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President's Message | June 2021
Dear Colleagues -
It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly a year since I’ve taken office as SDPA President. As my time leading the SDPA comes to a close, I am filled with gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve you.
Together, with fellow leaders and staff, the SDPA was able to thrive during a time when many non-profit associations struggled. We were able to quickly pivot and hold our first virtual conference in Fall 2020. Not only was it our first virtual conference, but it was our highest attended -- with over 700 attendees! While I look forward to seeing you live for our Chicago conference next month, one thing the pandemic has taught us is that we need to continue to offer innovative on-demand education. We’ve responded by creating a new Professional Development series to help catapult your careers to the next level. Module one of this series will be released later this summer, stay tuned.
The pandemic has also given us the opportunity to connect more closely with patient advocacy groups. Patients remain at the heart of our work as DermPAs. Therefore, it’s important for us to partner with organizations such as the National Eczema Association, National Psoriasis Foundation, AIM for Melanoma, etc. These organizations provide a wealth of resources for our patients, and it allows us the opportunity to show that DermPAs are helping transform patient lives by the care we provide.
I want to shine a light on how we were able to grow during this unprecedented year--thanks to the important work of fellow SDPA leaders and staff. This team, who are often behind the scenes, have stepped forward in remarkable ways. Thanks to their dedication and time working on various projects to benefit you--- we are stronger than pre-pandemic!
As I think back on my 10 years in SDPA leadership, I am grateful for all the leaders who have served before me. Thanks to their collective vision and dedication, the SDPA continues to be the largest specialty PA organization in the nation. I am so proud of how much SDPA has grown these past 10 years, and I look forward to where we are headed in the next 10 years.
I want to encourage you to be part of the “next chapter” of the SDPA -- take a step forward and consider volunteering. We need your ideas and talents in order to continue to grow. I stand before you today because 11 years ago, a leader said: “You should volunteer for the SDPA, you would be great!” So here I am today, telling you the very same thing -- you should volunteer for the SDPA, you would be great!
With you and for you,
Archana Sangha, MMS, PA-C
SDPA President
P.S. A special thank you to everyone who graciously served as a Board Member, Committee Chair or Committee Member during the 2020-2021 cycle. SDPA could not successfully carry out its mission of advancing patient treatment through education and empowerment of dermatology PAs without passionate volunteers!
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