The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association (ASDSA) has announced the recipients of its annual awards.
The award announcement took place week during the ASDS / ASDSA Virtual Annual Meeting in November.
The awards were developed to recognize ASDSA members who contribute significant time and expertise advocating for patient safety.
2021 ASDSA Gold Advocates:
- Seemal Desai, MD (Plano, Texas)
- Anthony M. Rossi, MD (New York, N.Y.)
2021 ASDSA Silver Advocates:
- Murad Alam, MD, MBA (Chicago, Ill.)
- Terrence A. Cronin, Jr., MD (Melbourne, Fla.)
- Ann F. Haas, MD (Sacramento, Calif.)
- Geoffrey Lim, MD (Lone Tree, Colo.)
- Brian Petersen, MD (Denver, Colo.)
- Mona Sadeghpour, MD, MHS (Centennial, Colo.)
- Kelly Wilmas, MD (Houston, Texas)
2021 ASDSA Bronze Advocates:
- M. Laurin Council, MD (St. Louis, Mo.)
- Catherine DiGiorgio, MD (Boston, Mass.)
- Leonard Goldberg, MD (Houston, Texas)
- Lawrence J. Green, MD (Rockville, Md.)
- H. William Higgins, II, MD, MBE (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- Deirdre Hooper, MD (New Orleans, La.)
- George J. Hruza, MD, MBA (Chesterfield, Mo.)
- Basia Michalski, MD (St. Louis, Mo.)
- Sara Moghaddam, MD (Selbyville, Del.)
- Thomas E. Rohrer, MD (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
- Arjun Saini, MD (Edgewater, Md.)
ASDSA State Legislative Patient Safety Hero:
- This award is presented to a state legislative member who has contributed significantly to an issue the ASDSA supports, centered on patient safety initiative. Awardee Senator Miller was crucial in passing ASDSA’s SUNucate model legislation in Rhode Island, which allows children to possess and utilize sunscreen at school without a physician’s note or prescription.
ASDSA State Dermatological Society Patient Safety Hero
- This award is given to a state dermatological society that has promoted and been successful on behalf of the dermatologic surgery specialty and patient safety. This year’s winner is the Rhode Island Dermatology Society (RIDS). RIDS has been chosen for this honor because of their persistence in passing SUNucate.
Ignite Grants
This grant program provides funding and assistance for state dermatology chapters to pursue ASDSA’s model legislation.
The 2021 recipients include:
- Nevada Society for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery: Medical Spa Safety Act
- Louisiana Dermatological Society: SUNucate and the Medical Spa Safety Act
- Rhode Island Dermatology Society: Medical Spa Safety Act
“ASDSA works hard to elevate patient safety concerns to policymakers, centering on surgical dermatology related to skin cancer and cosmetic medical procedures,” said ASDSA president Mathew M. Avram, MD, JD. “These members’ dedicated participation in advocacy initiatives is essential to the success of our specialty. Our 2021 Top Advocates have continued to work through pandemic-related restrictions to voice the issues most important to our patients, and for that we are immensely grateful.”
