Presentations Highlight Annual Conference

Brian D. Zelickson, M.D., 2009 Program Chair

2009 Annual Conference Highlights  

The ASLMS 29th Annual Conference was held April 1-5, 2009 in National Harbor, Maryland.  The ASLMS received 433 abstract submissions and 376 were selected for presentation.

Our Annual Conference is always exciting because of the important science and significant new clinical applications presented by the speakers.  This year the conference was highlighted with presentations that documented new techniques, protocols and laser systems.  In addition, to ensure a program which appealed to a diversity of specialties, two special sessions were added; “Lasers, Optics, Radiofrequency, and Advanced Technologies in Head and Neck Cancers and Vascular Lesions” session highlighted new developments in otolaryngology and oncology and “Clinicians, Basic Scientists and Industry: Provocative Questions” course highlighted specific problems and potential solutions for the three pillars that make up our Society.  Practitioners also had the opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge of laser-based procedures through courses taught by world-class experts. 

Our Annual Conference provides an ideal venue to spur the creativity of younger members in the Society.  The Society awarded 31 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at this year's Annual Conference with travel grants.  

The exhibit hall offered the opportunity to bring representatives of academia, industry and clinical practice together. With over 1,800 attendees and 127 companies all on the same floor, the conversations and debates continued nonstop.

Also in the exhibit hall the Society once again presented the ePosters, a revolutionary, all-digital viewing system.   The ePoster format allowed 130 investigators to communicate their data in a clear and concise manner without a great deal of professional graphic help.  The ePosters are available for members to view through the Society’s Web site.   

The ASLMS fourth annual Silent Auction raised $107,821.  All net proceeds will be used to support research in the coming years. 

We would like to recognize and thank all of the companies for donating items for the auction and Dr. Christopher Zachary for chairing this event.   We would also like to thank the ASLMS Board Members and Silent Auction Committee members for their assistance in recruiting items for the Silent Auction.

This year’s conference labored to keep the best of past conferences while incorporating new educational objectives, novel avenues of communication, and more time for dialogue.  Our Society has always worked to promote education to the intermediate and advance practitioner of laser medicine. 

This year we updated our educational offering to provide those new to our field of medicine with a comprehensive basic course in laser medicine.  The Fundamentals of Lasers in Health Care Course directed by Ron Wheeland, M.D. included leaders and educators in our field and will serve as a model and cornerstone to future offerings for those new to laser medicine. 

In addition to the Fundamentals of Lasers in Health Care Course, intermediate and advanced course offerings were held and included:

• Nursing/Allied Health directed by Ms. Donna Gabriel and Ms. Rebecca Sprague
• Resurfacing and Contouring directed by Dr. Roy Geronemus
• Laser Treatment of Vascular Lesions directed by Drs. Thomas Rohrer and Kenneth Arndt
• Hair and Pigment Removal directed by Drs. David Goldberg and Henry H. L. Chan
• Laser Treatment of Patients of Color directed by Dr. Murad Alam
• How to Use Optical Diagnostics in Clinical Laser Medicine directed by Drs. Wangcun Jia and Wim Verkruysse
• Clinicians, Basic Scientists and Industry: Provocative Questions directed by Drs. Jeffrey Dover and R. Rox Anderson

 Six expert luncheons were held and included:

• My Approach to Fractional Resurfacing and Resurfacing directed by Dr. Suzanne Kilmer
• My Approach to Skin Tightening Technologies directed by Dr. Christine Dierickx
• Improving Your Patient Outcomes: Clinical Research Approach to Your Practice directed by Dr. E. Victor Ross
• Non-Invasive and Invasive Fat Removal: Where Do We Stand? directed by Dr. A. Jay Burns
• Difficult Cases and Complications directed by Drs. Jeffrey Dover and Jerome Garden
• Treatment of Darker Skin Types directed by Dr. Eliot Battle

Four workshops were included to enhance the 2009 program.  These workshops were well received by the conference attendees and included:

• Complications, Controversies and Legal Issues directed by Dr. Eric Bernstein
• Technologies for Fat Related Disorders directed by Drs. Henry H. L. Chan and Mathew Avram
• Periorbital and Perioral Therapies Workshop directed by Drs. Brian Biesman and Jeffrey Kenkel
• Photography, Treatment Documentation and Oversight Workshop directed by Dr. George Hruza

Two expert panels were conducted and included:

• Skin Rejuvenation directed by Dr. Brian Zelickson
• Evaluation and Treatment of Pediatric Lesions directed by Dr. Jerome Garden

New developments in the basic sciences have continued to push the field of laser medicine to new heights.  Understanding the importance of this basic information to those in the field of cutaneous laser medicine, we organized the papers in the basic science skin section in an offering that was given at a time that didn’t conflict with the clinical cutaneous part of the conference. 

Dialogue and critical discourse has always been my favorite part of the investigative portion of this conference.   Most of the sections had ample time and opportunity to facilitate discussion. 

The educational and scientific sessions were well received thanks to the hard work and expert preparation of the faculty as well as questions and interactive comments from attendees.

An outstanding group of section chairs reviewed and selected the best abstracts for presentation at the Annual Conference.  At the Annual Conference, they continued to work hard to ensure their sessions ran on time and that the speakers provided appropriate disclosures of interest to maintain our current CME accreditation by the Accreditation Council of Continuing Medical Education. 

The Section Chairs for the 2009 Annual Conference included:

• Dr. Serge Mordon, Basic Science
• Dr. J. Stuart Nelson, Basic Science
• Dr. Mathew Avram, Cutaneous Laser Surgery
• Dr. Paul Friedman, Cutaneous Laser Surgery
• Dr. Juanita Anders, Photobiomodulation
• Dr. Raymond Lanzafame, Surgical Applications
• Dr. Inder Perkash, Surgical Applications
• Dr. Arielle Kauvar, ePosters
• Mr. Greg Absten, Exhibit Chair

 All of these individuals deserve great thanks from everyone in the Society for the effort they put in to making this year's conference the best ever!  Without their support, enthusiasm, energy, and intellect, this conference would not have been possible.

During the Plenary Session, Dr. Brian Biesman gave his Presidential State of the Society highlighting his year in office, which has led the Society in new and exciting directions while adhering to the missions of its founders.  

A number of Presidential Citations were awarded this year recognizing individuals for dedicated service to the Society and laser science and included: 

• Mr. Gregory Absten
• Dr. Jeffrey Dover
• Dr. Shannon Ginnan
• Dr. J. Stuart Nelson
• Dr. David Verebelyi
• Dr. Ronald Wheeland
• Dr. Brian Zelickson
• Palomar Technologies, Inc.

A number of individuals were selected to receive awards which were based on their abstracts submitted to the Annual Conference and included:

• Ran Friedman, Best Overall Basic Science Award
• Carsten Philipp, Best Overall Clinical Science Award
• Ivany Baptista, Best Clinical Nursing/Allied Health Award
• Elena Salomatina-Motz, Best Student/Resident Basic Science
• Tracy Katz, Best Student/Resident Cutaneous Laser Surgery
• Michael DeCoro, Best Student/Resident Dentistry/Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Eli Moses, Best Student/Resident Surgical Applications

Award lectureships were given by Dr. Suzanne Kilmer as the recipient of the Ellet H. Drake Lectureship Award; Dr. Christopher Zachary as the recipient of the Leon Goldman Memorial Award, and Dr. J. Stuart Nelson, as the recipient of the Caroline and William Mark Memorial Award.  Ms. Sharon Olson was the recipient of the Nursing/Allied Health Excellence Award.  Ms. Penny Smalley gave a presentation on the 25th Nursing Anniversary of Laser Nursing and the ASLMS.

A timely keynote lecture was given by Thomas Gunderson of Piper Jaffray and Company out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in which he discussed Aesthetic Technology and Wall Street: Looking Good in Tough Times.