Douglas DiRuggiero, PA-C, DMSc, Recognized at the Elevate-Derm Fall Conference

The Elevate-Derm Alliance presented Douglas DiRuggiero, PA-C, DMSc, with the Stead Silver Ford Honorary Award at the 6th Annual Elevate-Derm Fall Conference in Tampa, Florida.¹ Matthew Brunner, MHS, PA-C, CAQ-Derm, DFAAPA, Elevate-Derm Alliance Founder and Program Director, praised DiRuggiero for his leadership and dedication.

DiRuggiero originated his health care career in internal medicine but quickly grew to love dermatology; he has been practicing in the field for almost 30 years. “Dermatology is deeper than people realize. It's not just rashes and creams. It's a specialty. When the internal disease meets the surface and sometimes the psyche, it's complex, it's visual, it's emotional, and it demands fluency,” DiRuggiero said at the award ceremony.¹

“One of the most powerful moments I've had was with a patient who had severe psoriasis,” he said. “I got him started on the treatment, and it worked. His skin cleared. A few weeks later, to my surprise, his wife came in not for an appointment, but just to say thank you and to give me a hug. She told me, ‘I've never seen him like this before.’ That's when you realize what a privilege it is to do what we do. People come in with a lot of embarrassment, shame, sometimes even isolation, and they're trusting you to help them. That's why I love this specialty.”¹

DiRuggiero is appreciative of the camaraderie in dermatology, and he believes in the importance of clinicians learning from one another, sharing with one another, and collaborating for best outcomes for patients. “I've had privilege of working alongside some incredible physicians over the years. They've trained me, they've taught me, they've helped shape the kind of PA I've become. I didn't go-to medical school or complete a residency, and I don't pretend I did, but I've spent 28 years learning from physicians who believed in collaboration,” he said. “When a patient sees us working together, speaking the same language that builds trust, the best care happens when pas and physicians support each other's strengths. It's about being part of a bigger ecosystem of care that's always been the goal, working as a team, to put the patient first.”¹

A Passion for Education and Collaboration

In addition to his clinical work, DiRuggiero is dedicated to advocacy and education. He is the founding president of the Georgia Dermatology Physician Assistant Society, a founding board member of the Derm-Elevate Alliance, and most recently has served as a founding co-chair of Dermatology Times’ Horizons in Advanced Practice Summit. In addition, he has written more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and multiple textbook chapters and has delivered more than 750 invited medical lectures. He also has served as investigator and sub-investigator of clinical trials. He recently co-created and now acts as editor in chief for the Journal of Dermatology for NPs and PAs.

Those that have worked with DiRuggiero are quick to point to his kindness, dedication, and enthusiasm for the field. As such, he has been repeatedly recognized, receiving the National Clinical Science Award for published research, Clinical Preceptor of the Year by PA, NP, and Medicine Residency Programs, the Georgia Humanitarian PA of the Year, the White House Presidential Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement Award, and the “Top Physician Assistant” designation by the International Association of Healthcare Professionals. He was named the 2019 National Dermatology PA of the Year and 2022 Medical Educator of the Year by the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants (SDPA) and America’s 2022 Top Dermatology PA by the Point of Care Network.

An Award and a Legacy

The Stead Silver Ford Honorary Award and Lecture was established by the Elevate-Derm Alliance in 2022 to recognize health care professionals who embody “the attributes of selfless commitment to medical education, infectious enthusiasm for improving the lives of patients, and a tireless, yet humble pursuit of excellence in the field of dermatology.”²

The award itself is named after the founders of the NP and PA professions.

Eugene A. Stead Jr, MD, combined his passion for reaching more patients and his experiences as the dean of the School of Medicine at Emory and chairman of the department of medicine at Duke University to develop a 2-year curriculum to build on the experience and knowledge of ex-military corpsmen and develop them into physician assistants. In 1965, Duke University launched the first formal education program for PAs, and National PA Day is currently celebrated on his birthday (October 6th).3

Also in 1965, 2 clinicians at the University of Colorado were developing the first NP program. Recognizing the health care unmet needs the low-income women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities as well as the interest for nurses to do more, the nurse-physician duo of Loretta Ford, EdD, PNP, FAAN, and Henry Silver, MD, collaborated to develop the NP program.⁴

Together, there are now more than 158,000 PAs and 355,000 NPs who support patient care across various disciplines.

Previous award recipients included John Koo, MD, Ted Rosen, MD, and Margaret Bobonich, FNP-C. A donation is made in the honoree’s name to a dermatology charity of their choice.

Do you know of an NP or PA doing great work, inspiring and supporting others? We want to hear about it. Write to us at DTEditor@mmhgroup.com.

Referencea

1. Brunner M, DiRuggiero D. The Stead Silver Ford Honorary Award. Presented at the 6th Annual Elevate-Derm Fall Conference; November 12-16, 2025; Tampa, Florida.

2. Stead Silver Ford Honorary Lecture. Elevate-Derm Alliance. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.elevate-derm.com/annual-award

3. Eugene A. Stead, Jr., MD. PAHx. Accesses November 13, 2025. https://pahx.org/bios/stead-jr-eugene/

4. Nurse Practitioner and AANP History. AANP. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.aanp.org/history