Skin of Color Savvy: How SOCS Serves Builds Dermatology Pathways and Community Trust

In a new ‘Savvy Stories’ episode of the Skin of Color Savvy podcast, Nada Elbuluk, MD, and Temitayo A. Ogunleye, MD, introduced SOCS Serves, a volunteer program giving Skin of Color Society (SOCS) members ready-made resources for community service.

Elbuluk is a professor of dermatology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and immediate past president of SOCS. Ogunleye is a board-certified dermatologist and professor of clinical dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Both co-chair the initiative.

Both describe service as a core part of medicine rather than a separate pursuit. Ogunleye noted it can ease burnout and reconnect clinicians with purpose, while Elbuluk tied it to health equity work. Ogunleye encouraged colleagues to find a way to serve. Elbuluk cited Margaret Mead's view that small groups of committed people drive change. Sign-up is live now on the Skin of Color Society website.