Skin of Color Society Approaches 20th Anniversary: Initiatives Update

The Skin of Color Society (SOCS) is approaching its 20th anniversary and this organization—founded by Susan C. Taylor, MD in 2004—continues to strive for achieving health equity and excellence in patient care through research, education, mentorship and advocacy.

“As we reach our 20th anniversary, we are indebted to many skin of color dermatology pioneers, whose contributions led to tremendous advances in the field. As we face a very promising future, we are thankful for and strengthened by many SOCS leaders, members, supporters and collaborators who are helping us continue our work toward achieving true diversity, equity and inclusion in dermatology,” said Dr. Andrew F. Alexis, MD, MPH, FAAD, SOCS president.

SOCS at World Congress of Dermatology

For the first time in the Society's history, SOCS will present a Scientific Session at WCD in Singapore on July 3.  Speakers will present on a variety of dermatologic conditions and issues affecting skin of color patients, including: facial pigmentation, lichen planopilaris, cutaneous tuberculosis, inflammatory disorders, and cultural beauty around the world. This meeting is supported by an educational grant from Pfizer.

New Videos

SOCS has just released a wide-ranging series of educational videos including the “MelanatED” series of eight short-form educational videos and ten SOCS identity videos. Covering key topics ranging from cultural competency, hair loss, inflammatory diseases, and sunscreen in skin of color to patient safety, the importance of early detection, how to find “Dr. Right” and much more, this powerful collection sheds lights on issues of special importance and interest to patients of color and the physicians who care for them.

The videos feature nationally and globally recognized SOCS leaders, including: Drs. Susan C. Taylor, Andrew F. Alexis, Valerie M. Harvey, Candrice R. Heath, Janiene Luke, Corey L. Hartman, Shawn Kwatra, and Nkem Ugonabo. The initiative was made possible thanks to the support of: Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Senté, Bristol Myers Squibb, Arcutis Biotherapeutics and Unilever's skin and personal care brand Dove.

Advancing Diversity in Dermatology Clinical Trials

Through an initiative led by then-President Valerie M. Harvey, MD, MPH, FAAD, SOCS presented the Inaugural Summit, Meeting the Challenge: Diversity in Dermatology Clinical Trials, in June 2022. This gathering brought together key stakeholders across numerous disciplines and sectors, leading to several innovations. The Summit was supported in part by AbbVie and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson. Key outcomes from this meeting include:

• A first-ever collaboration with the National Medical Association Dermatology Section, offering a Diversity in Clinical Trials Mentorship Program to tomorrow's researchers, which is now in progress. The program is made possible thanks to support from Janssen/Johnson & Johnson;

• Two manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, including one published article (Cobb CBC, Heath CR, Byrd AS, et al. The Skin of Color Society's Meeting the Challenge Summit, 2022: Diversity in Dermatology Clinical Trials Proceedings. JAMA Dermatol. Published online May 24, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2023.1285), and another pending publication in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology;

• The creation of a SOCS working group to develop a comprehensive, evidence-based review focusing on the use and misuse of the current scales used to measure skin tones;

• The development of the 2nd Annual Meeting the Challenge Summit: Redefining Population Descriptors in Dermatology Research Studies, which will be dedicated to addressing language and classification of terms to be used in clinical trials, scheduled for December 2023.

Latest Skin of Color Research

A signature program for SOCS and the skin of color dermatology community at-large, the 19th Annual SOCS Scientific Symposium continued its tradition of showcasing the latest skin of color dermatology research and insights from emerging and highly respected experts and researchers from around the US and the world. This year's symposium in March featured esteemed experts, researchers, and future dermatology leaders who shared their insights through invited speaker presentations, moderated panels, oral abstracts and iPosters. A record number of abstracts were submitted, including 179 submissions and 139 acceptances. Presenters covered pertinent topics in skin of color dermatology ranging from JAK inhibitors, skin cancer, and CCCA to health disparities, dismantling racism and more.

This program was supported by AbbVie, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, and Sanofi-Regeneron (Champion Level);  Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, Incyte Dermatology, Unilever/Dove/Vaseline (Ally Level); Arcutis Biotherapeutics (Partner Level); Avita Medical, Beiersdorf, Dermavant Sciences, Evolus, Ortho Dermatologics, Senté, Strata Skin Sciences and UCB (Friend Level); EltaMD, Google Health, HairStim, L'Oréal, Pfizer, and SkinCeuticals (Special Recognition).

The 20th Annual SOCS Scientific Symposium will take place on March 7, 2024 in conjunction with the 2024 AAD Annual Meeting in San Diego, according to SOCS.

Supporting Research

SOCS is working within the field along with collaborative partners to address the dire need for more research into various dermatologic diseases that disproportionately impact patients of color through a variety of initiatives, including:

The SOCS Foundation Institutional Research Fellowship (IRF) Program supports critical research into dermatologic diseases in skin of color and provides valuable opportunities for physicians of color, who are disproportionately underrepresented in dermatology and medicine. SOCS is working to increase the number of physicians from diverse backgrounds who can provide culturally competent care to these often-underserved communities. The IRF program provides outstanding opportunities for underrepresented minority (URM) physicians to train for and assume leadership roles in clinical care, public policy, health services research and biomedical research. Applications are currently being accepted until August 1, 2023.

2023 SOCS Research, Career Development and Innovations Awards

Several yearly SOCS awards were presented at the 19th Annual SOCS Scientific Symposium. The awards, which were supported by Bristol Myers Squibb, L'Oréal and Pfizer, include: Hyejin Leah Chung, MD, for Fractional CO2 Laser versus Fractional Radiofrequency Microneedling for Hidradenitis Suppurativa-Related Atrophic Scars: A Randomized Controlled Rater-Blinded Study; Jennifer Fernandez, MD, RD, for Teledermatology in Kenya: An Assessment of Provider Preferences; Nazgol Sadat Haddadi, MD, MPH for The role of Type I IFNs on Keratinocyte's response to Ultraviolet Light B in Photosensitive Skin Diseases; Courtney Johnson, MD, PhD, for Single Cell Transcriptomic View of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Early-Stage Mycosis Fungoides; and Tasneem Mohammad, MD, for Exploring the clinical, spectroscopic, histologic, and immunohistochemical features of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation using disease specific validated in-vivo models with comparison to ultraviolet b induced skin pigmentation.

SOCS Career Development Awards provide grants to investigators to fund basic, translational, or clinical research related to inflammatory disorders in skin of color. 2023 Awardees include: Crystal Aguh, MD, for Establishing A Transcriptomic Model for CCCA Diagnosis and Severity; Carmelo Carmona-Rivera, PhD, for Dysregulation of NETs modulates inflammation, autoimmune features and end-organ damage in Hidradenitis suppurativa; and Candrice Heath, MD, for Elucidating Scarring Alopecia to Extend Follicular Life in Black children and adolescents.

The SOCS Early Career Innovations Award provides grants to support new ideas that have potential to positively disrupt the practice of dermatology and dermatologic care. The 2023 recipients are Favour A. Akinjiyan, BSc, MD/PhD Candidate, for Using Artificial Intelligence and Short Wave Infrared Imaging to Predict Acne and Vartan Pahalyants, MD, MBA, for DermDiscovery: Leveraging Technology and Augmented Reality to Increase Diversity in Dermatology.  

Mentoring Next-Gen Dermatologists

The SOCS Observership Program provides grants to medical students, dermatology residents, and junior faculty to enable an in-person rotation with a SOCS mentor, allowing them to acquire additional academic or research skills that will further their careers as leaders in dermatology. Eleven SOCS Observership Grants were awarded in 2023. The SOCS Observership Program is made possible thanks to funding from Urban SkinRx, EltaMD and L'Oréal.

The SOCS Mentorship Program has been growing dramatically in recent years. In 2023, 40 matches pairing SOCS mentors with SOCS mentees were made. Applications for the 2024-2025 cycle will open up in August 2023.