Legislative Conference

What you learn

Legislative Conference participants will learn about issues and legislation that could affect the specialty’s future, receive expert advice on how to get your message heard by legislators, and help advance AADA’s legislative priorities by meeting directly with members of Congress and their staff to voice dermatology’s concerns.

No experience? No problem!

Attendees do not need to be experts on health policy, the legislative process, or the legislators themselves. Participants are coming to Washington, D.C., as an expert in dermatology and patient care. At the conference, the AADA will provide you with background materials on your legislators, a copy of the AADA legislative priorities, briefing materials on legislation and training on how to advocate for the specialty in a meaningful way. 

Capitol Hill meetings

The AADA schedules all Capitol Hill meetings for attendees. We use your home and office addresses to determine who your members of Congress are and then contact their offices to schedule meetings for you. Before meeting with your members of Congress and their staffers, the AADA will provide you with specific information about legislative priorities, talking points, and other resources.

Registration opens Monday, May 11, 2020. Registration closes Friday, August 28, 2020. Cancellations will be refunded if they are made before August 13, 2020.

Space at the 2020 AADA Legislative Conference is limited. Register early to ensure your spot!

When registering, participants will be required to pay $100 deposit, which will go toward the final cost of your hotel stay. Cancellations can be refunded any time before August 8, 2019.  

Attendees must cover the cost of their lodging at the conference. However, AAD Meetings staff will make all attendees hotel reservations based on the hotel dates submitted on your registration form, and send confirmations within three weeks of the conference start date. The special room rate for the conference is $359 plus tax per night. As a reminder, the $100 registration fee will go towards participants’ final hotel bill. 

If you would like to attend the conference and will not be staying at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, please email sdumond@aad.org to have your deposit waived (you must do this before registering for the conference).

The conference will take place on Sunday, Sept. 13 through Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C. The program is set to begin on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. and will adjourn by 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

View the 2019 agenda (PDF download)

The program will contain policy-focused breakout sessions, designed to offer an in-depth understanding of the issues participants will present to Congress on the final day of the Conference. Break-out sessions will involve didactic discussions and hands-on training from a panel of health policy experts, AADA staff, and experienced member advocates, which will cover all aspects of the legislative process.

Additionally, the Conference offers a mentoring program that matches new advocates with an AADA leader to help guide them through their Capitol Hill experience. The AADA will schedule all of your Capitol Hill meetings and provide background materials and briefing information so you can be fully prepared to meet with your members of Congress.

Capitol Hill Meetings Day

On the final day of the conference, attendees will meet with their members of Congress with a small group of attendees from their home state. Capitol Hill meetings are scheduled by an outside consultant and schedules for those meetings will not be available until the week before the meeting. Schedules will be emailed to attendees.

Understanding that flights will be booked in advance, we encourage attendees to book their flight departing Washington after 3 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, September 10, to provide the greatest opportunity and flexibility to schedule meetings on Capitol Hill. If for some reason your flight is scheduled before a meeting on Tuesday, our consultants will do their best to reschedule, but cannot guarantee changes.

The 2020 AADA Legislative Conference takes place Sunday, Sept. XX through Tuesday, Sept. XX, 2020, at the Willard InterContinental Hotel. The program is set to begin on Sunday afternoon and will adjourn by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, depending on individual Capitol Hill meeting schedules. The AADA will provide meals and snacks during the event.

Please note that because participants’ Hill meeting schedules are not available until the week before the conference, AADA staff recommends attendees’ book their flight departing Washington after 3 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, September XX. This will provide the greatest opportunity and flexibility for our vendor to schedule meetings with legislators throughout the day.

Attendees must make their own travel arrangements to the conference and cover their own lodging at the Willard InterContinental Hotel. However, AAD meetings staff will make all hotel reservations based on the hotel dates submitted on your registration form and send confirmations within three weeks of the conference start date. The special room rate for the conference is $359 plus tax per night. As a reminder, the $100 registration fee will go toward your final hotel bill.

The AADA awards several scholarships to residents who commit to year-long involvement in AADA grassroots advocacy. Past award-winners have stayed active by participating in grassroots email campaigns, meeting with their district Congressional offices, and actively participating in AADA advocacy-focused teleconferences. Following the Legislative Conference, AADA staff will follow up with award-winners to discuss a checklist of grassroots activities.

Learn more.