Patricia Engasser, M.D., receives Clark W. Finnerud Award

The Dermatology Foundation (DF) Board of Directors recently recognized the impact that Patricia G. Engasser, M.D., has had on the specialty of dermatology by presenting her with the Clark W. Finnerud Award at its annual membership meeting in San Diego.

The award recognizes a dermatologist whose volunteer service as a part-time teacher and a practitioner embodies the highest ideals of the specialty and serves as an example for generations to come, according to DF reports.

With positions on the clinical volunteer faculty at Stanford University and University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Engasser has taught many generations of dermatology trainees and medical students. She became part of Stanford’s clinical volunteer faculty in 1968, just a year after finishing her dermatology residency there and joining the staff at Kaiser Permanente. Then Dr. Engasser volunteered to teach at UCSF.

Dr. Engasser achieved international recognition as an expert in contact dermatitis and volunteered with the Contact Dermatitis Clinics at each school. She recently relaunched Stanford’s Contact Dermatitis Clinic.

Dr. Engasser, a past-president of the American Contact Dermatitis Society and San Francisco Dermatology Society, also served on the American Academy of Dermatology’s Board and Executive Committee. Her awards include the Women’s Dermatologic Society’s Rose Hirschler Award and Stanford University’s Gold Spike Award, that university’s highest honor for outstanding volunteer leadership service.