2025 CS Plenary Sessions
It’s rare to find yourself among top experts in your field who are just as eager to connect with you as you are with them, unless you’re at DF’s annual Clinical Symposium. Every year, this CME event brings together renowned speakers and leaders in dermatology whose insights highlight key advances and real-world challenges shaping today’s dermatologic care.
Inherited Melanoma Syndromes
Dr. Emily Chu presented information about familial melanoma, inherited melanoma syndromes, and associated genes. Familial melanoma is defined as ≥2 first-degree relatives with melanoma or ≥3 relatives on the same side of the family with melanoma. First, Chu described genes associated with increased risk of developing melanoma, including cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), cyclin-dependent kinase…
Oncodermatopathology Clues: Clinical-Pathologic Correlation for Adverse Skin Reactions to Newer Oncologic Therapies
Dr. Emily Chu presented information about cutaneous adverse reactions to targeted oncologic therapies, including programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors, enfortumab vedotin (EV), v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) inhibitors, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK) inhibitors. As more patients receive these oncologic therapies, dermatologists are…
Pragmatic Trials: The Next Generation of Research Needed to Advance Dermatology Practice
Dr. Joel Gelfand presented information about real-world data collection methods, including registries, automated databases, and pragmatic clinical trials. First, Gelfand discussed the role of real-world studies in identifying adverse events (AEs) caused by newly approved treatments. Pre-approval clinical trials (i.e., phase 1-3) have limited ability to identify safety signals because these studies are designed to…
The Role of the Dermatologist in Reducing Cardiovascular
Risk in Psoriasis
Dr. Joel Gelfand presented information about cardiovascular (CV) risk in people with psoriasis and how dermatologists can recognize and reduce CV outcomes in these patients. First, Gelfand described the relationship between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the clinical significance of CV risk in patients with psoriasis. People with psoriasis are at increased risk of…
What’s New in Vitiligo Therapies
Dr. Seemal Desai presented information about vitiligo and provided updates about emerging treatment options. Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune disease that targets melanocytes, causing skin depigmentation. Its pathogenesis is largely regulated by interferon-γ activation of the Janus kinase (JAK) signaling pathway. First, Desai described treatment options for vitiligo, including topical and systemic therapies, phototherapy, depigmentation…