Invited International Speakers
Courtesy of
Professor Firas Al-Niaimi
A highly experienced and skilled consultant dermatologist, Mohs and laser expert with nearly 20 years’ experience Professor Firas Al-Niaimi is a professor in dermatology with over 230 scientific publications in medical journals, 10 book chapters (and his own book) and over 500 scientific lectures in 58 countries around the globe. He is one of the UK's most prolific and well-published laser dermatologists and one with a renowned international standing.
Professor Firas Al-Niaimi is a highly experienced and respected consultant dermatologist with over 20 years of medical experience trained in some of the UK's top hospitals including the world-renowned St. John's Institute of Dermatology at St. Thomas’ Hospital where he completed a prestigious laser and Mohs Surgical Fellowship, and continued to work as an Honorary Consultant for several years in addition to further advanced training in several laser centres in the USA.
In addition to his busy private practice in London, he is involved in academic research and international teaching and training of doctors and has so far trained over 1 000 doctors around the world in advanced laser treatments. He was awarded the Global Excellence Award for being the Consultant Dermatologist of The Year in 2019 and 2022 – based on his services and commitment to dermatology and the laser field. In 2021 he was appointed Professor in Dermatology and becomes the first and only Professor in Laser Dermatology in the UK.
Professor Hyun Jeong Ju
Professor Hyun Jeong Ju currently works as an Assistant Professor in the Dermatology Department at St Vincent's Hospital, Suwon, Korea. Her career is dedicated to advancing the field of dermatology with a specialised focus on vitiligo research. Through her work, she aims to uncover novel insights that can lead to more effective treatments and ultimately improve the quality of life for people living with vitiligo.
Professor Jeong Ju’s current research primarily focuses on vitiligo surgery, the microbiome, and immune profiles associated with vitiligo. In the realm of vitiligo surgery, she is investigating innovative surgical techniques and therapeutic strategies to restore pigmentation in individuals affected by vitiligo. The study of the microbiome in relation to vitiligo is another critical aspect of her research.
In addition, Professor Jeong Ju is deeply involved in characterising the immune profiles of vitiligo to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of autoimmunity in this disorder. Through her work at St. Vincent's Hospital, she is dedicated to advancing society’s understanding of vitiligo and developing innovative approaches to treatment that are grounded in solid scientific research. Her ultimate goal is to translate these findings into clinical practice, offering new hope to patients affected by vitiligo.
Dr Irèn Kossintseva
Dr Irèn Kossintseva is a board-certified dermatologist and an ACGME Fellowship-trained dermatologic surgeon in both Canada and the United States. She completed her dermatology residency at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and graduated from ACGME-accredited Fellowship in both Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Procedural Dermatology from the Oregon Health and Science University, USA.
Dr Kossintseva serves as the immediate Past-President of the Canadian Society for Dermatologic Surgery (CSDS) and has previously spent almost a decade sitting on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA). She was also the Co-Chair of the 96th Annual CDA Conference.
As a Clinical Professor in the Department of Dermatology and Skin Science at the University of British Columbia, Dr Kossintseva teaches in the undergraduate, post-graduate and CME dermatology programmes, plus has contributed to training 10 generations of Fellows in Mohs Micrographic Surgery and advanced facial reconstruction.
She has published in both American and Canadian medical journals, and has spoken and chaired at numerous national and international conferences. She has been an invited speaker for more than 100 lectures in the last decade across the globe, including the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS), American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS), American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), CDA, the Canadian Melanoma Conference (CMC), California Society of Facial and Plastic Surgery (CSFPS), International Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ISDS) and World Congress of Dermatology (WCD).
Professor Jung Min Bae
Professor Jung Min Bae is an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Korea and the Director of Heal House Dermatology from Korea.
Vitiligo is a common acquired depigmentation disorder affecting 0.5 to 1% of the global population. Its clinical course is unpredictable and is often accompanied by severe psychological distress and a diminished quality of life. Vitiligo remains one of the chronic and incurable skin diseases, with much still to be understood about the condition.
Professor Min Bae is dedicated to the treatment of vitiligo and for the past 15 years, has displayed a keen interest in advancements in new classifications, laser treatments, and surgical approaches. While vitiligo is challenging to treat, he believes the medical profession can help many patients with thorough and careful effort. With this lecture, Professor Min Bae hopes to empower more vitiligo patients to pursue a better quality of life beyond the recovery of the pigmentation.
Professor Mauro Picardo
Professor Mauro Picardo is a Professor of Dermatology at the Unicamillus International University and a clinical researcher at the Istituto Dermopatico Immacolata in Rome. He was trained at the Rome University La Sapienza.
Professor Picardo was the director of the Cutaneous Physiopathology Laboratory and Integrated Center of Metabolomic Research and Scientific Director at the San Gallicano Dermatological Institute in Rome. His main topics of interest are skin biochemistry and metabolism, free radicals mediated damage, skin lipidomics, mechanism of control of skin pigmentation, pigmentary disorders, particularly Vitiligo and Melasma acne, and related disorders.
He has served on the Board and as President of National (SIDEMAST) and International (EIS, ESDR, ESPCR, IFPCS) Scientific Societies, in collaboration with Professor Alain Taieb, Chairperson of the Vitiligo European Task Force and the Pigmentary Disorders group of the EADV.
Professor Picardo has organised several national and international conferences, including the First Vitiligo International Symposium in Rome 2016. He co-edited the textbook Vitiligo (Springer-Nature) with Professor Alain Taieb. He is an Editorial Board member of dermatological and biochemical journals and a reviewer of multiple scientific journals, as well as the author of more than 380 publications in peer-reviewed journals (H index 67) and more than 30 chapters in different books.
Courtesy of
Dr Susan C Taylor
Dr Susan C Taylor is the Bernett Johnson Endowed Professor of Dermatology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA; as well as the Emeritus Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, NY.
Dr Taylor received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Dermatology. Her clinical and research focus includes pigmentary disorders, acne, and alopecia. Her work has focused on advancing clinical knowledge and addressing gaps in central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia.
Dr Taylor was elected President-elect of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), and will take office in March 2024. She was the recipient of the AAD’s 2022 Inaugural John Kenney Jr Lifetime Achievement Award and Lectureship. She served as AAD Vice-President from 2020 to 2021. Dr Taylor is the 2022 recipient of the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching from the Perelman School of Medicine, and also serves as Principal Investigator for Phase II through Phase IV clinical research trials.
She has over 100 original publications as well as five books, including Taylor and Kelly’s Dermatology for Skin of Color. She has given more than 80 lectures both nationally and internationally. Before joining Penn, Dr Taylor was in private practice at Society Hill Dermatology from 1989 until 2016.