Veteran dermatologist strives to promote skin cancer awareness

Key Points

Roger I. Ceilley, M.D., has had many milestones in his 33 years in dermatology. As a clinician, teacher and advocate, he has impacted not only the lives of his patients, but also the public, students, fellow dermatologists and the dermatology profession as a whole.

"When I first started in practice, there was not a lot of interaction among dermatologists, Mohs surgeons and other specialists, such as ophthalmic plastic surgery, head and neck surgery and other groups," he says.

When he isn't teaching students and fellows about skin cancer, he is helping to build skin cancer awareness among consumers. Consumer advocacy has long been a passion for Dr. Ceilley, especially while he was president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) in 1988 and president of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) in 1997-98.

As president of the ASDS, Dr. Ceilley focused on expanding dermatologists' educational offerings and national meetings. He also used his presidency to promote national awareness of the roles of dermatologists and dermatologic surgeons in skin cancer prevention and treatment.

Later, Dr. Ceilley initiated the AAD's Shade Structure Program, which provides $8,000 grants to build shade structures around the country where needed for playgrounds, pools, picnic areas, ball fields and other locations. The AAD also provides a permanent sign promoting the importance of sun safety for display near each shade structure built.

"The goal has been to help provide shade and protection for children who are spending large amounts of their time in the sun, because we know that a sizeable percentage of the sun exposure that we get in our lifetime occurs before 18 to 20 years of age," Dr. Ceilley says.