DermIQ co-founders welcoming attendees on stage at the DermIQ Summit 2026

About DermIQ

Education that doesn't cut you off.

"You go to a meeting, you log into the app, you attend, and then it cuts you off." DermIQ was built to fix that.

ED.01 · Opening welcome · Fort Lauderdale

Our story

Most skin care happens outside dermatology offices.

Primary care clinicians see rashes, lesions and chronic itch every day. PAs and NPs carry a growing share of dermatology visits. Allergists manage eczema, hives and drug reactions. Aesthetic clinicians treat skin in med spas across the country. Yet most dermatology education is built for dermatologists alone, and it ends when the meeting ends.

DermIQ started from a clinician's complaint about that model: the education stops, the app shuts down, the relationships fade. So we built something different. An organization, not a single event, that puts the whole care team in one room, teaches the specialties side by side, and keeps them connected afterwards.

The people behind it are not new to this work. Our founders bring academic dermatology, physician assistant education, meeting management and decades of industry experience. DermIQ went public in December 2025 and held its first Summit six months later, in June 2026, at the Omni Fort Lauderdale.

Clinicians from across the care team in the general session at the DermIQ Summit 2026
The whole care team, one room
Clinicians meeting between sessions at the DermIQ Summit 2026
Between sessions
A table of clinicians during a session at the DermIQ Summit 2026
Two faculty co-teaching at the DermIQ Summit 2026
Clinicians reviewing the program at the DermIQ Summit 2026

What usual meetings get wrong

We built DermIQ to answer each one.

They teach derm to dermWe teach the whole care teamDermatologists lead. Primary care, PAs, NPs, allergists and aesthetic clinicians learn beside them and teach in their areas.Whole team
They end on SundayWe are building for the months betweenRecorded sessions, faculty-led power hours, case discussions and a clinician network are planned to carry learning past each edition.Year-round
They leave referrals to chanceWe teach the handoffWhen to treat, when to refer, what to send, and how to co-manage once the patient is shared.Referral clarity
They blur sponsor contentWe label it, every timeProduct theaters are labeled non-CME and are not part of the accredited activity. Sponsors support the events, but they don't write the curriculum.Clinician-led
They price people outWe keep the door openClinician registration is priced to remove the barrier, so a whole practice can attend, not just one person.Access

Core philosophy

Six beliefs we teach by.

01

Better communication, better care

DermIQ was founded on a simple belief: better communication between clinicians leads to better patient care.

02

Everyone who touches skin belongs

If you touch patient skin care, you belong here. The room is defined by the patient's path, not by a specialty.

03

Clarify roles, don't blur them

Interdisciplinary education is not about everyone doing everything. It is about each clinician knowing their part and the next one.

04

Learning should outlast the meeting

The Summit is the beginning, not the end. Every edition is designed to point to what comes next.

05

Education first. Clinician-led.

Trust is our core asset. Faculty build the program, an independent provider accredits it, and sponsor content is clearly separated.

06

Zero filler

Focused, practical sessions designed to be used in clinic on Monday morning.

Faculty speaking at the podium at the DermIQ Summit 2026
A DermIQ Summit notebook with the DermIQ crest

Why it exists

These conditions do not respect specialty boundaries, and our education shouldn't either.
Naiem T. Issa, MD, PhD, FAAD · President and Chair, DermIQ

Leadership

The founding team already looks like the room.

Academic dermatology, physician assistant leadership and meeting management, and industry and technology experience. Three founders, one shared patient.

Naiem T. Issa, MD, PhD, FAAD

President and Chair

Naiem T. Issa, MD, PhD, FAAD

Board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon trained at the University of Miami and Georgetown. A clinician-researcher focused on complex and rare disease, hair medicine and novel therapeutics. Chair and Medical Director of the DermIQ Summit and the Dermato-Allergy Exchange.

Risha Bellomo, MPAS, PA-C

Co-founder

Risha Bellomo, MPAS, PA-C

Healthcare leader with 25+ years of experience, two decades of it in dermatology and aesthetics. Founder and CEO of BCI Management & Communications, which runs DermIQ events, and co-founder of the Florida Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants.

Leda Marie Beaty

Co-founder

Leda Marie Beaty

President of SciBase US with 28+ years in life sciences, advancing dermatology through non-invasive technology, results-driven teams and leader mentorship. Brings strategic industry insight, operational discipline and a technology-forward view to DermIQ.

Exchange co-chairDavid Fitzhugh, MDAllergist and immunologist, dual board-certified in adult and pediatric allergy/immunology. Co-built the Dermato-Allergy Exchange program with Dr. Issa so neither specialty is a guest at the other's meeting.All faculty

Structure and independence

A nonprofit home for the education.

DermIQ programs are presented on behalf of the Diversified Dermatology Education Foundation (DDEF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Industry partners support the events through published support levels. In return they reach an interdisciplinary room of practicing clinicians. They do not shape the accredited curriculum. CME is provided through an independent accredited provider, and every product theater is labeled non-CME.

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What's next

Arrive as a clinician. Leave as a connector.

Three editions are on the 2027 calendar, starting with dermatology and allergy, side by side, in March.