A letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Perry Robins

Why another meeting? Early in January 2004, a new concept in medical education was introduced. The Orlando Cosmetic Dermatology Convention brought together a number of leading educators in dermatology to provide attendees with information they felt was missing from many of the conferences in which they participated.

The Organizing Committee (Philip Werschler MD, C William Hanke MD, Roger Ceilley MD, Rhoda Narins MD, Elizabeth Hale MD, Gerhard Sattler MD, and I) created this event from the bottom up. The education of doctors came first in our thinking--not the best interests of companies, or products, or corporations, but our desire to reach out to other doctors and provide them with the best and latest information from a whole host of sources.

In working with residents every day, I realized long ago that even the best programs fail to educate young physicians in areas crucial to their future success. As a result, we arranged for experts to cover practical topics for these young physicians to learn and discuss, including:

* How to Start a Cosmetic Practice

* Managing and Marketing a Cosmetic Practice

* Academic Career v. Private Practice

For the more established practitioners, we developed interactive educational demonstrations and lectures designed to keep us on top of developments in procedures and products we know, and teach us about new developments in the field of dermatology, including:

* FDA Hotspots

* Advances in Laser Technology

* New Biologics for Treatment of Psoriasis

* Live BOTOX[R] Demonstration

* New Fillers

* Cosmetic Surgical Procedures

Our field of medicine is always expanding, and it is crucial, now more than ever, to be able to offer our patients the most accurate and up-to-date options. We may not always use all the new information we learn, but we do need to know what else is out there, for ourselves and for our patients.

The Orlando Cosmetic Dermatology Convention was created to be a unique meeting dedicated to helping you, as a dermatologist, practice better.

In conclusion, we hope you were able to attend this year--and if not, we look forward to seeing you next year!

Perry Robins MD

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Drugs in Dermatology

Professor of Dermatology, NYU Medical Center