Dear ILDS Members, friends and colleagues,

So far, 2024 has been a busy year and it is great to see so many dermatological activities and projects making such impact around the world.

Since our last newsletter, we have celebrated World Skin Health Day on 8 July, co-hosted an impactful Side Meeting on Skin Diseases as a Global Public Health Priority at the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, announced the 2024 DermLink and Certificate of Appreciation recipients, launched a mini documentary and much more as we continue to advocate and promote Dermatology globally on behalf of ILDS Members and the global dermatological community

My sincere thanks to the ILDS Member Representatives who attended the virtual ILDS Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 15 July. It was great to see so many of you and I personally thank you for your participation. Without you, we cannot achieve #SkinHealth4theWorld so please do continue to engage with us.

With warm personal greetings,

Henry

Get to know the ILDS

Discover the ILDS through first-hand insights from some of our current and past Board Members in this new video. Gain valuable insights into ILDS' projects, programmes, strategic partnerships, and our unique and growing membership community. Join us as we discuss the impactful work and collective vision of ILDS to attain the best possible skin health for all people around the world.

Updates from the ILDS Secretariat

Many thanks to the 80 ILDS Members who attended our first virtual Annual General Meeting on 5 July which was followed by the first Members Forum, where the ILDS Board provided updates on our activities since 2023. ILDS Members have been contacted with links to the slides and recordings from both meetings.

Sincere congratulations to the inspiring recipients of the 2024 ILDS Certificate of Appreciation Awards in Humanitarian Dermatology and International Leadership. We are truly humbled by your outstanding work and dedication to improving skin health globally. Find out more.

World Skin Health Day | 8 July 2024

On July 8, the ILDS and the International Society of Dermatology (ISD) joined forces to launch the first official World Skin Health Day. To mark the day, six special events took place around the world to encourage discussion and spur action towards the delivery of ‘#SkinHealthforAll’. Using the global campaign hashtags #WorldSkinHealthDay, #SkinHealthforAll, and #WSHD2024, we achieved 9.4K interactions, reached 2.6 million people, garnered 623 mentions, had 8.6K shares, and received 8.9K likes across social media and websites,

Watch the video from the WSHD 2024 European Regional Event that took place in Malta where migrant centres were visited and offered free dermatological care. We do hope that you are inspired to join us in celebrating in 2025 by hosting your own WSHD event!

World Congress of Dermatology

WCD2023 has been recognised as the winner of the Singapore Tourism Awards 2024, Outstanding Business Event for 2023. Congratulations to Prof Roy Chan, President of the WCD2023 in Singapore, the Dermatological Society of Singapore, and the whole team for making #WCD2023 so special. The award ceremony was attended by the new Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Lawrence Wong.

Chaired by ILDS Immediate Past President, Prof Lars French, the WCD2027 Scientific Programme Committee continue to work passionately to ensure a broad and high level programme including key opinion leaders of the dermatological world. The Committee are due to meet again in London, UK in October.

WCD2027 President Prof Jorge Ocampo Candiani presented an update at the ILDS Members Forum confirming the theme for the Congress: Discover the Dermatology Ecosystem, for a diverse and inclusive future. View the recording for Prof Candiani's full update.

If you would like to find out more about the Congress and are attending EADV in Amsterdam in September, please visit the WCD2027 booth, located in the Scientific Associations’ Village, Hall 2. Not attending EADV? Follow WCD2027 on social media channels (Instagram. Facebook and X) for all the latest news.

International Foundation of Dermatology

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new mini documentary: "Empowering Skin Health in Africa: the Regional Dermatology Training Centre." The Regional Dermatology Training Centre (RDTC) in Moshi, Tanzania, is a supra-regional training, research and clinical centre. It provides care to dermatological patients and training to medical Assistants and Clinical Officers. Watch the film as we shine a spotlight on their transformative work.

During the ILDS Members' Forum, Dr Esther Freeman provided an update on a new Global Access to Skin Health Observatory study being undertaken by the IFD, due to be launched soon. Do check your inbox for further news on this important study.

We are thrilled to announce that this year, we are supporting 17 DermLink projects, amounting to over $76,150. These grants were allocated for projects spanning fourteen countries across Africa, North America, South America, and Asia. Find out more.

Our partnership with the WHO

ILDS is honoured to have attended the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland (#WHA77) and co-hosted an impactful Side Meeting on Skin Diseases as a Global Public Health Priority - No Universal Health Coverage without Skin Health with @globalskin_iadpo. The meeting emphasised our collective goal to advocate for greater prioritisation of skin diseases on the policy agenda. Find out more.

In July, the ILDS was honoured as the WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs (GCM/NCD) Participant of the Month! This recognition offers ILDS a unique platform to showcase our work to the global network of GCM Participants and users of the Knowledge Action Portal (KAP). Find out more here.

News from our partner - GLODERM

We are delighted to welcome the Class of 2024-2025 to the GLODERM family. The Mentorship programme
is a cornerstone of GLODERM’s sustainable and integrated approach to improving dermatologic clinical care, education, research, policy, and advocacy. Find out more here.

Presented by Dr Esther Freeman, the GLODERM Trainee Committee hosted the next in the series of educational webinars entitled "So you want to share your work? How to write an abstract and prepare for a conference” on 30 July 2024. View the current and previous webinars here.

Are you interested in tropical dermatology? Join the EADV Task Force for Tropical Dermatology and GLODERM's evening meeting under the topic ”Dermatology without borders”. The meeting will be held during EADV in September and you can join in person or online. Find out more.

In celebration of the International Albinism Awareness Day in June, GLODERM hosted a webinar series focused on a range of topics affecting persons with albinism. The full series is now available to watch here.

Other partnership news

Produced in collaboration with the ILDS, a report offering a comprehensive overview of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS), including its diagnosis, impact and treatment, has been launched by the Global Hidradenitis Suppurativa Atlas (GHiSA), an international non-profit organisation working to advance awareness and knowledge about HS. Find out more.

With a focus on research, education, clinical application, and support at local, national and international levels, the Grand Challenges in Global Skin Health Committee provides a collaborative platform to address the significant burden of skin diseases worldwide through the overview of the many Atlases relating specific skin diseases. Find out more.