After the five-year doubling of the NIH budget, levels of funding for skin disease research fell back to minimal increases in FY2004. In order to present a unified message to Congress, the dermatology community organized a coordinated advocacy effort. There was consensus that the group must communicate the existing need for new treatments and cures, as well as the discoveries that have led to improved patient care.

The SID, American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) and the Coalition of Skin Diseases (CSD), organized the first Skin Disease Research Day on Thursday, February 5, 2004. Together, the three organizations represent the dermatologists engaged in research, those with private practices and the patients that need treatment. The day’s activities were dedicated to advocating for increased federal funding for skin disease research.

Teams of patient advocates and dermatologists met with elected officials who have direct oversight of NIH appropriations and their staff to discuss increased funding to the National Institutes of Health and specifically for skin disease research. There were over 60 participants in the program.