Clinician Education Is the Foundation of Dermatology Innovation

Therapeutic innovation is the starting point in dermatology, but clinician education is the foundation, Ahmad Naim, MD, said in an interview with Dermatology Times at the 2026 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Naim, chief medical officer for Sun Pharmaceuticals North America, pointed to the company’s work with the dermatology department at Mount Sinai and Mark Lebwohl, MD, over more than a decade and a half.

Why Clinician Education Remains Central in Dermatology

Contemporary education for health care providers is an area where Mount Sinai has long been at the forefront, according to Naim, and the company intends to build on that work. “We just want to keep doing more and more,” he said. “But the foundation will always be education.”

The company is also honoring Lebwohl, whom Naim has known for many years and credited with leading innovation and education in the specialty. “It makes me so happy to just have him be recognized for the lifetime of work that he has done,” Naim told Dermatology Times.

What Is Next in Alopecia Areata, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, and Psoriasis

Naim said he attended sessions across conditions, including psoriasis and acne, to see where each field is going. Alopecia areata is the company’s most direct interest because it has a JAK inhibitor for the condition, and he welcomed the number of other companies developing treatments. “It’s always very good to see that there are multiple options that the patients now have for a very distressful, very debilitating condition, both physically and mentally,” he said.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is the other condition he singled out. “I’m very fond of saying that HS is the new psoriasis,” Naim said. Psoriasis posed a similar challenge 30 years ago, he explained, and attention should now turn to conditions such as HS, where the effect on quality of life is substantial and diagnosis alone can take a long time.

Why Long-Term Data Matter to Dermatologists

The company presented 2-year data for its JAK inhibitor in alopecia areata at this meeting and at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress. According to Naim, the sustained clinical responses observed in the initial analyses were maintained over that period.

Maintenance of response helps clinicians decide on the most appropriate treatment for their patients, he said. “Long-term data, I think dermatologists will always ask for,” Naim told Dermatology Times.