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MEMBERS & PROFESSIONALS

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2027 Meeting the Challenge Summit!

Save the date and join us on December 3–4, 2027, for the 4th biennial Skin of Color Society Meeting the Challenge Summit at the The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection in Washington, DC.

The Meeting the Challenge Summit is a biannual event led by the Skin of Color Society's Meeting the Challenge in Research Committee. The Summit brings together dermatologists, researchers, industry partners, trainees, patient advocates, and other stakeholders to address critical issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and representation in dermatology.

Through keynote presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and collaborative dialogue, the Summit serves as a forum for exploring challenges and identifying opportunities to advance equitable patient care, inclusive research practices, and a more diverse dermatology workforce. Participants share perspectives, highlight emerging evidence, and develop actionable recommendations to help drive meaningful change across the field.

By fostering collaboration and innovation, the Summit aims to accelerate progress toward a more inclusive dermatology community and improve health outcomes for diverse patient populations. The conversations, insights, and partnerships generated during the event help inspire ongoing efforts to advance equity and representation throughout dermatology.

Additional details, including the program agenda, venue information, and registration, will be available in Spring 2027.

For the latest updates from the SOCS Meeting the Challenge in Research Committee, co-chaired by Drs. Tarannum Jaleel and Amy J. McMichael, visit this page regularly or subscribe to The Scoop, the Skin of Color Society's weekly newsletter.

Interested in supporting the Summit? For questions about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kimberly Miller at kmiller@skinofcolorsociety.org or view our Corporate Support Guide for more information on available opportunities and how to get involved. 

Click a tab below for more info:

Agenda – December 3-4, 2027

Friday, December 3, 2027
3:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET

Day 1 - 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
District Ballroom

Welcome Reception - 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Chinese Ballroom

Saturday, December 4, 2027
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET

Attendee Breakfast - 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
District Ballroom

Day 2 - 8:00 - 12:00 PM, 1:00 - 5:00 PM
Attendee Lunch - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
District Ballroom

 

Please check back soon for registration updates.
Interested in being among the first to receive program announcements and early registration information? Complete the RSVP form to stay informed.

RSVP

Contact Janice Ayarzagoitia at jayarzagoitia@skinofcolorsociety.org with any questions.

Hotel Information

The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection
1127 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036, USA
Meeting Room: District Ballroom
Welcome Reception: Chinese Ballroom

Please check back soon for details on discounted room rates through our SOCS room block.

Interested in supporting the Summit? For questions about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kimberly Miller at kmiller@skinofcolorsociety.org or view our Corporate Support Guide for more information on available opportunities and how to get involved.

Corporate Support Guide


Contact: Kimberly Miller, Executive Director at kmiller@skinofcolorsociety.org

SOCS Meeting the Challenge in Research Resident Travel Grant

The SOCS Meeting the Challenge in Research Committee will continue to support SOCS Resident Members through the Resident Travel Grant of $1,000 USD to attend the Summit.

Please check back soon for application updates.

2025 Meeting the Challenge in Research Resident Travel Grant Recipients 

Antara Afrin, MD - Yale University

Jamaljé Rohnquist Bassue, MD - Tulane University School of Medicine

Shakira Brathwaite, MD, MSc - University of Toronto

Stafford G. Brown III, MD, MBA, MS - Washington University in St. Louis

Tammy González, MD, PhD - University of Miami

Shaveonte Graham, MD - Wayne State University

Victoria S. Humphrey, MD - Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Training Program

Alexander Jafari, MD, MPH - The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Justin Jia, MD, MS - Harvard Medical School

Rishab Revankar, MD - University of Virginia

 

Here’s what some of this year’s travel grant recipients shared with us about what this support and their participation in the Summit mean to them:

BASSUE JAMALJE MD

“As a first-generation physician and a first-generation American, financial limitations have often made it difficult to fully engage with the dermatology community and attend key networking events. Receiving this travel grant from the Skin of Color Society is not only a generous gesture, it is a powerful vote of confidence that reminds me I belong in these spaces regardless of my background.”

—Dr. Jamaljé Bassue

 

“Thanks to the Resident Travel Grant, I can attend the Meeting the Challenge Summit and engage directly in shaping how dermatology clinical trials include patient voices and broader outcome measures. I look forward to this unique opportunity to turn commitment into progress, while learning from colleagues across the field!"

—Dr. Tammy González

GonzalezTammy 2

 

Headshot Victoria Humphrey

"As an ASDS Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgery Fellow, I lead our practice's clinical trials department. I am deeply honored to attend the 2025 SOCS Meeting the Challenge Summit, as this summit presents a valuable opportunity to enhance my knowledge of best practices in broadening clinical trial representation—an essential step toward driving more equitable and inclusive research within our community."

—Dr. Victoria S. Humphrey

 

"For many of us, research is an extension of advocacy. I am so excited to participate in the 2025 SOCS Meeting the Challenge Summit. The resident travel grant will allow me to engage with and learn from like-minded and dedicated faculty and peers working on improving research inclusivity and health outcomes of underserved communities within dermatology. I am especially eager to discuss and learn how we can improve inclusivity within patient-reported outcome measures, as these measures are often used in both research studies and clinical practice."

—Dr. Justin Jia

Dr. Justin Jia

 

As our third Meeting the Challenge Summit since the initiative’s inception in 2022, and with 26 overall Resident Travel Grants awarded, this year’s program focuses on Advancing Dermatology in Clinical Trials: Expanding Outcome Measures. This meeting will provide stakeholders a valuable opportunity to share and enhance their knowledge, exchange information on broadening clinical trial representation, and engage in networking and collaboration. 

 

Meeting the Challenge in Research Committee

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Tarannum Jaleel, MD, FAAD - Co-Chair

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Amy McMichael, MD, FAAD - Co-Chair

Carole Bitar, MD, FAAD

Stafford G. Brown, III, MD, MBA, MS

Cheryl Marie Burgess, MD, FAAD

Angel Byrd, MD, PhD

Valerie D. Callender, MD, FAAD

Alexandra P. Charrow, MD, FAAD

Ayana Crawl-Bey, BS

Hermon Feron, BA

Tammy González, MD, PhD

Alice Gottlieb, MD, PhD, FAAD

Valerie M. Harvey, MD, MPH, FAAD

Dani Mendez Rocha, MD

Chinemelum Obijiofor, MD

Chidubem A. V. Okeke, MD

Kanade Shinkai, MD, PhD, FAAD

Hema Sundaram, MD, FAAD

Junko Takeshita, MD, PhD, MSCE, FAAD

Jonathan S. Weiss, MD, FAAD

Jane Yoo, MD, FAAD

Dermatology Journal Articles

Deriving from the work of the SOCS Meeting the Challenge in Research Committee, formerly the Diversity in Dermatology Clinical Trials Task Force (DiDCT):

Rethinking the use of population descriptors in dermatology trials and beyond:
disentangling race and ethnicity from skin color

    1. Byeon YJJ, Islamaj R, Yeganova L et al (2021) Evolving use of ancestry, ethnicity, and race in genetics research – a survey spanning seven decades. Am J Hum Genet 108:2215–2223 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    2. Mauro M, Allen DS, Dauda B, Molina SJ, Neale BM, Lewis ACF (2022) A scoping review of guidelines for the use of race, ethnicity, and ancestry reveals widespread consensus but also points of ongoing disagreement. Am J Hum Genet 109:2110–2125 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    3. Flanagin A, Frey T, Christiansen SL (2021) Updated guidance on the reporting of race and ethnicity in medical and science journals. JAMA 326:621–627 - DOI - PubMed
    4. A consensus study report of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (2023) Using population descriptors in genetics and genomics research: a new framework for an evolving field. National Academies, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.17226/26902) - DOI
    5. A consensus study report of The National Academies of Sciences (2024) Engineering and medicine. Rethinking race and ethnicity in biomedical research. National Academies, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.17226/27913) - DOI
    6. Cerdeña JP, Plaisime MV, Tsai J (2020) From race-based to race-conscious medicine: how anti-racist uprisings call Us to act. Lancet 396:1125–1128 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    7. Vyas DA, Eisenstein LG, Jones DS (2020) Hidden in plain sight – reconsidering the use of race correction in clinical algorithms. N Engl J Med 383:874–882 - DOI - PubMed
    8. Sadeghi NB, Adamson AS (2024) The problematic legacy of skin-thickness measurement in race-based dermatology research. JAMA Dermatol 160:143–144 - DOI - PubMed
    9. Hoffman KM, Trawalter S, Axt JR, Oliver MN (2016) Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between Blacks and Whites. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113:4296–4301 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    10. A consensus study report of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (2022) Improving representation in clinical trials and research: Building research equity for women and underrepresented groups. National Academies, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.17226/26479) - DOI
    11. Okeke CAV, Perry JD, Simmonds FC et al (2022) Clinical trials and skin of color: the example of hidradenitis suppurativa. Dermatology 238:180–184 - DOI - PubMed
    12. Jablonski NG (2021) Skin color and race. Am J Phys Anthropol 175:437–447 - DOI - PubMed
    13. Alaluf S, Heinrich U, Stahl W, Tronnier H, Wiseman S (2002) Dietary carotenoids contribute to normal human skin color and UV photosensitivity. J Nutr 132:399–403 - DOI - PubMed
    14. Taylor SC (2002) Skin of color: biology, structure, function, and implications for dermatologic disease. J Am Acad Dermatol 46:S41–S62 - DOI - PubMed
    15. Harvey VM, Alexis A, Okeke CAV et al (2024) Integrating skin color assessments into clinical practice and research: a review of current approaches. J Am Acad Dermatol 91:1189–1198 - DOI - PubMed
    16. Goon P, Banfield C, Bello O, Levell NJ (2021) Skin cancers in skin types IV–VI: does the Fitzpatrick scale give a false sense of security? Skin Health Dis 1:e40 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    17. Chan JL, Ehrlich A, Lawrence RC, Moshell AN, Turner ML, Kimball AB (2005) Assessing the role of race in quantitative measures of skin pigmentation and clinical assessments of photosensitivity. J Am Acad Dermatol 52:609–615 - DOI - PubMed
    18. Ramamoorthy A, Pacanowski MA, Bull J, Zhang L (2015) Racial/ethnic differences in drug disposition and response: review of recently approved drugs. Clin Pharmacol Ther 97:263–273 - DOI - PubMed
    19. Mineroff J, Nguyen JK, Jagdeo J (2023) Racial and ethnic underrepresentation in dermatology clinical trials. J Am Acad Dermatol 89:293–300 - DOI - PubMed
    20. Sjoding MW, Dickson RP, Iwashyna TJ, Gay SE, Valley TS (2020) Racial bias in pulse oximetry measurement. N Engl J Med 383:2477–2478 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    21. Pulse oximeters – premarket notification submissions [510(k)s]: guidance for industry and Food and Drug Administration staff. Rockville, MD: Food and Drug Administration, March 4, 2013. ( https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents...)
    22. Chen V, Akhtar S, Zheng C, Kumaresan V, Nouri K (2022) Assessment of changes in diversity in dermatology clinical trials between 2010–2015 and 2015–2020: a systematic review. JAMA Dermatol 158:288–292 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    23. Ng MY, Youssef A, Miner AS et al (2023) Perceptions of data set experts on important characteristics of health data sets ready for machine learning: a qualitative study. JAMA Netw Open 6:e2345892 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    24. Wen D, Khan SM, Ji Xu A et al (2022) Characteristics of publicly available skin cancer image datasets: a systematic review. Lancet Digit Health 4:e64–e74 - DOI - PubMed
    25. Kamulegeya L, Bwanika J, Okello M et al (2023) Using artificial intelligence on dermatology conditions in Uganda: a case for diversity in training data sets for machine learning. Afr Health Sci 23:753–763 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    26. Benčević M, Habijan M, Galić I, Babin D, Pižurica A (2024) Understanding skin color bias in deep learning-based skin lesion segmentation. Comput Methods Programs Biomed 245:108044 - DOI - PubMed
    27. Perreira KM, Wassink J, Harris KM (2019) Beyond race/ethnicity: skin color, gender, and the health of young adults in the united States. Popul Res Policy Rev 38:271–299 - DOI - PubMed
    28. Bissonnette R, Jankicevic J, Saint-Cyr Proulx E, Maari C (2023) Ethnicity, race and skin color: challenges and opportunities for atopic dermatitis clinical trials. J Clin Med 12:3805 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    29. Borrell LN, Elhawary JR, Fuentes-Afflick E et al (2021) Race and genetic ancestry in medicine – a time for reckoning with racism. N Engl J Med 384:474–480 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    30. FDA guidance provides new details on diversity action plans required for certain clinical studies Silver Spring, MD: Food and Drug Administration, June 26, 2024. ( https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-guidance-provide...)
    31. Chung HJ, Jablon K, Dawkins O, Richardson M, Ho JD (2023) The frequency of reporting race, ethnicity, and skin phototypes in dermatology case reports. JAAD Int 12:39–41 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
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