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– so he launched community outreach efforts with local businesses to attract patients from diverse backgrounds.
“For instance, I worked with U.S. Bank to give lectures on minorities in medicine and talked about outreach options and possible ways to include more ethnicities in medicine overall,” Dr. Qutub said during a panel discussion on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) that took place at the ODAC Dermatology, Aesthetic & Surgical Conference. “I also did outreach with medical clinics in the area. Once patients are referred to you, they start to talk to people in their communities about you, and before you know it, you get people from their church and family members in your clinic.”
Dr. Qutub, who is ODAC’s director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, kept EDI in mind when hiring staff for his practice, “to include candidates with varying experiences and backgrounds,” he said. “The idea was to make sure that when patients came into the clinic, they saw a varied group of individuals that were working together to help improve their health care outcomes. I found that made patients more comfortable in the clinic. It’s also important to have that representation daily in a larger setting like residency programs or multispecialty groups.”
Educational resources
Another panelist, Adam Friedman, MD, emphasized inclusivity of educational resources to ensure a dermatology workforce that can take care of all patients. “How can we expect the dermatology community to be able to treat anyone who comes through the door of their clinic if we don’t provide the resources that highlight and showcase the nuances and the diversity that skin disease has to offer?” asked Dr. Friedman, professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University, Washington. “It comes down to educational tools and being purposeful when you’re putting together a talk or writing a paper, to be inclusive and have that on the top of your mind. It’s about saying right here, right now, we have to purposefully make a decision to be inclusive, to be welcoming to all so that we can practice at the highest level of our calling to treat everyone effectively and equitably.”
A unique feature of the atlas “is that we have taken multiple skin conditions, even common features such as erythema, and placed different skin tones side by side at the same angle to appreciate the full spectrum, and highlight those nuances,” Dr. Friedman said. “When you’re in clinic, when you see even common things like acne or seborrheic dermatitis,” he recommended taking photos to create a repository, “because you never know when that will be helpful when you want to show a medical student or a patient what something can look like on someone with a similar skin tone, or even to share with them how diverse skin conditions can appear across populations.”
Clinical research
Another way to help close racial gaps in dermatology is to improve access to mentorships and clinical research, according to panelist Chesahna Kindred, MD, of Kindred Hair & Skin Center in Columbia, Md. “We should be thoroughly embarrassed by the lack of diversity in our clinical trials,” she said.
In her role as chair of the dermatology section of the National Medical Association (NMA Derm), Dr. Kindred helped launch the NMA Derm research committee, which trains members to run clinical trials in their practices – an undertaking that was largely prompted by claims from pharmaceutical industry representatives that they struggle to find Black participants for clinical trials. “The truth of the matter is, if a Black patient doesn’t choose to go to Dr. Smith as a patient, they’re certainly not going to choose to go to Dr. Smith as a research participant,” Dr. Kindred said. “We have to meet those diverse populations where they are. By and large for Black patients, those are Black dermatologists.
In addition to meeting with primary investigators, she has been meeting with industry representatives, who she said are very interested in improving clinical trial diversity. “When a trial does not include a diverse population, we can call it out and say it is subpar,” she said.
In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration announced the availability of a guidance document, “Enhancing the Diversity of Clinical Trial Populations – Eligibility Criteria, Enrollment Practices, and Trial Designs,” which includes recommendations for sponsors on how to increase enrollment of underrepresented populations in their clinical trials of medical products.
Dr. Kindred has created a clinical research unit in her own practice, in partnership with Howard University’s department of dermatology and NMA Dermatology.
Studies Dr. Kindred is involved with include those looking at the relationship between hair care products targeted to Black women and the development of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). CCCA is getting worse with each generation, “and we think the cause might be environmental,” she said. “Studies show that there are almost zero percent carcinogens in hair care products that target Whites. But close to 100% of hair care products that target Blacks contain carcinogens and endocrine disrupting chemicals, the most common being phthalates, which are found in relaxers, chemicals that patients use to straighten their hair.”
Urinary phthalate concentrations have been found to be much higher in Black women than in White women, and one of the pilot studies she is involved with is checking the urinary phthalate levels in Black women with and without CCCA, to see if there is a correlation.
Mentorships
DiAnne S. Davis, MD, of North Dallas Dermatology Associates, rounded out the panel discussion by underscoring the importance of mentorships for underrepresented minority medical students, which includes providing guidance through the application process. “Mentorship is key to closing some of these gaps, particularly in our field of dermatology,” Dr. Davis said.
Through NMA Derm, Dr. Davis was tasked by one of her mentors, Dr. Kindred, to spearhead a mentorship program that pairs medical students with a mentor in the dermatology field, “so we can help guide them not only on their medical school process but help in coordinating research projects, and make them successful in matching to dermatology,” she said. “When students reach out to you, it’s important to take them under your wing or connect them to somebody you know so that we can increase the number of minority dermatologists.”
None of the panelists reported having disclosures relevant to their presentations.
– so he launched community outreach efforts with local businesses to attract patients from diverse backgrounds.
“For instance, I worked with U.S. Bank to give lectures on minorities in medicine and talked about outreach options and possible ways to include more ethnicities in medicine overall,” Dr. Qutub said during a panel discussion on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) that took place at the ODAC Dermatology, Aesthetic & Surgical Conference. “I also did outreach with medical clinics in the area. Once patients are referred to you, they start to talk to people in their communities about you, and before you know it, you get people from their church and family members in your clinic.”
Dr. Qutub, who is ODAC’s director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, kept EDI in mind when hiring staff for his practice, “to include candidates with varying experiences and backgrounds,” he said. “The idea was to make sure that when patients came into the clinic, they saw a varied group of individuals that were working together to help improve their health care outcomes. I found that made patients more comfortable in the clinic. It’s also important to have that representation daily in a larger setting like residency programs or multispecialty groups.”
Educational resources
Another panelist, Adam Friedman, MD, emphasized inclusivity of educational resources to ensure a dermatology workforce that can take care of all patients. “How can we expect the dermatology community to be able to treat anyone who comes through the door of their clinic if we don’t provide the resources that highlight and showcase the nuances and the diversity that skin disease has to offer?” asked Dr. Friedman, professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University, Washington. “It comes down to educational tools and being purposeful when you’re putting together a talk or writing a paper, to be inclusive and have that on the top of your mind. It’s about saying right here, right now, we have to purposefully make a decision to be inclusive, to be welcoming to all so that we can practice at the highest level of our calling to treat everyone effectively and equitably.”
A unique feature of the atlas “is that we have taken multiple skin conditions, even common features such as erythema, and placed different skin tones side by side at the same angle to appreciate the full spectrum, and highlight those nuances,” Dr. Friedman said. “When you’re in clinic, when you see even common things like acne or seborrheic dermatitis,” he recommended taking photos to create a repository, “because you never know when that will be helpful when you want to show a medical student or a patient what something can look like on someone with a similar skin tone, or even to share with them how diverse skin conditions can appear across populations.”
Clinical research
Another way to help close racial gaps in dermatology is to improve access to mentorships and clinical research, according to panelist Chesahna Kindred, MD, of Kindred Hair & Skin Center in Columbia, Md. “We should be thoroughly embarrassed by the lack of diversity in our clinical trials,” she said.
In her role as chair of the dermatology section of the National Medical Association (NMA Derm), Dr. Kindred helped launch the NMA Derm research committee, which trains members to run clinical trials in their practices – an undertaking that was largely prompted by claims from pharmaceutical industry representatives that they struggle to find Black participants for clinical trials. “The truth of the matter is, if a Black patient doesn’t choose to go to Dr. Smith as a patient, they’re certainly not going to choose to go to Dr. Smith as a research participant,” Dr. Kindred said. “We have to meet those diverse populations where they are. By and large for Black patients, those are Black dermatologists.
In addition to meeting with primary investigators, she has been meeting with industry representatives, who she said are very interested in improving clinical trial diversity. “When a trial does not include a diverse population, we can call it out and say it is subpar,” she said.
In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration announced the availability of a guidance document, “Enhancing the Diversity of Clinical Trial Populations – Eligibility Criteria, Enrollment Practices, and Trial Designs,” which includes recommendations for sponsors on how to increase enrollment of underrepresented populations in their clinical trials of medical products.
Dr. Kindred has created a clinical research unit in her own practice, in partnership with Howard University’s department of dermatology and NMA Dermatology.
Studies Dr. Kindred is involved with include those looking at the relationship between hair care products targeted to Black women and the development of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). CCCA is getting worse with each generation, “and we think the cause might be environmental,” she said. “Studies show that there are almost zero percent carcinogens in hair care products that target Whites. But close to 100% of hair care products that target Blacks contain carcinogens and endocrine disrupting chemicals, the most common being phthalates, which are found in relaxers, chemicals that patients use to straighten their hair.”
Urinary phthalate concentrations have been found to be much higher in Black women than in White women, and one of the pilot studies she is involved with is checking the urinary phthalate levels in Black women with and without CCCA, to see if there is a correlation.
Mentorships
DiAnne S. Davis, MD, of North Dallas Dermatology Associates, rounded out the panel discussion by underscoring the importance of mentorships for underrepresented minority medical students, which includes providing guidance through the application process. “Mentorship is key to closing some of these gaps, particularly in our field of dermatology,” Dr. Davis said.
Through NMA Derm, Dr. Davis was tasked by one of her mentors, Dr. Kindred, to spearhead a mentorship program that pairs medical students with a mentor in the dermatology field, “so we can help guide them not only on their medical school process but help in coordinating research projects, and make them successful in matching to dermatology,” she said. “When students reach out to you, it’s important to take them under your wing or connect them to somebody you know so that we can increase the number of minority dermatologists.”
None of the panelists reported having disclosures relevant to their presentations.
– so he launched community outreach efforts with local businesses to attract patients from diverse backgrounds.
“For instance, I worked with U.S. Bank to give lectures on minorities in medicine and talked about outreach options and possible ways to include more ethnicities in medicine overall,” Dr. Qutub said during a panel discussion on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) that took place at the ODAC Dermatology, Aesthetic & Surgical Conference. “I also did outreach with medical clinics in the area. Once patients are referred to you, they start to talk to people in their communities about you, and before you know it, you get people from their church and family members in your clinic.”
Dr. Qutub, who is ODAC’s director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, kept EDI in mind when hiring staff for his practice, “to include candidates with varying experiences and backgrounds,” he said. “The idea was to make sure that when patients came into the clinic, they saw a varied group of individuals that were working together to help improve their health care outcomes. I found that made patients more comfortable in the clinic. It’s also important to have that representation daily in a larger setting like residency programs or multispecialty groups.”
Educational resources
Another panelist, Adam Friedman, MD, emphasized inclusivity of educational resources to ensure a dermatology workforce that can take care of all patients. “How can we expect the dermatology community to be able to treat anyone who comes through the door of their clinic if we don’t provide the resources that highlight and showcase the nuances and the diversity that skin disease has to offer?” asked Dr. Friedman, professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University, Washington. “It comes down to educational tools and being purposeful when you’re putting together a talk or writing a paper, to be inclusive and have that on the top of your mind. It’s about saying right here, right now, we have to purposefully make a decision to be inclusive, to be welcoming to all so that we can practice at the highest level of our calling to treat everyone effectively and equitably.”
A unique feature of the atlas “is that we have taken multiple skin conditions, even common features such as erythema, and placed different skin tones side by side at the same angle to appreciate the full spectrum, and highlight those nuances,” Dr. Friedman said. “When you’re in clinic, when you see even common things like acne or seborrheic dermatitis,” he recommended taking photos to create a repository, “because you never know when that will be helpful when you want to show a medical student or a patient what something can look like on someone with a similar skin tone, or even to share with them how diverse skin conditions can appear across populations.”
Clinical research
Another way to help close racial gaps in dermatology is to improve access to mentorships and clinical research, according to panelist Chesahna Kindred, MD, of Kindred Hair & Skin Center in Columbia, Md. “We should be thoroughly embarrassed by the lack of diversity in our clinical trials,” she said.
In her role as chair of the dermatology section of the National Medical Association (NMA Derm), Dr. Kindred helped launch the NMA Derm research committee, which trains members to run clinical trials in their practices – an undertaking that was largely prompted by claims from pharmaceutical industry representatives that they struggle to find Black participants for clinical trials. “The truth of the matter is, if a Black patient doesn’t choose to go to Dr. Smith as a patient, they’re certainly not going to choose to go to Dr. Smith as a research participant,” Dr. Kindred said. “We have to meet those diverse populations where they are. By and large for Black patients, those are Black dermatologists.
In addition to meeting with primary investigators, she has been meeting with industry representatives, who she said are very interested in improving clinical trial diversity. “When a trial does not include a diverse population, we can call it out and say it is subpar,” she said.
In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration announced the availability of a guidance document, “Enhancing the Diversity of Clinical Trial Populations – Eligibility Criteria, Enrollment Practices, and Trial Designs,” which includes recommendations for sponsors on how to increase enrollment of underrepresented populations in their clinical trials of medical products.
Dr. Kindred has created a clinical research unit in her own practice, in partnership with Howard University’s department of dermatology and NMA Dermatology.
Studies Dr. Kindred is involved with include those looking at the relationship between hair care products targeted to Black women and the development of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). CCCA is getting worse with each generation, “and we think the cause might be environmental,” she said. “Studies show that there are almost zero percent carcinogens in hair care products that target Whites. But close to 100% of hair care products that target Blacks contain carcinogens and endocrine disrupting chemicals, the most common being phthalates, which are found in relaxers, chemicals that patients use to straighten their hair.”
Urinary phthalate concentrations have been found to be much higher in Black women than in White women, and one of the pilot studies she is involved with is checking the urinary phthalate levels in Black women with and without CCCA, to see if there is a correlation.
Mentorships
DiAnne S. Davis, MD, of North Dallas Dermatology Associates, rounded out the panel discussion by underscoring the importance of mentorships for underrepresented minority medical students, which includes providing guidance through the application process. “Mentorship is key to closing some of these gaps, particularly in our field of dermatology,” Dr. Davis said.
Through NMA Derm, Dr. Davis was tasked by one of her mentors, Dr. Kindred, to spearhead a mentorship program that pairs medical students with a mentor in the dermatology field, “so we can help guide them not only on their medical school process but help in coordinating research projects, and make them successful in matching to dermatology,” she said. “When students reach out to you, it’s important to take them under your wing or connect them to somebody you know so that we can increase the number of minority dermatologists.”
None of the panelists reported having disclosures relevant to their presentations.
FROM ODAC 2022