President's Message | July 2019

Jul 16, 2019

Dear Colleagues -

The year 2019 marked the beginning of 25th year of the SDPA.  Monday, July 1, 2019 marked the day I was honored with the privilege of becoming your President. I do not take this responsibility lightly, and I make a commitment to the SDPA membership to provide the best stewardship possible.

I take the reigns over from my predecessor, Joleen Volz, who worked tirelessly to move our organization forward. This past year, the SDPA took control of its destiny and opted not to renew our contract with our management company.  Instead, leadership implemented a dedicated stand-alone staff and new office headquarters.  At this time, the SDPA solely employees 3 staff members to support the organization and its future growth – Chrissy Ward, Executive Director; Blair Beggan, Director of Marketing and Communications; and Mike Riddile, Manager of Member Services.

I begin my term with the goal to strengthen the SDPA brand. My first order of business was for Archana Sangha (President­ Elect) and I to visit our office space in Alexandria, VA, the new home for the SDPA. During our visit we were able to sit down with our staff to review and work on ongoing and upcoming SDPA projects.

In an effort to strengthen the viability and longevity of the society, the team and I worked on a few projects that will allow us to achieve our goals. The biggest and most important endeavor is a strong leadership succession plan to ensure the survivability of the society. Our goal is to encourage and empower SDPA members to bring their talents to the leadership team and lead the society now and into the future.  We recently posted a call to serve on SDPA committees and the response was a resounding success. New leadership volunteers have been assigned to specific committees, and we plan to have individual committees beginning to work together with their new committee Chairs and staff liaisons in early August.  Also, watch for information about the SDPA's new Leadership Academy, a member resource through which new Derm PA leaders will be recruited and developed.

Educational projects include opportunities, both in-person conferences and online education. Registration is NOW OPEN for the 17th Annual Fall Dermatology Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, and exciting plans are underway.  As for online education, the finishing touches on Module 21 of the Diplomate Fellowship program are being put in place.

Another upcoming initiative is "SDPA Connect," a new member benefit and an interactive forum for our members to hold online discussions and share ideas with their dermatology PA colleagues. SDPA Connect is projected to launch in September of 2019.

And finally, the SDPA and DPAF are working hand-in-hand on future collaborative projects as we continue to provide philanthropic opportunities for dermatology PAs.

Membership feedback is of the upmost importance to me and is vital to our success. The SDPA leadership team recently conducted a needs assessment survey to better understand the needs and desires of the SDPA membership.  Your feedback guides us to make the most informed decisions for the betterment of the society.  The survey data will play a key role at our upcoming Leadership Retreat at the end of this month.  It will be shared with the entire SDPA leadership and staff to steer our discussion to best serve our membership.

As you can see, I am stepping into my role as President of the society at a very exciting time. Our predecessors have provided us with a brightly lit and glorious torch.  We intend to fan the flame, and pass this torch to our successors in as great or even greater shape than we received it. The SDPA has had an exciting 25 years as an association, and we are working hard to guarantee a bright future for the next 25 years.

In closing, I am so grateful to be chosen to be your president on this SDPA journey. I look forward to the year ahead, and the opportunity to work with a great leadership team with such diverse skills and knowledge for the greater benefit of all. The SDPA is, and always will be, the national voice of the Derm PA with passionate PAs driving the organization with the desire to give back to their profession and their colleagues.

 

Sincerely,

Gina D. Mangin, MPAS, PA-C
SDPA President