Dr. Desai Reflects on AAD's Progress Over Past Year

Seemal Desai, MD, FAAD, achieved his dream and propelled the profession forward during his year as American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) president, but work remains to be done, he said in his farewell address at the 2025 AAD Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

“This year as your president has been incredibly intense,” Dr. Desai said. “It's been incredibly challenging both personally and professionally, but also very, very rewarding. It is a year that I will never forget: a year of action, a year of pivotal change for our specialty, a year of pivotal change for our academy.”

Dr. Desai reminded the audience of his vow last year to be a servant leader.

“I know that I've delivered on that in my commitment to you this year as your president, and I'd like to think that some of the positive change that we saw in our specialty and in our academy this year is because while I was serving you, I was always cognizant that this job as president was not about me. This job was [about] what I can do to serve you so you can serve your patients,” he said.

Dr. Desai made unity a theme of his presidency from the outset, and in his farewell address, he reflected on the success of that approach.

“Making sure that every advocacy item, every agenda item, every initiative, anything that came to me as your president to our leadership was an issue that we could unite around that was important to dermatologists—staying out of issues that don't matter to the central tenet of our work between and patient,” he said.

Dr. Desai’s exclusive focus in federal advocacy was Medicare physician payment reform, and he noted during his farewell address that he made more than 10 trips to Washington, DC, over the past year for that purpose.

“We made our voices absolutely paramount on the critical nature of reforming this broken system,” he said. “Many of you know that, in May, I had the opportunity to testify in Congress before the House Ways and Means Committee about not only the dangerous impact of cuts, but that these cuts are not just about us. These cuts are about our patients, a true healthcare crisis. I highlighted for the committee that the lifesaving and life-enhancing work that dermatologists do is critical in our healthcare ecosystem. And I told them that, since 2001, while the costs of operating a medical practice have gone up nearly 50%, Medicare physician reimbursement when adjusted for inflation has gone down by nearly 30%. You do the math; it was unsustainable. I made it clear in all of this advocacy work that the business model of what is happening to doctors in the United States is dangerous … because if you don't have the doctors to serve our patients, who will? … With the support of all of our experts in DC and beyond, we were able to see a landmark Senate bill get introduced that addressed budget neutrality, and we continue to fight for new pieces of legislation despite being tackled at every turn. We will not relent or give up on this fight.”

Other accomplishments during his presidency that Dr. Desai highlighted included strengthening and revamping the AAD’s clinical guidelines app, the Dialogues in Dermatology podcast, and a nationwide initiative starting in Los Angeles addressing skin conditions in the homeless population.

Dr. Desai also announced that this year’s Annual Meeting had its highest attendance ever, at more than 20,000.

“I am so proud that this year we have revamped our member meeting experience, a faculty appreciation reception, an opening ceremony, a member appreciation reception, and so much more,” he said.

Dr. Desai represented the AAD at more than 50 meetings in 11 countries over the past year, he said.

“The belief and the spirit that this AAD, the American Academy of Dermatology, is the gold standard, the premier organization in the world, no one is better, and I am so proud to represent each of you in that spirit,” he said.

The job is not over, of course, and Dr. Desai assured the audience that incoming AAD president Susan C. Taylor, MD, FAAD, shares his vision for the academy.

“Susan is an accomplished leader, a tireless advocate, and at every step of her career has been at the forefront of innovation,” Dr. Desai said. “I know her term will be incredibly successful and I will be here every step of the way to support her in her journey. I'm also especially pleased because Susan and I are close personal friends and lockstep in sync about the future of dermatology and the work we have to accomplish.”