professionalism and official account integrity

1. Memories of Dermatology

The photo is from 2001, in a clinic room located at the town hall, where I used to treat patients as a dermatologist. It was taken with my first digital camera, which I bought when I started practicing dermatology. It was quite expensive then and I needed to use my private budget, but I thought it was necessary for examining cases and improving my skills.

This clinic was located in a suburb, and I visited every two weeks from the hospital where I worked in the city. My usual practice was very busy, with many on-call duties and frequent emergency calls.

Despite this, I managed to squeeze in time for clinical studies. I would study at night in the dermatology room of the hospital, comparing old patient records and histopathology slides, often staying until morning.

2. The 100th Annual Meeting in 2001

In 2001, I attended the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Dermatological Association (JDA) for the first time. It was the 100th commemorative annual meeting, held at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo. It was a long way to travel by train to attend.

At that time, I was intent on practicing dermatology, and attending the conference was enjoyable as I could learn various new things. I presented a case report on an intriguing fungal infection by Alternaria Alternata in the meeting, which was my first conference oral presentation.

The case I presented then led me to pursue a PhD in immunology starting the following year, which brings me to where I am today.

3. The Minami Award – the 107th Annual Meeting in 2008

After completing my PhD in an immunology lab in Kyoto University, I continued basic research in the same laboratory for a while. In 2008, I received the Minami Award at the Dermatology Conference and attended the meeting.

I remember Professor Masayuki Amagai from Keio University, who is currently the head of the JDA, approaching me at the conference venue and encouraging me with these words: “Please continue your research in dermatology.”

Indeed, I am still conducting research using experimental models of malignant melanoma and allergic dermatitis, which means some aspects of my work remain within the realm of dermatological science.

4. Social Media Use, Group Loyalty, and Professionalism in Japan

An Official Twitter Account for the 123th Annual Meeting in 2023

Recently, on Twitter, I raised issues with the management of the official account of the Japanese Dermatology Association (JDA)’s Annual Meeting 2024.

Here is a summary of my initial tweets for the JDA official account:

“Japanese Dermatology Association Annual Meeting Account @jdakyoto: As a dermatology researcher in Japan, I’m concerned by the unprofessional trends in this account’s tweets. @jdakyoto seems focused on ‘nakama-ishiki’ (group loyalty). Shouldn’t an official account prioritize professional discourse? Effective social media use is about enhancing the conference’s professionalism, not cozying up. The @jdakyoto team needs to rethink its approach to uphold the conference’s integrity.”

Aggravation

However, the subsequent actions have only deepened my disappointment due to increasingly deviant behaviors and further personalization of the account. Considering that the official account is operated by the Dermatology Department of Kyoto University, which is responsible for managing the 2024 annual meeting, I am compelled to question whether the conference itself is being managed in a similar manner.

Thus, I have once again asked the official account to reconsider.

Below is a summary of the main issues concerning the operation of the official Twitter account:

1. A lack of consideration about how their actions appear publicly. The tweets to date have been sufficient to erode trust not only in the conference but in dermatologists in general from the public, such as patients.

2. The official account, bearing the JDA’s logo and name, has been utilized for non-official purposes. These include promoting book sales by an individual from Kyoto University, which is responsible for the Annual Meeting 2024 and the official Twitter account, and introducing products sold by a dermatologist who apparently has a cozy relationship with the account.

3. The official account was masquerading as a ‘funny event account’ or ‘Yuru-chara mascot’, ostensibly to justify its inappropriate content and stance. However, socially inappropriate actions cannot be justified under such pretenses.

Thus, these issues are related to management and governance, and the responsibility lies with the president of the Annual Meeting, Professor Kenji Kabashima of Kyoto University, and his management team.

I believe that most members of the Dermatology Association will attend the conference, temporarily pausing their practices, just as I did 23 years ago. Many may need to do so to renew their specialist qualifications. I am confident that many members engage earnestly in the academic pursuit of dermatology. I hope the conference management team does not disappoint these dedicated professionals.

Note: This blog article was translated from a Japanese blog post originally published on May 18, 2024. Subsequently, some of the inappropriate posts were deleted by the official account @jdakyoto.