Dermatology News editorial advisor Adam Friedman, MD, provided the following recommendations for navigating the upcoming American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, March 3-6:
Don’t spread yourself too thin
Who’s ready to be overwhelmed by the almost 500 session options at the annual AAD meeting? It’s that time again, so here is my advice on how to stay on track during this circus. First, download the AAD mobile app. This makes life a lot easier when trying to find your room or search for an ongoing session. The paper program is so 2008. The AAD has created various tracks to enable dermatologists of varying stages in career or clinical foci to easily go after their interests. Follow those bread crumbs.
My general advice when deciding what to attend at this meeting is pick two or three specific topics or skills you want to expand upon or develop and go after sessions pertaining to them. Don’t spread yourself too thin as learning a little about a lot won’t strengthen your knowledge base.
Residents: Look at practice-based sessions
For residents, there are multiple professional development and board prep courses available. At this stage in your career, it’s important to acquire practical tips on topics from contract negotiation to speaker training as many of these skills are beyond the scope of residency training. Whether you are preparing for the in-training exam or the boards, programs such as “Boards Blitz” (S049) and “Conquer the Boards: An Experiential Review” (C006) will help you along the way. If you want practical career-building advice, hit up “Boards and Beyond” (F116) and “Careers in Academic Dermatology” (D004).
Get scorched in Orlando
Interested in what’s hot right now in dermatology? Look no further. There are multiple “Hot Topics” sessions scheduled throughout the meeting, with the main event on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (S024) led by none other than AAD presidential candidate Kenneth J. Tomecki, MD. Other Hot Topic sessions include: “Hot Topics in Acute and Inpatient Pediatric Dermatology” (F007), “Hot Topics in Translational Dermatology” (U065), and “FDA Hot Topics: The Evolving Regulatory Landscape” (F005).
What about playing catch up on this year’s hottest publications? Check out “New Medical Dermatology Literature that Changed my Approach to Practice” (U025) with legendary academician Warren Heymann, MD. Not to be missed!
Dr. Friedman is director of the residency program and director of translational research in the department of dermatology, George Washington University, Washington.