GlobalSkin 2025 Conference: Day 3
- Ingrid Thompson
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
On Saturday Trina attended Day 3 of the GlobalSkin Conference in Prague.
Here is her report:
Day 3:
Plenary Session on: Championing our cause - The WHA Resolution on Skin Diseases
GlobalSkin has been actively working in partnership with its members organisations (including us at PEM Friends) to address the under estimation and under-Prioritisation of skin diseases.
Skin diseases effect individuals of all ages and are a common reason for seeking medical help. This impacts for 4.69 million people globally per year. Yet they remain disproportionately neglected in national and global Health priorities. The consequences extend beyond physical suffering with social stigma, mental health impacts and lost productivity exacerbating inequality particularly in low income and middle income countries. On Tuesday the 20th of May in Geneva at the 78th World Health Assembly, the side event will be a session on skin disease as a global Health priority. (See picture below).
Coffee time: Trina was approached by Susan Awad, who had been asked to look out for Trina by Chris Ward, Sanofi Regeneron. Susan is the head of global public affairs, dermatology and immunology policy, Sanofi. They had a brief chat about her seminar which will be tomorrow morning. The topic will be exploring how patient advocacy organisations and 'industry' can work together for people living with dermatological conditions.
Trina then met the lovely Marie-Claude Boieteux from Cutis Laxa International, who recognised Trina because of the introduction she made to bring Laurence on board to the PEM Council. Maybe it was also the PEM Journal she was carrying that made Trina stand out!
The next session was implementing GRIDD and PRIDD for successful advocacy. PEM Friends has been involved in the GRIDD Project since it started back in 2015 when Sharon Hockey and Trina Harris attended the global skin conference in Milan.
Professor Chris Bundy, professor of behavioural medicine at Cardiff University UK, then shared the comparison of PRIDD scores across global groups. We will be able to share more insights and analysis when the data becomes available later in 2025. If you have not done so already please download the PRIDD app from Google Play store or Apple Play store so that your voice can be heard in this important study.
Lunchtime networking, before Trina took a well earned couple of hours off before the Patient Awards dinner in the evening.
Patient awards dinner: Trina was able to able to catch up with many people including Nanée, who we shared about yesterday. They took a photo together in the special photo booth to celebrate their meeting and sharing their journeys together. Trina shared with Nanée all about PEM Friends and Nanée was keen to explore our work and Trina shared the website and photo library postcards.
Marc Yale, Ippf and Trina also had their photos taken in the booth 😂. A little light-heartedness after a busy few days is always welcome.
It was wonderful to see Marc Yale receive an award for the the Externally-Led Patient-Focused Drug Development (EL-PFDD) Meeting on Pemphigus and Pemphigoid project.
This initiative was coordinated by a partnership of pemphigus and pemphigoid patient organizations, including the International Pemphigus & Pemphigoid Foundation (USA), PEM Friends (United Kingdom), Association Pemphigus Pemphigoïde France (France), and the Pemphigus/Pemphigoid Friends Association (Japan).
More details to follow in PEM Lives soon.
Finally at 11pm it was bedtime for Trina before the 9am start tomorrow morning.
One more day to go so watch out for the day 4 report!
