Pillars of excellence on display in record-breaking AAD Annual Meeting in Orlando
The world’s largest dermatology meeting saw some spectacular results.
Advocacy. Education. Practice support. Leadership. Resources for well-being. These essential pillars of the Academy were highlighted by incoming AAD President Susan Taylor, MD, FAAD, during the AAD’s 2025 Annual Meeting, March 7-11, in Orlando.
“This is the work that the Academy already does, but we aim to further refine it, advance it, innovate it, and make the work more transparent,” said Dr. Taylor.
These same pillars of excellence were very much on display in Orlando, with a host of innovations and advancements framed within dermatology’s biggest annual event ever.
Historic numbers set new record!
At the close of the AAD Annual Meeting, the unofficial attendance number was 20,301, which exceeds the previous record (19,828) set in San Diego in 2024. Medical personnel totaled 9,918, while non-medical personnel numbered 2,586. Residents had a strong showing as well, with more than 2,700 attendees (up a few hundred from last year). The meeting had 428 exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations. Total exhibitor attendance was more than 7,300 (also up from last year), and a record number of press was in attendance. There were 130 AAD committee meetings driving progress, and a record-breaking 1,695 poster abstracts. While the numbers are not final, they represent a strong showing for the AAD.
Attendees took in nearly 300 sessions offered in Orlando, including late-breaking research, hot topics, live demonstration and hands-on sessions, and lectures and presentations by experts on important topics for all practicing dermatologists.
A new Welcome Reception on Friday, March 7, featured remarks by outgoing president Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD, as well as AAD Gold Medal recipient Boni E. Elewski, MD, FAAD, and a “fireside chat” with Dr. Desai and the iconic Martha Stewart.
Business and Plenary mix well
On Sunday, March 9, attendees began the Plenary with the AAD/A Annual Business Meeting, featuring presentations by outgoing president Dr. Desai and Secretary-Treasurer Daniel D. Bennett, MD, FAAD, who reviewed the AAD/A’s state of affairs.
Attendees at the Plenary were then treated to presentations by Marta J. Van Beek, MD, MPH, FAAD, who gave the Clarence S. Livingood, MD, Award and Lectureship; Aviv Regev, MD, PhD, MSc, who presented the Lila and Murray Gruber Memorial Cancer Research Award and Lectureship; Rachael Clark, MD, PhD, FAAD, who gave the Marion B. Sulzberger, MD, Memorial Award and Lectureship; and Pearl E. Grimes, MD, FAAD, who presented the John Kenney Jr., MD, Lifetime Achievement Award and Lectureship. There were also inspiring messages of unity and pillars for the future of the Academy by Dr. Desai and Dr. Taylor.
Resident events
There was plenty for residents to do at the AAD Annual Meeting, including Boards and Beyond and Boards Blitz. On March 8, the prestigious Fox Awards were given to up-and-coming researchers at the Resident and Fellows Research Symposium. New Resident Jeopardy champs were also announced on March 8.
Exhibit Hall and AAD Resource Center
As usual, there was an abundance of activity on the exhibit floor (with more than 350 exhibiting companies) and at the AAD Resource Center, which hosted many fun and informative events, including: AAD Career Compass, the AAD Clinical Image Collection, a Camp Discovery Treasure Hunt, Dialogues in Dermatology, and, of course, lots of swag and giveaways, like T-shirts promoting the AAD’s successful Your Dermatologist Knows consumer positioning strategy.
Socially AADept!
If you have a laptop, tablet, phone, or (probably) all three, you know there’s been a lot of social media buzz around the 2025 AAD Annual Meeting. There were thousands of mentions of the #AAD2025 meeting hashtag on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and other platforms from all types of attendees, including medical students, residents, general dermatologists, subspecialists, session speakers/directors, and exhibitors. Almost 250 attendees participated in the daily @AADmember giveaways with 20 lucky winners in all by the end of the meeting.
Upcoming meetings
Register for 2025 AAD Innovation Academy to be held July 10-13, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. And we’re headed to Denver, March 27-31, for the 2026 AAD Annual Meeting.
And there’s so much more. You can catch up on what you missed by viewing articles on DermWorld Meeting News Central, and check out the 2025 On-Demand sessions. And don’t forget to visit the AAD Meeting photo gallery!
