For this month’s GVF Physician spotlight, we’re featuring Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD, who has been an active member of the Global Vitiligo Foundation for many years as a physician expert and a volunteering leader. Dr. Desai was elected to the GVF Board of Directors last year. Prior to that, he served as the Chair of the GVF Advocacy Committee and continues in that role today.

In Dr. Desai’s words,“It’s truly my honor to serve on the Board of this dynamic organization. One of my main interests is advocacy for vitiligo patients and for the vitiligo community. A few years ago, many of our advocacy efforts culminated in the first-ever Advocacy Day at the United States Capitol in Washington DC. There were close to 20 of us, including two physician experts and vitiligo patients who went to lobby in the US Congress and Senate for more vitiligo research, awareness, and legislation to support patients suffering from vitiligo. We hope to host another one of these events and even garner more support in the near future.”

On the clinical side, Dr. Desai treats countless numbers of vitiligo patients in his practice in the Dallas area, which serves as a referral center for vitiligo patients both locally as well as nationally and internationally.“I have been particularly involved in research related to the new JAK inhibitor drugs, which I hope will start to become FDA-approved for vitiligo this year. As a vitiligo expert who was inspired to become a dermatologist because of my own family’s journey with this disease, it’s incredibly exciting to see the progress that has been made thus far and continues to be made in hopes of one day finding a cure for this devastating condition.”

Dr. Desai also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Dermatology, the Board of Directors of the Women’s Dermatologic Society, and the Board of Directors of the International Society of Dermatology. He is the Founder and Medical Director of Innovative Dermatology and Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

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