Conference Brings Leading Experts to Share Practical Pearls

As the dermatology landscape evolves with new therapies and expanding roles for care teams, education models are shifting too. The Dermatology Education Foundation 2025 NP/PA CME Conference, organized by the Dermatology Education Foundation, is embracing that change. In an interview with Dermatology Times, Joe Gorelick, MSN, FNP-C, president of the Dermatology Education Foundation, explained the conference's aim is simple: keep learning practical and rooted in real-world cases.

Rather than a traditional lecture format, Gorelick said the conference will emphasize case-based discussions to better reflect real world situations and challenges, ie, the way patients present in the clinic. "The way we present the information, it's not a data dump," he said. "We're doing case-based presentation the way that patients present in the real world." As such, Gorelick said sessions will walk through scenarios step by step, offering attendees a window into how leading dermatology clinicians think through clinical treatment decisions.

Collaboration is another focus of the conference, he said. Faculty are selected not only for expertise, but for their ability to mentor across disciplines. Gorelick and conference organizers chose speakers who embrace the ideals of the Dermatology Education Foundation. "We [invited] dermatologists from not just the United States, but outside the United States, that understand and appreciate genuinely the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in dermatology, and that will share their knowledge and the training they have and serve as mentors and trainers for nurse practitioners and physician assistants to impart their knowledge to us in a non-diluted fashion so that we can deliver the highest quality of care possible to the patients that present to us in clinic," Gorelick told Dermatology Times.

"You'll see the world's leading experts, not just dermatologists, but nurse practitioners with tremendous amount of experience, work through cases just like they're in the exam room," he added. "That gives you the opportunity to go through the thought process you're having and see how they're thinking about it."

The conference will feature opportunities to connect with presenters through structured Q&A sessions and social events designed to keep the dialogue going beyond the podium. To foster that connection, the conference app allows attendees to drop questions after the session to the presenters. "Any question you have, you shouldn't leave Las Vegas without an opportunity to have it answered by the presenter, because there's tremendous amount of exchange and opportunities to meet with them," he added.

Gorelick acknowledged that there has been great progress in the treatments available in dermatology and said the conference aims to arm clinicians with the information they need new treatments and options. "Derm 2025 is going to drop incredible amount of new information," he said.

Watch DermatologyTimes.com for conference coverage, including the latest research and expert insights, from the DERM 2025 NP/PA CME Conference.