Dermatology Experts to Convene in the Mile High City for AAD 2026 Annual Meeting

This content was developed independently and is not endorsed by the American Academy of Dermatology.

Starting tomorrow, experts will gather in the Mile High City for the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) 2026 Annual Meeting to discuss the latest updates in the field.

Held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, the meeting runs Friday, March 27, through Monday, March 31, and will feature more than 275 sessions across 8 categories: inflammatory dermatoses, hair disorders, practice management, therapeutics, cosmetic dermatology, surgical dermatology, pediatric dermatology, and melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer.¹

New Sessions Spotlight Patient Experience, Skin-of-Color Care, and More

Among these are 40 new sessions covering the full spectrum of dermatology. Highlights include “Top Tips from Top Docs: Pearls to Improve Patient Satisfaction and Enhance Patient Experience,” scheduled Friday, March 27, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.² A panel of leading dermatologists will review factors contributing to positive patient experiences in dermatology outpatient clinics and major drivers of negative patient ratings.

Based on these findings, the panel will discuss service recovery strategies and identify best practices from check-in to check-out to enhance the patient experience across complex medical, pediatric, and surgical dermatology.

Another new session, “Inflammatory Skin Diseases in Skin of Color,” will be held Saturday, March 28, from 1 to 3 p.m.³ Since understanding of inflammatory skin diseases in patients with skin of color is often limited, experts will present clinical pearls in this population for common dermatologic conditions, including acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, rosacea, hidradenitis suppurativa, and vitiligo.

They will help guide participants’ understanding, treatment approaches, and research priorities, while also examining therapeutic advances through the lens of diverse racial and ethnic populations.

Along the same vein, James Song, MD, chief medical officer and director of clinical research at Frontier Dermatology, discussed dermatologic health disparities in an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®) ahead of the meeting.

He noted that while skin conditions are biologically the same across all patients, they can present differently in darker skin tones, often leading to delayed diagnoses, undertreatment, and inequitable outcomes. Limited diversity in clinical training and trials contributes to these disparities, Song added, though efforts are underway to improve education and representation.

“I do think we are getting better in that regard, making it a much more intentional part of our training,” he said. “[However,] a lot of our clinical trials don't have good representation of patients of color, so we have very limited data there, so it’s hard to extrapolate some of that to the patient that's in front of us if they don’t look like the patients studied.”

“What is Safe to Use for Routine Dermatologic Disease if Your Patient Has Been Diagnosed with Cancer?” is another new offering, scheduled Sunday, March 29, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.⁴ Designed for general dermatologists, it explores safe treatment of chronic dermatologic diseases like psoriasis, eczema, and alopecia in patients with cancer. Experts will review the latest data on immunosuppressives, biologics, and targeted therapies, examine how cancer therapies can impact dermatologic disease, and present practical treatment algorithms.

Opening Ceremony to Feature Leaders and Star-Studded Fireside Chat

Outside the education sessions, the opening ceremony will return for its second year on Friday, March 27, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.⁵ It will feature remarks from AAD President Susan C. Taylor, MD, and this year’s Gold Medal Award recipient, Henry W. Lim, MD, as well as president-elect candidate speeches.

Following last year’s inaugural appearance by Martha Stewart, the ceremony will conclude with a fireside chat with keynote speaker John Legend.^6,5 Throughout his career, Legend has released 11 studio albums and earned 13 Grammy Awards, 4 Emmy Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Tony Award, granting him EGOT status. He is also the founder of Loved01, a unisex skincare brand promoting accessible, inclusive skincare.

References

1. 2026 AAD Annual Meeting: session spotlight. AAD. Accessed March 25, 2026. https://www.aad.org/member/meetings-education/am26/education/spotlight
2. U005 top tips from top docs: pearls to improve patient satisfaction and enhance patient experience. AAD. Accessed March 25, 2026. https://meetings.aad.org/AM2026/Sessions/Details/17599
3. F035 inflammatory skin diseases in skin of color. AAD. Accessed March 25, 2026. https://meetings.aad.org/AM2026/Sessions/Details/17710
4. U072 what is safe to use for routine dermatologic disease if your patient has been diagnosed with cancer? AAD. Accessed March 25, 2026. https://meetings.aad.org/AM2026/Sessions/Details/17798
5. 2026 AAD Annual Meeting: opening ceremony and keynote. AAD. Accessed March 25, 2026. https://www.aad.org/member/meetings-education/am26/education/keynote
6. Santoro C, Desai SR. An elevated member experience, more education, and Martha Stewart at the AAD 2025 Annual Meeting. AJMC. March 4, 2025. Accessed March 25, 2026. https://www.ajmc.com/view/an-elevated-member-experience-more-education-and-martha-stewart-at-the-aad-2025-annual-meeting