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By Jean Bolognia, MD


n the last issue of our newsletter, I tried to present some convincing reasons for joining a WDS committee. Perhaps this was just the reminder that you needed to sign up or perhaps you said to yourself “right now I just don’t have the time to make this type of commitment.”

Fortunately, members of the WDS have a number of other options for getting involved that represent more of a “middle ground.”

Examples of these options include spending an hour or two at a local networking reception, attending the networking luncheon held each year at the ASDS meeting, or volunteering to participate in one of the “Families Play Safe in the Sun” activities. The latter opportunities vary from providing information (i.e. doing a lesson) on sun sense at a local elementary school to passing out sunscreens and advice at a WDS exhibit booth to supervising coloring contests focusing on playing safe in the sun.

Dr. Suzanne Connolly, chair of the Service Committee and chief organizer of the “Families Play Safe in the Sun” events, has done an incredible job of launching this program, along with members of her committee.

In addition, the staff in the WDS office has been indispensable in making this effort so successful. I’ve included their pictures to the right (on our website here) so you can place a face with the voices you will hear when you contact our WDS office in San Francisco.

As the site of the upcoming meeting coincides with the home of the WDS office, hopefully many of you will be able to personally meet these dedicated individuals.

On a more serious note, a number of our members, especially those in the New Orleans area, have had their lives turned upside down, both personally and professionally, as a result of hurricane Katrina. Imagine for a moment being displaced from your home and your office for months on end. The WDS Executive Committee recently voted to forego having a booth at the annual AAD meeting and to instead use those monies to waive the 2006 dues for our displaced members and to invite them to be our guests at the annual luncheon in San Francisco.

Consider aiding the victims of this tragedy in any way you can as it is the sum of gestures, both large and small, that will provide them with the needed hope and strength.

In addition, the WDS Executive Committee has voted to donate $1,000 to Camp Discovery and $1,000 to Camp Wonder, two summer camps for children suffering from skin disorders

Jean Bolognia, MD
WDS President





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