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!