediate Past-President of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI).  He is a past recipient of the AAAAI Distinguished Clinician Award and the ACAAI Distinguished Fellow Award. He served for over 15 years on the Joint Task Force for Practice Parameters, developing guidelines for the specialty of Allergy & Immunology. He is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology In Practice. 

His research interests include drug allergy, therapies for refractory chronic urticaria, and the interaction of depression and asthma. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

David Khan, MD

Professor of Internal Medicine Program
Director, Allergy & Immunology Fellowship Training Program
UT Southwestern Medical Center
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Daniel M. Klufas, MD

Daniel M. Klufas, MD, FAAD is a board-certified dermatologist and board-certified, fellowship-trained dermatologic surgeon. Dr. Klufas is currently an assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a core member of the dermatologic surgery faculty. He currently serves as the Medical Director of Dermatologic Surgery and Director of Quality Improvement at Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG) and the Assistant Lead for Clinical Experience in the UCSF Department of Dermatology.

After graduating from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, he completed a transitional year at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and subsequently completed his dermatology residency and fellowship training in micrographic surgery and dermatologic oncology at UCSF. In his clinical practice, he performs various procedures including Mohs surgery, with a focus on Mohs for thinly invasive melanomas and melanoma in situ, laser procedures, and office-based procedures for hidradenitis suppurativa.

His academic interests include quality improvement, assessing and improving clinical outcomes of cutaneous malignancies, integration of technology to improve clinical care, and medical education and mentorship.

Daniel M. Klufas, MD

Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Dermatologic Surgery & Laser Center
Medical Director of the Dermatology Surgery Service, Zuckerberg San Francisco General
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Erin Mathes, MD

Dr. Erin Mathes is Professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics at UCSF. She specializes in infantile hemangiomas and vascular anomalies, neonatal dermatology, disorders of cornification, and laser. Dr. Mathes is the Vice Chair for Education and Residency Program Director for the UCSF Dermatology Residency and a member of the Academy of Medical Educators at UCSF.

She serves on two committees for the American Board of Dermatology and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Professors in Dermatology.

Erin Mathes, MD

Professor of Dermatology
Department of Dermatology University of California, San Francisco
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Vikash Oza, MD

Dr. Vikash (“Kashie”) Oza is an Associate Professor in Dermatology and Pediatrics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He holds numerous leadership positions at the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology including serving as the Director of the Pediatric Dermatology Division,  Associate Program Director for the Dermatology Residency Program and Director for the Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship.

He received his Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Biology at the University of Chicago. Dr. Oza holds board certifications in Pediatrics, Dermatology and Pediatric Dermatology. He completed his pediatric residency at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and his dermatology residency and pediatric dermatology fellowship at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine. He is an active member of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology (SPD) and the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PEDRA). He serves as the chair of the PEDRA Best Practices Taskforce, PEDRA Studies Committee and is the co-director of the SPD Pediatric Dermatology Inpatient Special Interest Group.

He has won multiple teaching awards in the both the departments of Dermatology and Pediatrics while on faculty at NYU. He is a frequently invited speaker regionally and nationally on a wide range of subject matter concerning pediatric dermatology.

He has clinical and research interests in health literacy, atopic dermatitis, genetic dermatology, pediatric connective tissue disease, and medical education.

Vikash Oza, MD

Associate Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, and Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Director, Pediatric Dermatology
NYU Langone Health
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David M. Ozog, MD

Dr. Ozog received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan Dearborn where he was a James B. Angell 4.0 GPA Scholar, completed post baccalaureate work at Bryn Mawr in Philadelphia and his medical degree from University of Rochester Medical School, Rochester, New York where he was awarded AOA honors society. He completed his dermatology residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit where he served as Chief Resident. His Mohs, Cosmetic and Procedural fellowship was with Dr. Ron Moy at UCLA Medical Center and Moy-Fincher Medical Group in Beverly Hills, CA.

He has published more than 90 peer-reviewed articles, dozens of book chapters, and has given hundreds of lectures nationally and internationally in various facets of procedural dermatology. He co-edited the textbook, “Botulinum Toxins: Cosmetic and Clinical Applications” with Joel Cohen.

His active research interests include cutaneous oncology, scarring prevention and treatment, botulinum toxins, as well as laser delivery for cosmetic and malignant conditions. He has trained more than 70 residents in dermatological surgery and was chosen by the residents as “Teacher of the Year”.

Dr. Ozog has taught hands on workshops nationally for the American Society for Dermatological Surgery and is co-director of the cadaver lab at Henry Ford.

David M. Ozog, MD

Chair, Department of Dermatology C.S. Livingood
Chair in Dermatology, Mohs and Dermatological Surgery
Henry Ford Health, Detroit, Michigan
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Veronica Rotemberg, MD, PhD

Dr. Veronica Rotemberg is a dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Dr. Rotemberg directs the imaging informatics program and the dermatology research programs and sees patients at high risk for skin cancer. She received her MD-PhD from Duke University with a PhD in biomedical engineering focusing on elasticity imaging.

Her research interests include dermatology imaging standards, high resolution skin imaging, clinical photography workflows, and artificial intelligence.

Veronica Rotemberg, MD, PhD

Director, Dermatology Research and Imaging Informatics Program
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
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Karolyn Wanat, MD*

Karolyn (Kari) Wanat is a dermatologist and dermatopathologist who completed medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, followed by dermatology and dermatopathology training at University of Pennsylvania and the Gorgas Course in Tropical Medicine in Peru.  She currently is on faculty as a Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. 

She is passionate about increasing access to dermatology care to underserved populations both locally and abroad, which has driven her desire to work in global health, inpatient dermatology, and within infectious diseases.

She has a love of complex medical dermatology and granulomatous diseases and is a lead for a multicenter project evaluating the association of rubella virus with granulomatous skin diseases. She is the current Chair of GLODERM (International Alliance of Global Dermatology) which is focusing on mentorship programs to develop global dermatology leaders.

She is active in using teledermatology in Tanzania and her local community as a way to increase access to clinical care and expand education.

Karolyn Wanat, MD*

Professor, Dermatology
Medical College of Wisconsin
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Jonathan S. Weiss, MD

Jonathan S. Weiss, MD, FAAD, is an adjunct assistant clinical professor of Dermatology at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He is President, Co-managing partner and practices at Georgia Dermatology Partners, with four offices in metropolitan Atlanta. He performs clinical pharmacology research at Gwinnett Clinical Research Center in his Snellville office.

Dr. Weiss earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he also served as chief resident in the dermatology department. He maintains a full-time clinical dermatology practice and oversees an active clinical trial unit studying a wide range of dermatologic conditions and pharmaceutical compounds.

Dr. Weiss has been an investigator in over 230 studies. His experiences with the pharmaceutical industry led him to work in corporate development for the Dermatology Foundation as a way to give back to and positively influence the future of our essential field of medicine.

Jonathan S. Weiss, MD

Chair, Corporate Development Dermatology Foundation President, Managing Partner Georgia Dermatology Partners & Gwinnett Clinical Research Ctr., Inc.

* Former DF Research Award Recipient

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.

An Interactive Experience Providing Cutting-Edge Information

How to Obtain your CME

Continuing Medical Education Credits

Attendees may simply visit Yale’s CME system to download and print a transcript reflecting your CME credits for a DF Clinical Symposia.

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.

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