Atopic dermatitis, chronic hives, contact dermatitis and drug reactions do not wait for the right specialist. They land in primary care, allergy and dermatology, often in that order. The DermIQ Dermato-Allergy Exchange puts those clinicians in one room for two days to work through them together.
What is the Dermato-Allergy Exchange?
It is a two-day, CME-accredited program on the conditions dermatology and allergy share, held March 13 to 14, 2027, in Tysons Corner, VA, just outside Washington, DC. It is the second DermIQ event, following the DermIQ Summit 2026 in Fort Lauderdale.
The reason for it is simple, and Naiem T. Issa, MD, PhD, FAAD, President and Chair of DermIQ and Chair of the Exchange, puts it plainly: "These conditions do not respect specialty boundaries, and our education shouldn't either."
The agenda was co-built with Exchange co-chair David Fitzhugh, MD, an allergist and immunologist dual board-certified in adult and pediatric allergy and immunology. That partnership is the point. As Dr. Issa wrote, "neither specialty is a guest at the other's meeting."
These conditions do not respect specialty boundaries, and our education shouldn't either.
Who should attend?
Any clinician who sees these patients. The Exchange is built for three groups at once:
- Primary care clinicians, who see most of these conditions first and decide who goes where.
- Allergists and immunologists, who own much of the trigger, testing and mast cell side.
- Dermatologists, who own much of the skin, the morphology and the long-term inflammatory disease.
PAs and NPs in all three settings are part of the audience, too. (Read more on why in PAs and NPs in dermatology: teaching, not just attending.)
The conditions on the table
The ones both specialties treat: atopic dermatitis, chronic urticaria, contact dermatitis, drug eruptions, mast cell disorders, angioedema, and eosinophilic and food-related skin disease. Each is taught from both sides, with the goal "not to blur roles, but to clarify them." A primary care clinician should leave knowing what to start and when to send. A specialist should leave knowing what the referring clinician needs back. "Know when to treat. Know when to refer."
What is on the agenda?
The following is a tentative agenda, subject to change. Sessions planned for the Exchange include:
- Decoding Type 2 Inflammation and The Atopic March, which set a shared foundation.
- Atopic Dermatitis: Immune Drivers, Heterogeneity, Treatment Conceptualization & the Comorbid Patient, plus sessions on topical therapy, systemic therapy (current and upcoming biologics and JAK inhibitors) and disease modification.
- MC²: Mast Cell Master Class, in two parts: physiology and pathobiology, then current and emerging therapies. (For background, see our overview of chronic urticaria and the mast cell.)
- JAK Inhibitor Master Class, a Sunday lunch session.
- Principles of Allergy Testing, Parts 1 and 2, for clinicians who order tests and clinicians who receive the results.
- Dermatology Pearls for the Non-Dermatologist, aimed at primary care and allergy.
- Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis Cases Symposium, a Saturday dinner session. It includes a non-CME product theater, which will be labeled as such.
- Sessions on steroid stewardship, chronic hand eczema, chronic pruritus and prurigo nodularis, cutaneous drug reactions and drug allergy, managing concomitant conditions across both specialties, and advancements in pediatric AD therapeutics.
The format is case-based and faculty-led. Expect discussion, questions from the floor and real cases, not just slides.
Faculty confirmed so far
The faculty come from both specialties.
Allergy and immunology
- Kristin Sokol, MD, ACAAI Annual Meeting Chair, dual board-certified in pediatrics and allergy and immunology
- Kestutis Aukstuolis, MD
- David Fitzhugh, MD
Dermatology
- Naiem Issa, MD, PhD
- Walter Liszewski, MD
- Leon Kircik, MD
- Christopher Bunick, MD, PhD
More faculty will be announced as the program is finalized.
Registration, CME and logistics
Registration is $99, one price for all clinicians, whatever the specialty or role. The Exchange is CME-accredited. The credit total will be announced. The host hotel is TBA.
Industry partners help make DermIQ events possible, but "they don't write the curriculum." Any sponsored session is labeled non-CME.
The Exchange is also not a one-off. A second Exchange is planned for Chicago in Q3 2027, and the DermIQ Summit returns in June 2027 in Miami. "The Summit is the beginning, not the end," and the Exchange is the next step.
What's next
If you see eczema, hives, swelling or drug rashes in your clinic, this program was built for you. Register for the DermIQ Dermato-Allergy Exchange and save your seat for March 13 to 14 in Tysons Corner. Want updates on the hotel, CME credits and new faculty? Sign up for the DermIQ newsletter.
Education for every clinician who touches skin. Written for clinicians, not as advice for patients. Questions or a case to share? Write to us.
