The SOCS Public Education Committee
For this month’s Committee Corner, we are pleased to feature the Public Education Committee, (formerly known as Patient Education.)
Co-chaired by Drs. Heather Woolery-Lloyd and Oluwakemi Onajin, this busy and productive committee is dedicated to creating and disseminating high-quality educational resources tailored specifically for individuals with skin of color.
About the Committee
The committee develops materials that address the unique dermatologic needs, conditions, and concerns of the public, empowering them with knowledge for better skin health and well-being. By providing accessible and culturally relevant information, the committee aims to enhance awareness and understanding, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
The committee oversees the educational content for the My Best Winter Skin campaign, an initiative that raises awareness about winter skin health while promoting volunteerism and donations to the SOCS Foundation.
In addition, the committee recently assumed the responsibilities of the SOC Images Task Force, whereby it will oversee the Society’s relationship with the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), facilitating collaboration on the AAD Image Collection to ensure more inclusive visual representation. Further, the committee will focus on increasing the presence of skin of color images in educational materials, including medical textbooks and patient pamphlets. A key priority for the committee will be to examine how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) can be leveraged to improve the quality and accessibility of educational resources and images.
Meet the Co-chairs
Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd is the Director, Skin of Color Division, Dr Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. A well-recognized expert in skin of color who lectures nationally and internationally, Dr. Woolery-Lloyd participates extensively in clinical research, serving as an investigator for clinical trials with an emphasis on increasing the inclusion of skin of color patients. A longtime SOCS leader, Dr. Woolery-Lloyd is also an active Academy member, where she was recently honored with the AAD's Presidential Citation for her commitment to education and research in skin of color dermatology.
Dr Woolery-Lloyd has worked with Dr. Onajin and their committee to make skin of color dermatology patient education more accessible and easier to understand, particularly on the updated SOCS website. “Providing reliable, accessible information on common dermatologic conditions in skin of color is an important mission of SOCS. This commitment to education is one of the reasons I find serving on the Public Education Committee to be so deeply rewarding,” she notes. Dr. Woolery-Lloyd adds, “Patient education is key to improving health outcomes. If you're passionate about empowering patients through education, consider joining our committee to help further our mission and impact!”
Dr. Onajin comments, “As co-chair of the Public Education Committee, I am committed to ensuring that individuals of all skin tones have access to accurate, culturally sensitive and empowering information about skin health. In an era marked by increasing political polarization, our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is more critical than ever. I urge SOCS members to continue to raise awareness about the disparities in dermatological care faced by people of color, and to advocate for policies that dismantle systemic barriers to dermatological care.”
Check out the Public Education section of the SOCS website!
Please upload LABELED files as a .zip OR upload multiple photos at once (max 50 images) if required, refresh page and send batch of files if you have more than 50.
Using this spreadsheet, record each image, identifying each file following this format:
SOCS_Your First and Last Name_Condition Shown_Skin Tone (light, medium or dark).
Once you have named your photos and put the corresponding entries within the sheet, please upload the completed sheet below.
(You will upload your photos in the final step 3)
*Make sure to submit before moving on to step 3*
Submit the AAD Image Collection: Provider Attestation for Submissions. In order to submit any photos, this must be signed and included with all submissions.
Please use the document linked here and upload to the form below:
*Make sure to submit before moving on to step 2*
We are pleased to collaborate with the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) in launching the AAD Clinical Image Collection, which is a free member benefit for SOCS and Academy members this year.
With a lack of diversity in images of skin conditions identified in the professional education space, we are working hard to support the AAD’s efforts to collect images ranging from light, to medium, to dark skin tones. We encourage SOCS members to submit images taken during your practice and have them used to educate dermatologists across the globe in presentations and professional education material.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You'll retain copyrights and be credited when your images are used. All donated photos will feature a watermark displaying your name, ensuring lasting recognition and acknowledgment of your donation.
It only takes a few minutes to submit your images to SOCS following the process outlined below, and then we will upload the shared images on your behalf to the AAD submission portal. Your participation will take us a step closer to improving professional education and patient care for everyone!
Contributor Benefits
In the spirit of giving back, the AAD is offering a special benefit to SOCS members who help make this important new resource a reality.
For SOCS members who donate images through our submission process by February 9, 2025 to help launch this free member benefit, you will earn special perks at the 2025 AAD Annual Meeting! You’ll have access to the exclusive Donor Lounge, a place where you can relax with food, refreshments, and more! Plus, you’ll receive contributor swag as an additional token of appreciation.
Please follow the steps provided closely so that all images can be accurately labeled and organized:
Follow these tabs in order to learn about each step and access the necessary files:
Submit the AAD Image Collection: Provider Attestation for Submissions. In order to submit any photos, this must be signed and included with all submissions.
Please use the document linked here and upload to the form below:
*Make sure to submit before moving on to step 2*
Using this spreadsheet, record each image, identifying each file following this format:
SOCS_Your First and Last Name_Condition Shown_Skin Tone (light, medium or dark).
Once you have named your photos and put the corresponding entries within the sheet, please upload the completed sheet below.
(You will upload your photos in the final step 3)
*Make sure to submit before moving on to step 3*
Make sure images are a minimum of 1024x768 pixels in size and are clear with backgrounds that are not distracting.
Please upload LABELED files as a .zip OR upload multiple photos at once (max 50 images) if required, submit photos then refresh the page and insert a second batch of files if you have more than 50.
If you come across any questions during this process, please take a look at the Clinical Image Collection FAQs below. If your question cannot be answered here, please contact gmiller@skinofcolorsociety.org to learn more.
| Q. How is an identifiable image defined?
A. Images are defined as identifiable if the images contain any of the following:
For any image(s) that include one or more of these identifiable traits, or any other trait or feature that may allow the individual in an image to be visually identified, a signed patient consent form is required to be uploaded with the submission. |
| Q. Why is a signed patient consent form required for identifiable images?
A. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects a patient’s personal health information, including their images. Providing the signed patient consent for identifiable images protects the patient by ensuring that the patient provided consent for the image to be shared in the AAD Clinical Image Collection and also protects the physician by helping to ensure that they satisfy their obligation to secure necessary consents as a HIPAA covered entity. |
| Q. Do I need to submit a signed patient consent form if the patient image was captured before HIPAA regulations were in place?
A. Yes, signed patient consent is required regardless of when the image was captured even if the image pre-dates HIPAA. |
| Q. Can I crop an image to make the patient not identifiable?
A. Yes, it is possible to crop an image in a manner that excludes all the identifiable traits and elements described above and that also excludes any identifying physical or/or facial features. Please keep in mind that distinctive anatomical features and permanent anatomical or dermatological marks may be sufficient to identify an individual, especially given advances in AI-assisted imaging technology. Therefore, all potentially identifiable anatomical features must be cropped out completely or cropped to a degree that they may no longer be used to identify an individual for the image to be deemed non-identifiable. |
| Q. Can I add “bars” or block the patient’s eyes to make the patient not identifiable?
A. This method does not meet privacy standards. Facial images with blocked or covered eyes will still require a sign patient consent form. |
| Q. Is a patient form required for images that aren’t identifiable?
A. The AAD does not require a copy of the signed patient consent form for images that aren’t identifiable. For the images that aren’t identifiable, the signed attestation is the only required form. |
| Q. How do I request an image that I’ve submitted be removed from the Clinical Image Collection?
A. Please contact gmiller@skinofcolorsociety.org to submit the request. A SOCS staff member will contact you to process the request and remove the image. |