Dermatologic Surgeons Selected for 2021 ASDS Awards

President's Award

As his final act as President, Mathew M. Avram, MD, JD, bestowed eight President’s Awards to recognize those who have made noteworthy contributions to the Society or whose work has advanced dermatologic surgery in a significant way.

• R. Rox Anderson, MD – “This award recognizes Dr. Anderson’s career-long contributions, which are many and significant, to innovating new technological advancements for the benefit of patients and our members’ practices. For me personally, and countless other colleagues, he has given selflessly of his time and advice having mentored so many of us, providing support and guidance on a variety of matters both personal and professional,” said Dr. Avram.
• Marc R. Avram, MD– “This award is a token of my sincere appreciation and recognition for my brother’s commitment to the goals of ASDS and advancement of dermatologic surgery — most specifically around hair loss treatments. He is on the leading edge of hair transplants, robotic hair transplants, platelet rich plasma treatments, low laser light therapy and medications for hair loss, and I learn from him as this patient concern continues to grow,” said Dr. Avram.
• Mona Gohara, MD – “I’d like to thank Dr. Gohara for her leadership in raising awareness of the Society’s need to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion. Her tireless commitment and facilitation have created many initiatives that promote the inclusion of people of color, LGBTQ and other groups underrepresented in dermatology. She’s helping create a better tomorrow in the field of dermatology by initiating this dialogue in our organization,” said Dr. Avram.
• Gary Lask, MD – “This award is in recognition of Dr. Lask’s contribution to dermatologic surgery. He is a leader in using lasers in our field and headed one of the first investigation sites for the original pulsed dye laser, which has gone on to help several skin conditions. He also authored one of the first publications on the use of the CO2 laser for the treatment of sun damage and wrinkles. I want to thank him for this significant contribution to ASDS members’ practices,” said Dr. Avram.
• Sandra Lee, MD – “I wanted to specifically thank Dr. Lee for her time and work in supporting our branding and public education goals. She has been instrumental in expanding public recognition for the contributions and expertise of ASDS members through our ‘Own Your Expertise’ social media campaign and Instagram Live education. These efforts are driving awareness that ASDS members are the TRUE skin health and beauty experts. Dr. Lee is an excellent ambassador and promoter of our specialty,” said Dr. Avram.
• Jeffrey A. Klein, MD, MPH – “This award is for Dr. Klein to recognize his discovery of the use of tumescent solution in conjunction with the liposuction procedure, which has had far-reaching implications for the practice of cosmetic dermatologic and the safety of our patients. It is one great example of our pioneering spirit that is the foundation of our Society. Innovation continues to drive us forward,” said Dr. Avram.
• Arisa E. Ortiz, MD – “I want to acknowledge Dr. Ortiz’s tireless efforts advancing the dermatologic surgery specialty and mission and vision of ASDS. Through her continuous involvement in ASDS with various work groups and volunteer efforts, she promotes our organization both to the public and our colleagues in dermatology and allied surgical specialties,” said Dr. Avram.
• The Joint ASDSA and ASLMS COVID-19 Guidance Task Force – “Finally, this award is a token of my sincere appreciation and recognition of the time and expertise these members contributed to the development of the ‘American Society of Dermatologic Surgery Association and American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery Guidance for Cosmetic Dermatology Practices During COVID-19.’ At a time of crisis when ASDS members needed guidance, you collaborated to assemble the latest, evidence-based information to formulate safe and effective recommendations. We are so grateful for your leadership on this important issue,” said Dr. Avram. Members of this task force included Co-chair Murad Alam, MD, MBA; Co-chair David M. Ozog, MD; Vince Bertucci, MD, FRCPC; Henry Hin Lee Chan, MD, PhD, MRCP; Mitchel Goldman, MD; Shanthi Narla, MD; E. Victor Ross, MD; David Sliney, PhD; ASDSA Immediate Past President Marc D. Brown, MD; and ASLMS Immediate Past President Thomas E. Rohrer, MD.

Award for Outstanding Service

Anthony Rossi, MD – The Award for Outstanding Service recognizes young, emerging leaders of ASDS who have demonstrated commitment to the Society’s growth and success. “I am very delighted to present this year’s award to Dr. Rossi, as he is a valuable asset to our organization,” said Dr. Avram. “In addition to his contribution on various work groups, he also serves on the ASDS and ASDSA Boards of Directors. Some notable accomplishments for the Association include his work as an AMA Representative; the creation of a shared decision-making tool to help discuss treatment options with elderly cancer patients; and his published research on adverse effects from non-physician providers. We appreciate his dedication and efforts to shape the future of dermatologic surgery."

Drs. Alastair and Jean Carruthers Award for Top-Ranked ASDS Cosmetic Fellow Research Abstract

Jordan V. Wang, MD, MBE, MBA – In honor of Drs. Alastair and Jean Carruthers, this award was created in 2018 to stimulate interest and acknowledge cosmetic research contributions from fellows of ASDS-accredited fellowship training programs. It is presented to the highest scoring ASDS Annual Meeting abstract of which he/she is the first author, and the 2021 recipient is Dr. Wang for his work on, “Single Session Treatment with Low-Power Fractional Diode Laser and Cosmetic Injectables: A 5-Year Safety Review.”

Cutting Edge Research Grant Program

This program was introduced in 1999 with the goal of uniting education and innovation to encourage clinical research and the transfer of new technologies into the surgical practice setting. It also supports Board-directed research including topics including non-physician providers in dermatology. Three grants were awarded to Mary L. Stevenson, MD; Olivia Lucero, MD; and Shreya Patel, MD, with funding totaling more than $80,000.

Jumpstart Research Seed Grant Program

The Jumpstart Research Seed Grant program was created to provide research investigators a chance to define objectives, test hypotheses and provide a better idea of feasibility and directionality of research before applying for additional funds from ASDS or other external sources. The 2021 recipients include Alexander Fogel, MD; Nina Semsarzadeh, MD; and Reid Oldenburg, MD. Each grant funding recipient receives up to $10,000 towards relevant research after submitting proposals around core surgical procedures and techniques; cosmetic medicine and surgery; new technologies; and Board-directed research topics.

Young Investigators Writing Competition

This award program encourages young investigators to submit original ideas, research and articles for publication in the Society's peer-reviewed journal, Dermatologic Surgery. Selected by the Journal Awards Work Group and awarded with complimentary registration for the ASDS Annual Meeting, the 2021 winners include Nader Aboul-Fettouh, MD; Spyros M. Siscos, MD; and Marcus Tan, MD.

Review Article Incentive Program

This incentive program supports articles for Dermatologic Surgery that are critical evaluation of already published material on topics of broad scientific interest. Recipients of this award are also selected by the Journal Awards Work Group. This year's winners include Brian Hibler, MD; Basia M. Michalski, MD; and Mathew N. Nicholas, MD.

Vic Narurkar, MD, Innovations in Aesthetics Honorary Lecture

Pearl E. Grimes, MD – This lecture, created in 2019, honors the legacy of Dr. Narurkar, a pioneer of various scientific contributions to the field of aesthetic medicine. It is graciously sponsored by Allergan, an Abbvie company, and Pearl E. Grimes, MD, will deliver the lecture on Sunday, Nov. 21. She is a globally recognized dermatologic expert and a leading international authority on vitiligo and pigmentation disorders. As Director of the Vitiligo and Pigmentation Institute of Southern California, she treats a wide range of dermatologic health and aesthetic concerns in patients of all ethnicities and skin types using her scientific background and extensive medical training, always with patient safety at the forefront.

Lawrence M. Field, MD, Honorary Lecture

Eckart Haneke, MD, PhD – This lecture honors the monumental achievements and motivational energy of Dr. Field, who served as a catalyst for the inception of the named lecture. Within the body of the lecture, each honored speaker describes how his/her dermatologic career has followed the paths and emulated the contributions charted by Dr. Field and the impact his/her life's work has made on the spread of dermatologic surgery and furthering physician education and patient care. Dr. Haneke is a professor at the Department of Dermatology, Inselspital, University Bern, Switzerland; dermatologist at the Clinic for Dermatology Dermaticum, Freiburg, Germany; Senior Consultant at the Dermatology Centre Epidermis, Institute CUF, Porto, Portugal; and Senior Consultant at the Department Dermatology, Academic Hospital, University Gent, Belgium. He has been published in 420 publications, 12 books, 190 book chapters and has given 1,600 lectures at national and international conferences and surgical courses including life surgeries in over 30 countries.

Choose Skin Health – Top Screeners

Skin cancer awareness is a longstanding initiative for ASDS, and many members and their staff work hard volunteering in the Society’s free skin cancer screening program, Choose Skin Health in partnership with Neutrogena®. Although 2021 efforts were still impacted by the pandemic, the program’s participants collectively provided more than 3,200 free cancer screenings in their communities. ASDS is so grateful for their participation and all their efforts to promote skin cancer prevention and early detection. The Top Screener, Aurora A. Badia, MD, DO, represents the Top Practice, Florida Skin Center. This is their third consecutive win, having performed 2,770 free screenings this year. Top Regional Screeners include Jennifer J. Breedlove, DO; Ian Maher, MD; Andrew T. Jaffe, MD; Daniel J. Ladd, Jr., DO; and Daniel Marshall, DO.

# # #

About the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery
The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) is the largest specialty organization exclusively representing dermatologic surgeons who have unique training and experience to treat the health, function and beauty of skin throughout every stage of life. ASDS members are recognized as leaders in the field of cosmetic and medically necessary skin surgery. They also are pioneers in the field; many are involved in the clinical studies that bring popular treatments to revitalize skin and fill and diminish wrinkles to the forefront. Their work has helped create and enhance many of the devices that remove blemishes, hair and fat, and tighten skin. Dermatologic surgeons also are experts in skin cancer prevention, detection and treatment. As the incidence of skin cancer rises, dermatologic surgeons are committed to taking steps to minimize the life-threatening effects of this disease. For more information, visit asds.net.

Follow ASDS Members on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Locate a dermatologic surgeon in your area: asds.net/find