‘Phone a Friend,’ Advised Moise L. Levy, MD, in SPD’s Esterly Lecture

Collaboration and mentoring is a key component of medicine, Moise L. Levy, MD, shared in this year’s Esterly Lecture at the 38th Annual Society for Pediatric Dermatology (SPD) Pre-AAD Meeting.¹

Honoring a Founding Figure

Levy, who is professor of pediatrics and internal medicine in the division of dermatology at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin and an attending physician at Dell Children's Medical Center, was inspired by the legacy of Nancy Esterly, MD, for whom the lecture is named. Esterly was among the founding members of SPD.

In his talk, “Why Is She Calling Me? (How did I get here?),” Levy described his first encounter with Esterly. Early in his career, Levy received unexpected phone calls from Esterly seeking input on patients she was managing. The experience left a lasting impression.

"I was quite surprised getting a call from Dr Esterly more than one time asking for help in that regard when she, of course, had a generation of practice before I started work," he told Dermatology Times. What he came to understand, he explained, was that this kind of intellectual humility was not an anomaly. It was simply who Dr Esterly was and what the society, at its best, has always been—a place to learn from and share with colleagues.

A Culture of Collaboration and Inclusivity

That spirit of reaching across experience levels remained a throughline of Levy's remarks. He described SPD’s culture with the term "personal engagement."

"That matter of personal engagement—and I emphasize personal rather than professional—is so characteristic of members of our society, colleagues, people I have mentored and, I have to say, mentees who have mentored me," he told Dermatology Times.

The observation speaks to something that sets pediatric dermatology apart from other areas, he said. The SPD, he explained, also fosters a bidirectional flow of learning in which seniority does not confer a monopoly on wisdom.

Levy noted that the society, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, has grown dramatically over the decades, from gatherings of roughly 100 attendees in its earlier years to meetings that now draw 600 to 700 participants. Despite this growth, its collaborative identity has remained intact, he told Dermatology Times.

Clinical Frontiers: Genetics, Targeted Therapies, and Patient Engagement

Levy also pointed to areas he sees as reshaping the specialty. The genetic basis of skin diseases, he noted, is increasingly central to how clinicians approach both diagnosis and treatment, with implications for more targeted therapeutic strategies. This shift, he added, is part of a broader revolution in medicine.

Equally important, in his view, is the continued commitment to patient and family engagement.

A Message to the Next Generation

In the interview with Dermatology Times, Levy had a clear call to those who have not yet found their way to SPD meetings or related educational forums: show up and keep learning. The specialty, he said, needs more trainees willing to pursue careers in pediatric and adolescent dermatology and the society is built to support them.

His parting advice, drawn from what he learned watching Esterly model the philosophy decades ago, was straightforward: "Phone a friend. We never know all of the answers."

Reference

Levy M. Esterly Lecture: Why Is She Calling Me? (How did I get here?). Presented at: 38th Annual Society for Pediatric Dermatology Pre-AAD Meeting; March 2026; Denver, Colorado.