Dear Dermatology Colleague,

I hope you have had an enjoyable summer. We are planning a full year of meetings starting in September. After no increase in dues for many years, there will be a modest $ 25 increase in dues starting this year. The modest increase in dues is to cover the added costs of obtaining and maintaining our CME and to continue to provide for speakers, food and beverage in this climate with much less corporate pharmaceutical support. As always, your prompt $125 payment for the 2010-2011 year is greatly appreciated.

The pace of change in health care is rapid. Last year, the AAD set up a link on its website, (www.aad.org/gov/) to update members. If there are any concerns or issues with which the Society might be able to help, please bring them up at meetings or contact one of the Executive Committee members.

After an extended period of time without a sponsor for our CME, Dr. Alan Moshell was able to arrange for ongoing sponsorship of our CME credit from the Washington Hospital Center earlier in 2010. The society is now in the process of finalizing credit awards for the last academic year. The Society was able to award several grants this past year that included presentations of their findings or experience at our dermatology meetings. Grant money is available and we encourage further applications. Information is available on our website.

After five years of dedicated service to the Society as our administrator, Ms. Janiece Jones, has decided to resign in order to attend graduate school while continuing with her full time job at the Washington Hospital Center. As professional as always, she has offered to stay on long enough to help train our new administrator, John Garza. We thank Janiece for all of her hard work and wish her the best in her ongoing career. We are pleased to have John. He is the office manager for two of our members, Drs. Welch and Montemarano. Please feel free to contact any of the Executive Committee members or John Garza, our new administrator, with any concerns.

We look forward to a good 2010-2011 year.

Sincerely,

Todd E. Perkins, MD, FAAD
President, the Washington D.C. Dermatological Society