APMNA 2023 meeting was held at Hilton Riverside hotel in New Orleans, LA. The meeting was attended by delegates from 17 different countries and local psychodermatologists from all over the United States. The scientific program was diverse and included myriad aspects of Psychocutaneous medicine including presentations on Psychotherapy in skin disease, delusion of parasitosis, trichoscopy in psychotrichological disorders, suicide in dermatology, various presentations on mental health burden on skin disease, status of psychodermatology in various countries, psychosocial consequences of various chronic skin diseases, , Psychotrichological disorders, and psychoneuroimmunology. The new proposed classification of psychodermatological disorders was also presented. Various patient organizations also presented the scope of their services in chronic skin diseases. A proposal was also made to celebrate World Psychodermatology Day. The meeting was attended by dermatologists, psychiatrists, residents, medical students, mid-level providers and patient organizations. The opening reception was held on March 15 at Bourbon House. An evening gala dinner was held at The Court of Two Sisters. APMNA honorary membership was given to Prof. Francoise Poot from Belgium and  Prof. Makoto Hashiro from Japan. APMNA Ambassador Awards were given to Assel Markabayeva from Kazakhstan, Dimitre Dimitrov from UAE and Sarah Allard Puscas from Canada.

APMNA participated in Psychodermatology symposium organized by ESDaP (European Society of Dermatology and Psychiatry). Dr. Mohammad Jafferany from APMNA was in the faculty. He presented " Psychotherapeutic aspects of Hair pulling disorder". The meeting was well attended by dermatologists interested in Psychodermatology from different parts of the world. Besides that two Psychodermatology symposiums were also part of the program of EADV 2019.

DSM 5 Equivalents of Current Psychocutaneous diseases [Autosaved].pptx

APMNA participated in Psychodermatology symposium organized by ESDaP (European Society of Dermatology and Psychiatry). Dr. Mohammad Jafferany and Dr. Katlein Franca from APMNA were in the faculty. They presented the role of PHQ-2 in dermatology  and Environmental Psychodermatology respectively. The meeting was well attended by dermatologists interested in Psychodermatology from different parts of the world. 

International League of dermatological Societies hosted 2nd World Skin Summit in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. APMNA was represented by Dr. Mohammad Jafferany. Discussion about awareness of Psychodermatology and challenges in recognizing  it as a subspecialty were discussed. The role of APMNA providing these services was discussed.

APMNA held it annual meeting in San Diego, CA in February 2018. The meeting was well attended by national and international participants. State of the art lectures and latest research pertaining to Psychocutaneous Medicine was presented. The meeting was followed by annual dinner at a local restaurant. Dr. Jafferany welcomes the participants and invited Dr. Ladan Mostaghimi to assume the presidency of the association for next two years. During the dinner, Dr. Rick Fried and Dr. Katlein Franca were given shields for their services for the association in particular and for psychodermatology in general. 

ESDaP (European Society of Dermatology and Psychiatry held its sub-specialty meeting on October 2nd in Istanbul, Turkey. The meeting was well attended by Psychodermatologists around the world. The meeting was co-chaired by Uwe Gieler (Germany) and Francoise Poot (Belgium). Speakers discussed various aspects of Psychodermatology. Uwe Gieler (Germany) discussed various skin picking syndrome. N.A Kucukunal (Turkey) presented her finding from a study on sexual dysfunction in genital warts. S. Morran Moya (Spain), discussed the impact of itch on quality of life. Katlein Franca (United States) discussed psycho-oncology of skin and presented an interesting talk on psychological impact of skin cancer. Ilknur Altunay (Turkey) presented the comparative findings of psychogenic itch and fibromyalgia syndrome and another presentation on Skin as mirror of mind.  M. Garcia Bestinduy (Spain) presented her findings on psychological aspects of Rosacea. Elizabeth Ogden (UK) discussed the quality of life and self image in patients with hair loss. The meeting was followed by lively discussion.

ESDaP (European Society of Dermatology and Psychiatry) held its biennial Congress in the beautiful city of Roskilde, Denmark from June 6th thru June 8th, 2013. The congress was well attended by participants for all around  the globe. It truly appeared as an international congress rather than just European. The topics presented on various aspects of psychodermatology including pharmacology, quality of life in psychocutaneous disorders, psychoneuroimmunology, dermatologic consequences of psychiatric disorders, stigmatization, self inflicted dermatoses and psychological consequences of dermatologic disorders. Two lively poster sessions were also part of the congress

On June 6^th there was a welcome reception at Odd Fellow Mansion beside  fascinating Roskilde cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site and on June 7^th there was a delicious congress dinner in Viking style at famous Viking ship museum on the harbor of Roskilde.   

Report of 23^rd Annual meeting of Association for Psychoneurocutaneous Medicine of North America (APMNA), 28^th February, 2013 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA

The annual meeting of APMNA was held in Miami Beach, Florida a day before American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting. The speakers presented wide range of topics in psychodermatology ranging from psychoneuroimmunology, molecular research, psychoanalytic and psychodynamic views on psychocutaneous disorders, original research, case reports and what is new in Psychodermatology. The speakers in the meeting were from USA, Belgium, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan.  The meeting started with opening remarks by Mohammad Jafferany, MD, the organizer of the meeting.

Ethan Levin, MD from University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), discussed delusion of parasitosis and its pharmacological management, followed by a lively discussion. Daniel Butler, Monica Huynh, and Rishu Gupta, all from UCSF, under the mentorship of Dr. John Koo, an eminent psychodermatologist from the same institution, presented their talks on effects of psoriasis on quality of life, stress and inflammatory skin disease and neurotic excoriations and dermatitis artefacta respectively. Dr. Francoise Poot from Belgium, the past president of ESDaP (European Society of Dermatology and Psychiatry), discussed new research in Psychodermatology around the globe. Dr. Peter Koblenzer, one of the founder members of APMNA, discussed his past experiences “One man’s memory of Amok”. Philip Shenefelt, MD from University of Southern Florida in Tampa, FL discussed the results of the study about hypnotically induced relaxation and guided imagery during dermatologic procedures. Dr. Jacek Szepeitowski, a dermatologist from Poland and a regular speaker in psychodermatology meetings, discussed vitiligo and its psychosocial aspects. Kristina Gorbatenko, a clinical psychologist at University of Wisconsin, Stout, presented her findings on difficult patient- physician communication in the context of discontinuation of treatment of alopecia areata. Josie Howard, MD a psychiatrist from San Francisco discussed psychodynamic approach to psychodermatology. Makoto Hashiro, MD from Japan and president of Japanese society of psychosomatic dermatology presented a case of factitious dermatitis. Dr. Manuel Grau, a psychodermatologist from Spain presented interesting findings on the impact of dominant parents of patients with skin disease. Scott Davis, a researcher at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC discussed about psychology and behavior of psoriasis patients treated with biologic agents. M Shekari Yazdi, MD from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia discussed Adlerian view of body dysmorphic disorder. Patrick Dominguez, MD from Harbor-UCLA in Torrance, CA discussed findings of a study done on US women with psoriasis and risk of depression. Jennifer Gordon, MD from University of Texas Southwestern in Austin discussed the results of an interesting study on botulinum toxin A in the treatment of neurotic excoriations. Rick Fried, MD, PhD from Yardley Dermatology and clinical research Associates, in Philadelphia discussed about dysesthic and dysmorphic aspects of skin.  Reena Shah, a clinical psychologist from London, UK discussed the importance and influence of family therapy in skin disorders. Randall Posey, MD from Texas discussed an interesting case of body dysmorphic disorder by proxy. Richard Granstein, MD, Professor and chairman of the Department of Dermatology, at Weill Cornell Medical College and Dermatologist-in-chief at New York Presbyterian Hospital, and an eminent scientist discussed his research findings of neuropeptides regulation of T-helper cells. Francisco Tausk, MD, an eminent scientist and researcher and Professor of dermatology and psychiatry at University of Rochester in Rochester, NY presented his research on glucocorticoid mediation of stress in psoriasis. The last speaker of the day was Rob Norman, MD from Florida narrated “Stories of skin”.

The meeting was well attended by dermatologists, psychiatrists and psychologists from all around the country and abroad. The audience participated enthusiastically during the question and answer sessions and there were lively and interactive discussion. The meeting ended with an open forum for discussion about the future of psychodermatology and the hindrances experienced in promoting the cause and generating awareness about psychocutaneous disorders in USA.  Current trends and future prospects about the status of psychodermatology in USA were discussed. A close cooperation between European Society of Dermatology and Psychiatry (ESDaP) and APMNA was emphasized.

Association of Psychocutaneous Medicine of North America

Report of 22nd Annual Meeting of Association of Psychocutaneous Medicine of North America, March 15th 2012 in San Diego, CA The 22nd annual meeting of APMNA (Association of Psychocutaneous Medicine of North America) was held in San Diego, CA, a day before American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting. The meeting discussed multiple topics on different aspects of Psychodermatology. The speakers were from USA, Spain, Argentina, Poland, UK, Canada and Belgium. The meeting started with opening remarks by Mohammad Jafferany, MD, the chair of the meeting and current Secretary/Treasurer of APMNA. Dr. Francoise Poot from Belgium, the past president of ESDaP (European Society of Dermatology and Psychiatry), discussed the psychosomatic symptoms and the role of family. Dr. Manuel Grau from Spain presented an interesting case of Olfactory reference syndrome. Dr. Silvia Khaski from Argentina presented and discussed a multidisciplinary psychodermatology clinic model and her experience. Ladan Mostaghimi, Director of Psychocutaneous clinic at University of WI Madison, presented an in depth talk on delusion of parasitosis. Dr. Caroline Koblenzer, a leading expert in Psychodermatology and the recipient of Herman Musaph award by ESDaP, and one of the founder members of APMNA discussed about Dermatitis Artefacta and its presentation and management. Dr. Jacek Szepietowski, from Poland, discussed about Hideradenitis Suppurativa and its psychosocial implications. Dr. Maria-José Tribó from Spain, discussed the connection of impulsivity in dermatitis artefacta. Teresa Tsakok from Guys and St. Thomas NHS foundation trust London discussed her research findings about the use of habit reversal therapy in atopic skin disease. Thelda Kestenbaum, MD, professor of Dermatology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, discussed OCD in dermatology. Howard G. Milstein, r dermatologist & Rachel Milstein Goldenhar, a clinical psychologist discussed their experience from a psychodermatology clinic with liaison of psychiatry and dermatology. Samantha Gontijo-Guerra from Canada discussed the relationship between skin diseases and psychological distress in community-dwelling older adults. Rick Fried, MD, a leading dermatologist & psychologist from Yardley Dermatology Associates, discussed the ethical and emotional issues in cosmetic dermatology. Richard Granstein, MD, professor and chair of the department of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College and dermatologist-in-chief at New York Presbyterian Hospital presented this research on the regulations of the antigen presentation by nerve products. Francisco Tausk, MD, Professor of Dermatology and Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY and past president of APMNA discussed about his research on stress and Psoriasis. Gil Yosipovich, MD, Professor of Dermatology at Wake Forrest University gave an interesting talk about the cognitive aspects of itch and scratch. Jennifer Raikes, the executive director and Christine Pearson, thje founding director from Trichotillomania learning center (TLC) discussed about the services TLC is providing to consumers. Robert Norman, MD from Florida presented stories of the skin, "the women who lost their skin". Jillian Wong and Tien Nguyen, medical students from University of California San Francisco, under the mentorship of Dr. John Koo, an eminent psychodermatologist, presented interesting topics on how to approach unhappy, anxious and difficult patients, and patient physician communications.   The meeting was followed by delicious dinner on the bay side at beautiful Pier Cafe.   Mohammad Jafferany, MD Secretary/Treasurer Association of Psychoneurocutaneous Medicine of North America mjafferany@yahoo.com