‘Let unity be our guiding principle’
Wrapping a transformative year.
Outgoing AAD President Terrence A. Cronin Jr., MD, FAAD, closed his 12-month tenure at the March 10 P151 – Plenary by recalling the timeless themes established by early leaders in dermatology, his “transformative year” at the helm of the AAD, and how unity was the hallmark of all of its significant strides.
Noting that attendees in San Diego were part of the largest AAD meeting of all time, Dr. Cronin credited the AAD’s ability to come together as a unified force as its most powerful attribute in the face of today’s daunting challenges.
“The challenges are real. As we are blessed with an ever-growing wealth of information and therapies that we must keep abreast of, we also need to care for ourselves and balance our lives with our careers, provide for our families, our staffs, and our patients,” he said. “Unfortunately, our health care system is buckling under the weight of inflation, and physician payment has not only not kept up, but continues to be cut.”
The divisions, he said, are not coming from within the ranks, but rather from the external forces.
“It is imperative that we rise above these divisions and recognize the strength we hold as a unified front. Our influence, our power, and our ability to effect change are directly tied to the number of voices we can rally together.”
Dr. Cronin called out notable achievements during his tenure. He pointed to the delegation at the AMA that advocated increasing Medicare physician payment and protecting patient access.
He cited the development of an Academy Ad Hoc Task Force on Finding Common Sense Medicare Legislation to rally the house of medicine and build a single-issue coalition tasked with achieving an inflation-based adjustment to Medicare reimbursement. “Such an organization could potentially borrow proven methods from other industries to effectively influence Congress to create Medicare-saving legislation.”
He also gave a shout-out to the “incredible AAD meetings,” calling them the “educational lighthouse to the world.”
Finally, he said he was particularly proud of resources developed by the AAD’s Ad Hoc Task Force on Dermatologic Resources for the Intervention and Prevention of Human Trafficking to educate physicians so they would be better advocates for these patients.
“As we move into the new year, let unity be our guiding principle,” he said. “Let us forge stronger bonds with our fellow members, support one another, and stand united in the face of adversity. Our patients rely on us, our specialty relies on us, and the future of dermatology relies on us,” he said.
“Unity is not just a responsibility. It is our greatest strength. So let us embrace our responsibility with open hearts and minds. Let us flex our muscles together, hand in hand, toward a brighter and more prosperous future for all. This is our greatest responsibility, and together, for the good of our patients, we shall prevail.”
