Information from the Nordic Societies
100-year Anniversary of the Finnish Dermatological Society
Toni Karppinen, Regional Editor
Department of Dermatology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland. E-mail: toni. karppinen @ icloud. com
The Finnish Dermatological Society was founded on 19 May 1916, and is one of the country’ s oldest specialist associations. The association has a current membership of 378. The society’ s 100 th anniversary was celebrated during a 3-day congress at Finlandia Hall, Helsinki( Fig. 1) on 19 – 21 May 2016. Domestic and foreign leading experts were invited to give lectures on a diverse range of topics. Docent Petteri Arstila opened the lecture series on the subject of dermatological Fig. 2. Future forum panelists and the host Tiina Merikanto( YLE). immunology, which inspired active discussion that continued throughout the congress. The day general, the forum foresaw more advantages than threats from continued with Future Forum, comprising 8 panellists( Fig. these new ideas. The Future Forum was followed by some wise 2), who painted a picture of the future of our specialty. Forum and motivational words from Archiater Risto Pelkonen( Fig. topics included the current social and health services reform, 3), who emphasized the significance of scientific research, the future of research, digitalization and teledermatology. individual growth and cooperation. These subjects provoked refreshing cross-talk, and novel ideas from the panel, and strong discussion with the audience. In The following day saw the launch of a chronicle book of our 100-year-old society, produced by Associate Professor Outi Kortekangas-Savolainen. The first chapters, on the foundation of our society, were new to many members, and certainly to most of younger generation. The audience followed this presentation with great interest and enthusiasm. A copy of the comprehensive chronicle book was afterwards given to all members. The day continued with lectures by Professor Juha Kere, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, on keratinocyte gene expression( Fig. 4), and Professor Annamari Ranki, Helsinki, on targeted treatment of cutaneous lymphomas. After lunch Professor Susana Puig( Fig. 1), Barcelona, Spain, gave us an eye-opening lecture about genetic factors in melanoma. The” take-home message” was that the
Fig. 1. Lecture atmosphere at the Finlandia Hall, melanoma lecture by Susana Puig. genetic burden of melanoma is sub-
Forum for Nord Derm Ven 2016, Vol. 21, No. 4 107