Do you remember the 1970s? Bell bottoms, big cars, and baking in the sun with no thought of skin damage or cancer?
While disco might have topped the charts in music, what wasn’t popular was dermatology – if you were a woman. In 1970, only about 7% of dermatologists were female. The good news is that as of 2021, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, more than half of their members were women (although of course not all dermatologists are members).
Why does that matter? Many patients feel more comfortable seeing a doctor who shares their gender, which ideally means the percentage of providers mirrors the population.
Did You Know?
there are ONLY 3 WOMEN SURGEONS for every 1 million people in low-income countries? And those surgeons have to beat the odds every day to be accepted in their field and do the work they love – and perform life-altering reconstructive surgery.
Golden State Dermatology is a strong advocate for supporting women in reconstructive surgery. That’s why we wanted to let you know about a program called the Pioneering Women in Reconstructive Surgery (PWRS) initiative, launched by SkinCeuticals in partnership with ReSurge International. The goal is to help first-generation women reconstructive surgeons in underserved parts of the world by providing surgical training, leadership development, and mentorship networking opportunities.
Women Physicians + The Most Effective Skin Cancer Surgery
When it comes to skin cancer, Golden State Dermatology has a high percentage of female dermatologists skilled in the most effective skin cancer surgery available.
Called Mohs micrographic surgery, the procedure is done right here in our offices using local anesthesia. Mohs has the highest cure rate of all skin cancer treatments — approaching 99% for tumors that have not previously been treated. Not only is it highly effective in dealing with the cancerous cells, it also minimizes damage to nearby healthy tissue, which means less scarring and faster healing.
At Golden State Dermatology we’re fortunate to have several women surgeons certified in Mohs surgery:
Dr. Hina Ahmad: fellowship trained Mohs and dermatologic surgeon; helped teach Mohs and reconstructive surgery to residents and medical students at USC.
Dr. Julia Arzeno: board-certified and fellowship trained in micrographic dermatologic surgery, and a participant in multiple NIH-funded research programs and author of original published research.
Dr. Carie Chui: an instructor and teacher of dermatologic and Mohs surgery to residents and fellows at Stanford and UCSF.
Dr. Minh Dang: a recipient of the prestigious Henry W. Stelwagon Award for Original Research.
Dr. Lisa Chipps: fellowship-trained Mohs and cosmetic surgeon, and professor of dermatologic surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Dr. Jane Kardashian: double certified in both dermatology and Mohs surgery, as well as a recent winner of the Best Dermatologist in the California Vibe Luxury Awards.
Dr. Lauren Moy: board certified as a Mohs surgeon and facial cosmetic surgeon, with publications in more than 20 scholarly articles.
Dr. Grace Sohn: double board certified in dermatology and Mohs surgery, with multiple first-author publications.
Dr. Anne Zhuang: lectures extensively at meetings for multiple professional organizations and is the author of several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.
