of the American Acaderny ofDermatology

Membership affirms Academy priority forpublic education

The academy membership expressed their strongsupport for the development of the national publiceducation program on dermatology at the AnnualBusiness Meeting of the Academy Dec. 6, 1982,in New Orleans. During the meeting, the membersoverwhelmingly approved a special assessment ofthe membership for $50 a year for 3 years in orderto finance the program.

The decision made by the members present atthe business meeting concurs with the opinionsexpressed in the Dermatology Practice Surveyconducted last August. Among the 2,708 mem­bers who returned the survey (a response of 56%),a large majority (57%) ranked a public educationcampaign as the first activity they would like theAcademy to sponsor. In addition, the Committeeon Priorities, the Council on Communications,and the Ad Hoc Committee on Direct Access rec­ommended to the Board of Directors that a PublicEducation Program would provide the greatestbenefit to most of the membership.

Last September, the Board of Directors ap­proved the concept of a Public Education Cam­paign. The objective of such a campaign would beto educate the public that dermatologists are thephysician experts in the care, diagnosis, andtreatment of diseases of the skin.

Each activity of the public education programwill work toward building public awareness of thespecialized skills and service offered by cler-

84A

Marion Sulzberger, M.D., San Francisco, CA, spokein favor of the assessment for a national public educa­tion program for dermatology at the Annual BusinessMeeting.

matologists and needed by the public. Such anawareness begins with an understanding of skindisease and the importance of proper skin care.Since the dermatologist will be presented as theexpert to provide quality care for such diseases

Volume 8Number 2February. 1983

Membershi/J qlfirms priority for public education 85A

Robert McNamara, M.D., Beverly Sanders, Jr., M.D., and Jack McCleary, M.D. (leftto right) confer during the business meeting.

and conditions, the public will be encouraged toselect dermatologists for the treatment of skin,hair, and nail disease. As a result, it is hoped thatmore people will appreciate the importance of di­rect access to specialist care.

Early last year, the Academy began investigat­ing public relations firms with the resources toconduct a nationwide program. Several firms wereasked to submit proposals. Hill & Knowlton, thelargest public relations firm in the world, withover 1,000 professionals on staff, was selected toconduct the Academy's public education cam­paign. The decision to use Hill & Knowlton cameafter careful consideration of their credentials andexperience with health and medical groups, aswell as their knowledge and contacts with themedia.

The program is being directed by the Acad-

emy's Council on Communications and monitoredby the Board of Directors. Specific activities of theprogram are designed to repeatedly reach a largenumber of people with infoffilation on skin careand dermatologists. Many of the activities willutilize the mass media to increase the public levelof awareness for dermatology and communicatethe need for appropriate dermatologic care.

Part of the program will include continualevaluation of activities and periodic survey of thepublic and the media's awareness of, and attitudetoward, dermatology. Such evaluation will ensurethat the public education program will stay ontarget and work toward its objective. In addi­tion, the membership will keep informed of theprogram's activities through future reports in the"Bulletin. "