Patient and physician stories

Collaboration between a dermatologist and rheumatologist transforms care for a patient with blistering wounds. (Parker Enix-Ross; patient, Victoria Werth, MD, FAAD; Preethi Thomas, MD)

An interdisciplinary team makes surgery safe for a patient with photosensitivity. (Stacey Creed, patient; Henry Lim, MD, FAAD)

A board-certified dermatologist applies her own life experiences to address health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. (Sacharitha Bowers, MD, FAAD; Wendi Wills El-Amin, MD)

After six-year-old Bridger Walker suffered severe bites while protecting his younger sister from a dog attack, dermatologists stepped in to provide life-changing scar treatment. (Bridger Walker, patient; Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, FAAD)

As new symptoms of COVID-19 came to light, dermatologists launched a collaborative registry to track the dermatological manifestations of the infectious disease. (Esther Freeman, MD, PhD, DTM&H, FAAD; Ingrid V. Bassett, MD, MPH)

A dermatologist teams up with specialists to manage Kimberly’s painful Hidradenitis Suppurativa. (Kimberly Meyer-Gamet, patient; Iltefat Hamzavi, MD, FAAD)

A dermatologist in Detroit supports emergency department care during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Linda Stein Gold, MD, FAAD; Michael Nauss, MD, FACEP)

Medical student Haya Raef and dermatologist Jennifer Tan, MD, FAAD, teamed up to create kits with skin care treatments and hygiene items for people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspired to support the COVID-19 response, a dermatologist discovered a new way to sanitize masks, keeping frontline providers safe. (Iltefat H. Hamzavi, MD, FAAD; Mayur Ramesh, MD)

Telemedicine allows a dermatologist to provide care during the coronavirus pandemic to a melanoma survivor with a rare autoimmune condition. (Jennifer Bowers, patient; Janet Lin, MD, FAAD)

A board-certified dermatologist helps patient with psoriasis manage his condition–and the insurance process. (Joshua Rubin, patient; Larry Green, MD, FAAD)

Telemedicine and strong cross-specialty collaboration provide underserved patients with specialty care. (Carolyn Senger, MD, MPH; Toby Maurer, MD, FAAD)

Board-certified dermatologists and veterans Drs. Hon Pak and Darryl Hodson launched the country’s first robust teledermatology project during their years in the U.S. Army. (Hon Pak, MD, FAAD, MBA; Darryl Hodson, MD, FAAD)

A unique teledermatology partnership is improving the health and well-being of female prisoners in Connecticut. (Tara Hood, FNP-BC; Jun Lu, MD, FAAD)

Dr. Seemal R. Desai treated Kamryn’s tricky case of vitiligo, helping his patient regain her confidence. (Kamyrn Wilcox, patient; Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD)

A dermatologist and oncologist worked together to give Mike Murphy relief from a rare cancer after years of intense pain. (Mike Murphy, patient; Lindsay Strowd, MD; Zanetta Lamar, MD)

Richard visited his dermatologist for a cyst and left with a lung cancer diagnosis. (Richard Danzer, patient; Brittany Smirnov, DO, FAAD)

Born with lamellar ichthyosis, Abby lives a normal live while advocating for herself and others. (Abby Evans, patient; Bonnie S. Epstein, MD, FAAD)

A dermatologist and hematologist/oncologist keep a patient’s cancer in remission. (Victoria Perez, patient; Lindsay Ackerman, MD, FAAD; Craig B. Reeder, MD)

A dermatologist and her staff helps veteran Jack Cooper manage ongoing skin challenges, including Agent Orange exposure, which resulted from his service in Vietnam. (Jack Cooper, patient; Cyndi Yag-Howard, MD, FAAD)

JoAnne dealt with persistent skin issues for 40 years before a visit to the dermatologist changed her life. (JoAnne, patient; Kathryn Schwarzenberger, MD, FAAD)

When Boston newscaster Phil Lipof had a life-threatening drug reaction, a cross-specialty team raced to save his life. (Phil Lipof, patient; Steven Chen, MD)

Eight-year-old Marissa has Sturge-Weber syndrome, which makes her prone to seizures and other complications. (Marissa Terrell, patient; David Goldberg, MD, JD)

A dermatologist and a hematologist work together to treat a mysterious illness. (Arna Shefrin, patient; Bernice Kwong, MD, FAAD)

Dermatologists volunteer to treat nearly 1,000 patients each year. (David Harker, MD; Amit Pandya, MD)

Using teledermatology, a dermatologist diagnosed and removed a patient’s melanoma in one day. (Donna Randall, patient; Kari Lyn Martin, MD)

A father, daughter, and grandson share a rare genetic condition — and the same thoughtful dermatologic care. (Buff Farrow, patient; Loretta Davis, MD)

A dermatologist worked with another physician to treat a tricky case of leprosy. (Keith Hamilton, MD; Carrie Kovarik, MD)

After gaining confidence at Camp Discovery, a young man works to help others with skin disease. (Jonathan Gionfriddo, patient; Karen Wiss, MD)

A rheumatology-dermatology clinic improves coordination, patient care and physician education. (Adey Berhanu, MD, RhMSUS; Alison Ehrlich, MD)

After years of pain following swimming or showering, Josie finds relief. (Josie Lopez, patient; Jean Pierre Galliani, MD; Naomi Johansen, MD)

A patient seeking relief for chronic itching is diagnosed with hepatitis C. (Louella Shelton, patient; Carrie Davis, MD)

A rare genetic condition greatly increases risk of skin cancers. (Aimee Milota, patient; Sima Torabian, MD)

After 17 months of painful blisters, Becky recovers and thrives. (Becky Strong, patient; Andrzej Dlugosz, MD)

How access to dermatology is improving for Medicaid patients in western Washington. (Roy Colven, MD)

A dermatologist discovers deep bruising during a routine skin cancer exam. (John Ahern, patient; David M. Paul, MD; Lindsay S. Ackerman, MD)

Medical, surgical, and radiation oncology, dermatology, and other specialties collaborate to improve melanoma treatment. (Mark R. Albertini, MD, oncologist; Gloria Xu, MD, PhD)

Cyrina found relief after years of severe, chronic abscesses and blisters. (Cyrina Anthony, patient; Haley B. Naik, MD, MHSc)

A pediatric oncologist and dermatologist team up to treat pediatric transplant patients’ side effects. (Jennifer Huang, MD; Jennifer Whangbo, MD, PhD)

A dermatology clinic significantly decreases its wait times. (Benjamin F. Chong, MD, MSCS; Joseph Chang, MD, MBA, FACOG)

A dermatologist works with other specialties to provide comprehensive care for alopecia areata. (Deirdre Nero, patient; Stacy Chimento, MD)

A dermatologist and patient create a community for others living with chronic cancer. (Susan Thornton, patient; Stuart R. Lessin, MD)

A dermatologist established a monthly dermatology clinic to provide care for patients in the underserved Mississippi Delta. (Carolyn Newhof, patient; Robert T. Brodell, MD)

Specialists work together to coordinate care for patients with eczema at a multidisciplinary clinic. (Hrayr Attarian, MD, Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH)

A patient with atypical lymphocytosis was believed to have leukemia, but was spared a chemotherapy regimen when a dermatologist diagnosed her with drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome. (Sarah Shark, patient; Steven Daveluy, MD)

A woman with Crohn’s disease had a bowel resection resulting in an ulcer. A dermatologist diagnosed it as pyoderma gangrenosum and coordinated with a gastroenterologist to treat the condition. (Jennifer Sariego, patient; Misha Rosenbach, MD)

A dermatology clinic’s new walk-in appointment schedule helps an area resident receive timely care for a persistent rash. (Kate Gleason, patient; Abby Van Voorhees, MD)

A dermatologist uses teledermatology to see more patients at a clinic that cares for an underserved population. (Cory Simpson, MD, PhD)

A program connecting primary care physicians with dermatologic best practices helps identify a patient’s ‘ugly duckling’ lesion leading to a critical excision. (Daniel Fessler, patient; Robert Pierce, MD, MSPH, FAAFP)

A pediatric team and a dermatologist determine the mysterious cause of an infant who was failing to thrive. (Hassan Galadari, MD)

Two dermatologists work together to help a patient and her children access the treatments they need to treat a rare auto-immune disorder. (Virginia Maxwell, patient; Jessica Burgy, MD)

‘dream team’ led by dermatology—which included several specialties—helped a patient recover from two battles with angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. (Ralph Cousins, patient; Alan Menter, MD)

A dermatologist and a plastic surgeon work together to identify the source of a patient’s persistent ulcer— and craft a treatment plan to recovery. (Makeba Garner, patient, Alex Ortega, MD)