WHEREAS, dermatology is a medical specialty in which physicians diagnose and treat over 3,000 conditions of the skin, hair, and nails in people of all ages, from newborns to older adults; and

WHEREAS, melanoma, a type of skin cancer, is an especially serious dermatological condition that has a 64 % five-year-survival-rate with spread to lymph nodes and a 23% five-year-survival rate if there is spread beyond lymph nodes to other organs; and

WHEREAS, in Virginia in 2019, 2,226 new cases of melanoma were reported, representing the 6th highest incident cancer rate in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, melanoma patients have a survival rate of 98% with early detection, and dermatological care for high-risk individuals saves lives and ensures better patient outcomes; and

WHEREAS, in 2013, one in four Americans were impacted by skin disease, costing the US healthcare system $75 million in healthcare expenditures; and

WHEREAS, dermatologists in Virginia continue to play a critical role in caring for patients as rates of skin cancer, autoimmune skin disease, and skin infection continue to rise; and

WHEREAS, dermatologists care for a wide array of inflammatory, immune-mediated, and autoimmune diseases including atopic dermatitis, which affected 3% of Virginians (over 253,000 Virginians) in 2019; psoriasis, which affected over 109,000 Virginians in 2019; lupus, sarcoidosis, and vitiligo, in addition to cutaneous sequelae because of chemotherapy and immunotherapy or systemic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, viral, fungal, and bacterial skin diseases that affected over 7% of Virginians in 2019, impacting more than 562,000 people; and

WHEREAS, dermatologic conditions, such as psoriasis, which affected more than 3% of the United States adult population in 2021, and psoriatic arthritis, which affects 30% of people with psoriasis may have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life; and

WHEREAS, biologics are targeted treatments for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis that cost from $10,000-$30,000 per year in the United States, and expanding insurance coverage for use of biologics as treatment can substantially improve quality of life; and

WHEREAS, increasing representation and training of individuals with diverse backgrounds in the field is vital to growing the specialty and producing high-quality dermatologists; and

WHEREAS, in Virginia, many dermatologists, dermatology trainees, healthcare professionals, medical students, and other stakeholders are working together to bring awareness of these important issues in dermatology to local, state, and national legislators;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize May 10, 2023, as VIRGINIA DERMATOLOGY ADVOCACY DAY in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.