February 6, 1917 – January 30th, 2009

Walter Shelley grew up in northern Minnesota as the adopted and only child of a railroad switch operator and his wife. An uncle, who was a physician, was instrumental in influencing his occupational choice. Dr. Shelley overcame early adversity. He did not talk until age 4 and was also asked to repeat the second grade. He eventually became one of the most thoughtful, intelligent, productive, and enduring dermatologists of his time. At 6’4”, Walter Shelley was a tall man who left a high bar for those who were to come after him.

1894 - August 31, 1963

Stephen Rothman was born into a wealthy Jewish family and grew up in Budapest, Hungary, where he received his medical degree. He trained in dermatology with Albert Jesionek (Germany) and Bruno Block (Switzerland). He was one of a series of individuals who became icons in their respective fields after fleeing the oppression of Europe in favor of the United States.

October 8, 1914 – November 29, 2003

John Kenney, Jr. was the oldest of four children born in Tuskegee, Alabama, to parents who were influential figures in African American medicine. Kenney graduated from Bates College, then received his medical degree from Howard University in 1945.

November 22, 1936 – December 5, 2008

Bernard “Bernie” Ackerman was born the son of an orthodontist in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended Phillips Academy and graduated from Princeton University. He received his medical degree from Columbia University. In an unusual twist for the time, he completed his dermatology residency by spending a year at each of three different dermatology departments: Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Harvard.

March 3, 1935 – September 30, 2021

Gloria Graham’s roots in medicine are deep. Her father was a country doctor who practiced until he was ninety-seven. Her mother was her father’s nurse. Her grandfather and half-brother were also physicians. She graduated from Wake Forest University and the Bowman Gray School of Medicine. She was one of only six women in her medical school class. She completed her dermatology residency at the University of Virginia.

Diane R. Baker, MD has served a President of AAD and ABD. She was an AMA Delegate from AAD from 1997-2003. She has been a clinical faculty member in the Department of Dermatology at Oregon Health & Sciences University since 1976.

Lynn A. Drake, MD has served as President of AAD and WDS. She was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow and Congressional Fellow, sponsored by the National Academy of Medicine. She worked in the Senate Leadership Office of Kansas Senator Bob Dole.

Wilma F. Bergfeld, MD has a remarkable record of leadership, having served as President of AAD, WDS, ASDP, ADA and 5 other professional societies. A noted dermatopathologist, she is Director of the Dermatopathology Fellowship Training program at the Cleveland Clinic, which she founded in 1975.

June 2, 1932 - May 12, 2005

Edgar “Ben” Smith, MD is one of a handful of individuals who was president of the American Academy of Dermatology and also a recipient of the Academy’s Gold Medal. Born the son of a surgeon, he attended Rice University and graduated from Baylor College of Medicine. He trained in dermatology at Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Smith developed a lifelong interest in England after he spent a year there as a Fulbright Scholar.

An Ohio native, Dr. Boni Elewski is an international thought leader in fungal diseases and psoriasis. Dr. Elewski is currently a professor and the James E. Elder, MD Chair of the Department of Dermatology at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She has been active both in academia and clinical research for over 43 years.