Previewing the 2025 AAD Annual Meeting: What to Expect and Tips from the Experts

The 2025 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting kicks off today in Orlando, Florida, and ends on Tuesday, March 11. Over 300 forums, symposiums, focus sessions, and courses will be held over the 5-day conference with endless opportunities to network and collaborate with fellow clinicians and industry leaders while learning about the latest dermatological advancements.

The conference begins with opening remarks led by Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD, president of the American Academy of Dermatology. Throughout the meeting, attendees can attend informative presentations, panel conversations, live patient workshops, Q&A sessions, and networking opportunities.

With nearly 100 sessions just on the first day alone, hot discussion topics include device innovation for scarring and acne, artificial intelligence and rare diseases, nutrition and skin health, cutaneous drug eruptions, hair and nail disorders, tips on conquering board exams, and more. Throughout the many sessions, attendees will also have numerous opportunities to engage in networking and explore the exciting offerings of Orlando.

AAD is also known for its exciting posters and presentations on late-breaking data. This year’s late-breaking sessions will be held on Saturday from 9 am-12 pm ET and 1-4 pm ET. Dermatology Times will be front and center as we provide live updates to our audience. To stay up to date on the latest AAD updates, follow us on social media, turn on notifications, and sign up for daily eNewsletters.

The editors of Dermatology Times will be covering the conference in person, reporting on numerous engaging sessions, as well as conducting exclusive interviews with experts in the field. Several of our Editorial Advisory Board members will be sharing their knowledge and insights as well so stay tuned; you can find the full list of AAD sessions here.

As dermatologists head to Orlando, Dermatology Times spoke to some presenters about how to navigate the largest dermatology meeting in the country, especially for early-career clinicians who may not have attended previously.

Zoe Diana Draelos, MD: “It's just a great time to make new friends, meet other dermatologists, see where they are in their practice. I think going to the AAD, for me, is very invigorating, very rejuvenating, and it’s just fun to see where everybody’s been for the past year.”

Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD: “With it being such a big meeting, a lot going on, have a chance to take it all in. Have fun. There's a lot going on, and it's okay to bounce around. Don't feel like if you RSVP to something, you have to stay for all 3 hours. There's an expectation that you are going to jump around from event to event, lecture to lecture, session to session. That is perfectly okay. Don't beat yourself up, because really you are investing your time, your funding, to attend this meeting, you should get the most out of it.”

Adewole (Ade) Adamson, MD, MPP, FAAD: “I really enjoy this aspect of AAD being able to talk to colleagues and really have vigorous discussions around things that matter to us all and matter to our patients. I think areas of controversy are where we can learn the most and push the field the most.”

To keep up with all conference coverage from AAD, click here. To receive updates and top insights from the meeting, subscribe to our eNewsletters for clinical pearls straight to your inbox.