Mondana Ghias, MD, FAAD, on Redefining Virtual Subspecialty Dermatology

In the second portion of her interview, Mondana Ghias, MD, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and Chief Medical Officer of Tono Health, discusses the platform’s approach to artificial intelligence (AI), subspecialty access, and future directions for dermatologic care. Despite the rapid integration of AI into dermatology, Ghias emphasizes that Tono Health deliberately does not use AI for diagnosis or treatment. Instead, the platform leverages AI to streamline administrative and operational components of the care continuum, like front-end intake, back-office tasks, and workflow optimization, thereby enabling dermatologists to focus exclusively on clinical decision-making and patient interaction. She underscored that the “magic of care” remains the relationship between doctor and patient, and that AI’s role is to enhance clinicians’ capacity, not replace their expertise.

Ghias further outlined how Tono’s virtual specialty centers for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and supportive oncodermatology are expanding access to highly specialized care across the US. Many of the nation’s top subspecialty clinics are concentrated in academic hubs such as New York, Boston, and San Francisco; however, patients suffering from complex, high-burden dermatologic conditions live nationwide. By equipping leading experts with digital infrastructure that allows them to deliver care virtually, Tono bridges geographic disparities and ensures patients can access clinicians who focus intensively on their specific condition and remain active in research and clinical innovation.

“It's really the same premise of how do we take the top specialists for conditions that have an incredibly high impact on patient quality of life and make that same level of care accessible to patients around the country?” Ghias said.

She noted that the COVID-era shift toward virtual care demonstrated the feasibility (and limitations) of remote management for severe dermatologic diseases. Tono’s model seeks to retain the strengths of teledermatology while addressing pain points through purpose-built technology that supports high-acuity care. The supportive oncodermatology center, in particular, facilitates coordinated management between dermatologists and oncologists to help patients maintain life-saving cancer therapies in the face of challenging dermatologic adverse events. Ghias highlighted a case in which she collaborated remotely from New York with a patient’s oncologist in California to ensure uninterrupted breast cancer treatment.

Her closing message to dermatologists is that Tono Health is built by dermatologists for dermatologists, providing technological infrastructure that connects patients to the most appropriate specialists while integrating seamlessly with local providers to create a smoother and more effective care journey.