Alopecia UK attends 105th BAD Annual Meeting

Last week, we attended the 105th British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) Annual Meeting in Glasgow — an inspiring gathering of healthcare professionals, researchers, pharmaceutical industry and patient support groups, all dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by dermatology conditions, including alopecia.  

As a patient support group charity, being part of this event each year gives us the invaluable opportunity to share the lived experiences of those we support, raise awareness of the challenges patients face, and connect directly with the dermatology community. It was encouraging to see genuine interest from clinicians and researchers in understanding how alopecia affects not only physical health but also emotional well-being and daily life. 

We were delighted to bring some of the fabulous ‘True Crowns’ portraits from Isaac Qureshi to the conference and were very excited to see them receive such a prominent spot in the entrance to one of the main auditoriums. It meant that most of the 1,300 daily delegates were able to view these portraits of people with alopecia – an amazing opportunity for alopecia awareness at this year’s meeting. We look forward to showcasing these portraits again at our Big Weekend event in September.   

Alopecia UK caught up with some familiar faces from the world of dermatology including Dr Matthew Harries, Dr Susan Holmes, Dr Leila Asfour, Professor Simon Milling, Dr Sharon Wong, and Professor Andrew Messenger. We were also delighted to chat with several enthusiastic trainees who we hope will continue to be interested in hair loss for the duration of their careers.   

We are proud that Alopecia UK was chosen to deliver a ‘Hot Topic’ presentation about our recently published report ‘Health Inequality in Plain Sight; The need for better alopecia care’. Alopecia UK’s Communications Manager Amy Johnson delivered the talk and explained that our survey showed that 64% of people living with alopecia are not satisfied with the care they have received from the NHS. Amy emphasised the need for there to be a clear patient pathway for alopecia to improve NHS care for patients living with alopecia.

Throughout the week, Amy was supported on the charity’s stand by some of the charity’s Scotland-based team. AUK volunteer Ali Morrison joined on Tuesday, AUK Research & Liaison Manager Niels Bootsma was there to support on Wednesday, with AUK Volunteer Manager Katie Boyd assisting on Thursday.  

Amy reflected that the BAD annual meeting felt very different to the first one she attended:  

“I think it was 10 years ago when I attended my first BAD conference. At that time, I would look around the exhibition hall at the many pharma companies and wonder why none of them had treatments for people with alopecia. This year, there was lots of discussion about alopecia areata treatments. There were conversations with dermatologists about the only NICE-approved treatment for severe alopecia areata, plus chats with several pharmaceutical company representatives about further treatments in the pipeline. The landscape has certainly changed in the past decade, and it is exciting to think what further developments might be on their way.” 

In our 20th year, we reflect on our history with the British Association of Dermatologists and are proud of the relationship we have built with them over the years. Thank you to BAD for including patient voices in your conference and for the work you do to improve standards in patient care. 

You may be interested in reading Jackie Tomlinson’s recent blog which forms part of our ’20 Stories for 20 Years’, and reflects on her time with Alopecia UK and all she did to build our strong relationship with BAD.