Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to 2021! There is something about new beginnings that energizes us. I know many of us will be unpacking the lessons we learned in 2020 throughout 2021 and for years to come. It brings new meaning to the phrase “hindsight is 20/20.”
From an organizational standpoint, 2020 forced Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants (SDPA) to look at how we deliver education to our members. Since our inception, the SDPA has primarily depended on live, in-person meetings to deliver continuing medical education (CME). In recent years, in addition to the Diplomate Fellowship program, we have offered full video recordings of SDPA conferences and webinar series in both live and on-demand formats.
At the end of 2020, we launched the new SDPA online Learning Center. This new online education resource features improved stability and ease-of-use, as well as additional enhancements. Keep checking our learning center platform for updated offerings, such as a new Professional Development series scheduled to launch in Spring 2021.
The SDPA leadership continues to innovate new ways to stay connected and bring value to you—our member colleagues. In addition to the new Professional Development series, we are hard at work on other remote engagement opportunities that you are sure to enjoy! Stay tuned for further details.
A valuable lesson learned in 2020 was that the need and demand for increased distance education offerings will continue We are confident in our ability to deliver this as we reflect on the success of our Fall 2020 conference, SDPA Digital 2020, which took place completely in the virtual setting. With more than 850 attendees, was the highest attended conference in SDPA history!
While we honed our skills connecting and communicating online in 2020, we sense (and share) an eagerness to get back to living and learning together live and in person! That’s why the SDPA Annual Summer Dermatology Conference 2021 will be a hybrid conference, giving you the choice to participate however you feel comfortable—in-person July 22 to 25, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois; virtually (live streamed from Chicago); or on-demand following the event. Whichever method in which you choose to participate, we look forward to “seeing” you. Visit https://www.sdpaconferences.org/Summer2021 for more details and to register.
The beginning of each new year is known as a time of making resolutions. I challenge you this year to not make resolutions but rather to live a life of resolve—a life governed by determination and grit to be the best version of yourself. The SDPA will continue to innovate new and improved ways to add value to the derm PA community.
With you and for you,
Archana M. Sangha, MMS, PA-C
President SDPA