International League of Dermatological Societies

International League of Dermatological Societies
Name	International League of Dermatological Societies
Abbreviation	ILDS
Formation	1935
Type	International non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Geneva
Region served	Worldwide
Leader title	President

International League of Dermatological Societies The International League of Dermatological Societies is an international non-governmental organization that represents professional dermatology societies and dermatologists worldwide. It engages with global health institutions, national academies, regional dermatology associations, and university departments to coordinate dermatological education, research, and public health initiatives. The organization interacts with a wide range of professional bodies, research institutes, and international agencies to advance skin health globally.

History

The League traces roots through interactions among organizations such as the World Health Organization, United Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross, World Medical Association, and national bodies like the American Medical Association, Royal College of Physicians, British Association of Dermatologists, French Academy of Medicine, and Deutscher Dermatologischer Gesellschaft. Early congresses involved participants from institutions including the Karolinska Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Tokyo Faculty of Medicine, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, with notable contributors from the Royal Society, National Institutes of Health, Pasteur Institute, Max Planck Society, and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Over decades the League formed ties with specialty groups such as the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, American Academy of Dermatology, Latin American Dermatology Association, African Society for Dermatology and Venereology, and professional forums like Union for International Cancer Control and International Agency for Research on Cancer. Collaborations extended to philanthropic and regulatory entities including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, European Commission, Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency, and the World Bank. The League’s history intersected with major medical congresses and awards such as the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Lasker Award, Gairdner Foundation International Award, and the Rous-Whipple Award through partnerships with academic leaders and prize-winning researchers.

Mission and Objectives

The League’s mission aligns with mandates from institutions like the World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Population Fund, World Organization of Family Doctors, International Pediatric Association, and specialist groups including the International Psoriasis Council, EADV Foundation, Skin Cancer Foundation, European Society for Medical Oncology, International League Against Epilepsy in multidisciplinary contexts. Objectives emphasize collaboration with the World Dermatology Foundation, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Global Alliance for Rabies Control, Stop TB Partnership, and research networks such as Cochrane Collaboration, Human Genome Organisation, International Rare Diseases Research Consortium, and the Global Fund. The League sets goals that reflect commitments made in forums like the World Health Assembly, UN General Assembly, G20 Summit, the World Economic Forum, and regional meetings of the African Union, European Council, and Organization of American States.

Structure and Governance

Governance models reference frameworks used by bodies such as the International Olympic Committee, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, World Medical Association, International Pediatric Association, and national academies including the National Academy of Sciences (United States), Royal Society, Académie nationale de médecine, and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Leadership roles have analogues to positions in the World Health Organization, European Commission, Council of Europe, Pan American Health Organization, and university faculties like Harvard Medical School, University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division, and Stanford Medicine. Advisory committees often include representatives from regional organizations such as the Asian Dermatological Association, Pan American Health Organization, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and research councils like the Wellcome Trust and National Institutes of Health.

Key Activities and Programs

Programs mirror initiatives by the World Health Organization, United Nations Development Programme, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and disease-focused groups like the International Society of Dermatology, International Psoriasis Council, Melanoma Research Alliance, Skin Cancer Foundation, and International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations. Activities include educational collaborations with universities such as Imperial College London, University College London, University of Sydney, Peking University Health Science Center, and University of Cape Town, as well as research partnerships with the Broad Institute, Wellcome Sanger Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and pharmaceutical stakeholders including Roche, Novartis, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. Public health campaigns have drawn on models used by Médecins Sans Frontières, Rotary International, Amnesty International, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Membership and Affiliated Societies

Member societies include national and regional organizations similar to the American Academy of Dermatology, British Association of Dermatologists, Sociedad Española de Dermatología y Venereología, Société Française de Dermatologie, Deutscher Dermatologenverband, Japanese Dermatological Association, Korean Dermatological Association, Australian Dermatology Association, Canadian Dermatology Association, Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists, Brazilian Society of Dermatology, and the South African Society of Dermatology. Affiliated entities span specialty groups such as the International Psoriasis Council, European Hair Research Society, International Pediatric Dermatology Association, Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board, Global Skin Care Foundation, and academic networks like Association of American Medical Colleges, European Federation of Academies of Medicine, and the Council of European Dermatology Societies.

Conferences and Congresses

Major meetings follow models of international congresses like the World Congress of Dermatology, American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting, European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress, International Congress of Dermatology, International Conference on Dermatology and Allergy, and regional symposia organized by institutions such as the Karolinska Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, and universities including University of Tokyo, Peking University, and University of São Paulo. These events engage delegations from the World Health Organization, United Nations, European Commission, African Union, and partner organizations such as the International Society for Quality in Health Care and International Pharmaceutical Federation.

Publications and Guidelines

The League produces guidance and collaborates on publications with journals and publishers like The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, British Medical Journal, British Journal of Dermatology, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, Nature Medicine, Science Translational Medicine, PLOS Medicine, Cochrane Library, and academic presses associated with Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Guidelines are developed alongside expert groups such as the International Psoriasis Council, European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, World Health Organization, American Academy of Dermatology, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and specialty task forces from institutions like Harvard Medical School and Mayo Clinic.

Category:Dermatology organizations