Resident Guide to Advocacy in Dermatology

It is never too early (or too late!) to get involved in dermatology advocacy. Residency is an ideal time to start learning about advocating on behalf of the specialty of dermatology as well as on behalf of our patients. Many opportunities are available for residents to gain experience and become advocates on national and grassroots levels. As residents, participating in these efforts can help set a solid foundation for future involvement in advocacy, regardless of our ultimate career goals.

American Medical Association

The mission of the American Medical Association (AMA) is “to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.”¹ Joining the AMA costs $45 for 1 year of resident membership (with a discounted rate for multiyear memberships). As a member, you are given the opportunity to cast a ballot for the national medical specialty society that best represents you in the House of Delegates, the AMA’s principle policy-making body.² The more votes a particular society receives, the more delegates from that society are added to the House of Delegates, meaning more representation for that specialty organization. It is advised that members choose the society that best represents them: for dermatologists, this most likely would be the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), among other dermatology organizations that are candidates (ie, the American College of Mohs Surgery, the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, and the Society for Investigative Dermatology). This representation is key for a specialty like dermatology, which has a relatively smaller number of physicians compared to other larger specialties and therefore has less representation in the House of Delegates.

Additionally, AMA membership grants you access to the entire Journal of the American Medical Association network including a subscription to the specialty journal of your choice.

Patient Advocacy

Patient advocacy groups generally have 3 main goals: education (for patients, patient support networks, and the layperson), research, and lobbying for issues that are in the interest of patients and treatment of dermatologic conditions (eg, funding support, regulation of medical devices, etc).³ In dermatology, the number of patient advocacy groups is growing to represent a myriad of dermatologic conditions, from common conditions like psoriasis to rare genodermatoses (Table). As dermatologists in training, it is key for residents to be involved in patient advocacy and to be aware of the resources that exist for patients to access educational information and support for their respective conditions. These educational materials can help provide more comprehensive care for patients and give patients more autonomy in choosing a physician or hospital to manage their care, help patients become more knowledgeable about available treatment options, and arm patients with more information to address questions that may arise from laypeople regarding their condition.

In terms of patient education, the resources available to patients include informational websites, access to educational materials like pamphlets and multimedia (eg, videos), and special events; for example, the National Psoriasis Foundation hosts walks for patients and their friends and family to raise money for the organization as well as to promote psoriasis awareness and give patients an opportunity to build a support network. Patient advocacy groups also help raise funding for research and have shown to be influential in research initiatives that are granted funding.³ Often, these groups also play a political role and take part in lobbying efforts by patients and support groups by working with politicians to raise awareness or request financial support for particular skin diseases.

The Society for Investigative Dermatology sponsors an application for mobile devices that can assist residents in referring patients to support and advocacy groups (http://www.skinadvocateapp.com).