2022 Pommerening Memorial Lecture & Roy Colven Celebration

The UW Division of Dermatology held its annual Robert Pommerening Memorial Lecture on Friday, October 14, 2022.

This year’s event marked the first time the Pommerening Lecture has been delivered in a hybrid format, with attendees participating virtually and in-person at the UW Tower Auditorium.

Each year, the Pommerening Memorial Lecture is held in early October and features a celebration of the Division’s accomplishments over the last year, notable case discussions and a guest lecturer focused on various topics in dermatology. This year’s event welcomed over in-person and virtual 60 attendees including staff, faculty, trainees, alumni, industry and community partners.

The 2022 guest lecturer was John E. Harris, MD, PhD, presenting on, “Vitiligo: Clinical Characteristics, Optimizing Management, and Emerging Treatments.” Dr. Harris is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology at the UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, Mass. He is the Director of the Autoimmune Therapeutics Institute and the Vitiligo Clinic and Research Center which incorporates a specialty clinic for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with vitiligo, as well as a vitiligo research laboratory. He uses basic, translational, and clinical research approaches to better understand autoimmunity in vitiligo, with a particular focus on developing more effective treatments. 

Thank you all those who attended this year’s event; we hope you enjoyed your experience and gained some valuable insights! Special thank you to Dr. John Harris for joining us as our guest lecturer.

All attendees are encouraged to fill-out out our audience feedback form and let us know how we can improve for future events.

Roy Colven Celebration

This year’s Pommerening Lecture also included a celebration of Dr. Roy Colven for his exceptional leadership as Director of UW Dermatology’s Residency Program for the past 16 years. In this role, Dr. Colven has served as a teacher, clinician, advocate, and mentor, helping to ensure the success of young physicians in the Division. 

In honor of Dr. Colven’s contributions, UW Dermatology is excited to announce the establishment of the Colven Endowed Fund to Support Dermatology Residency Team Building and Training Enhancement. Donations to this fund will go on to enhance our residency training program by providing opportunities for individual career development, innovation, elective pursuit or research, or team building and group bonding.

Click here to make a donation to the Colven Fund — We welcome our alumni and colleagues to support this endowment. Thank you for supporting our residents during this critical period in their career.