Program · December 11–13, 2026 · Fairmont Dallas | Dallas, TX

Program Agenda

Practice Ready Dermatology brings residents, fellows, and early-career dermatologists together for a weekend on the business of practice.

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND

Choose a day to explore the program

Browse sessions, advisory boards, and practical education by day.

3 DAYS

DALLAS, TX

PRACTICAL EDUCATION

December 11–13, 2026

ADVISORY BOARDS

10:00 – 11:30 AM

Resident Advisory Boards — Round One

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

12:00 – 1:30 PM

Resident Advisory Boards — Round Two

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

2:00 – 3:30 PM

Resident Advisory Boards — Round Three (Optional)

Open to residents interested in networking with industry; encouraged for early-career dermatologists who have not yet engaged with industry.

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

1:00 – 4:00 PM

Practice Builder Lounge Open

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

PROGRAM KICKOFF

4:00 – 4:10 PM

Opening Remarks

Nader Aboul-Fettouh, MD, Harrison Nguyen, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

4:10 – 4:35 PM

Keynote: Why Independent Practice Still Makes Sense in 2026

Nader Aboul-Fettouh, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

FOUNDER FIRESIDE + LIVE CASE DECONSTRUCTION

4:35 – 4:45 PM

Founder Fireside

Speaker: TBD Origin story; key moments before a major decision; stops at the fork in the road.

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

4:45 – 5:05 PM

Live Case Deconstruction — Decision Points with Audience

Speaker: TBD One real case; 2–3 decision points; audience votes live, then founders reveal what they chose, what they missed, and what it cost.

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

5:05 – 5:15 PM

Takeaways + Q&A

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

5:15 – 5:30 PM

Panel: Your First 12 Months — Preparing for What's Ahead

Harrison Nguyen, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

CLINICAL EDUCATION

5:30 – 5:45 PM

How We Actually Choose Therapies: Real-World Decision Algorithms & Using AI to Improve Patient Access

Johnny Zhao, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

EVENING

6:00 – 7:00 PM

Welcome Reception with Sponsors & Exhibitors

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

MORNING

7:00 – 8:00 AM

Product Theaters — Breakfast

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

8:10 – 8:20 AM

Welcome + Today's Outcomes

Nader Aboul-Fettouh, MD, Harrison Nguyen, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

PRACTICE SET-UP FUNDAMENTALS

8:20 – 9:30 AM

Opening a Private Practice End-to-End: Real Timeline + Checklist

Nader Aboul-Fettouh, MD, Harrison Nguyen, MD, Johnny Zhao, MD.

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

9:10 – 9:55 AM

Practice Essentials — Rapid-Fire Sessions (15 min each)

Session 1: Kimberly Shao, MD- Billing, RCM & Credentialing Session 2: Johnny Zhao, MD- Space Planning, Build-Out & Equipment Session 3: Nader Aboul-Fettouh, MD- EHR, PM, Phones & Patient Communications

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

9:55 – 10:15 AM

Break + Lounge 1:1 Meetings

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

10:15 – 11:30 AM

Concurrent Breakouts — Practice Model Deep Dives

Track A: Whitney Hovenic, MD: Opening a Cosmetic-Forward Practice Track B: Kimberly Shao, MD: Opening a Medical/ Dermatology Practice Track C: Opening a Mohs/Derm Medical Practice

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

11:30 – 11:45 AM

Buy & Bill — How It Works, What Can Go Wrong, and How to Do It Right

Omar Noor, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

11:45AM – 12:00PM

Pearls, Pubs, and Paradigm Shifts in Medical Dermatology

Sam Awan, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

MIDDAY

12:00 – 1:00 PM

Product Theater — Lunch

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

PEOPLE + MONEY + LEGAL

1:00 – 1:25 PM

Hiring & HR: Who to Hire First, Compensation Benchmarks + Building Culture

Diane Nguyen, Nader Aboul-Fettouh, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

1:25 – 1:50 PM

Point/Counterpoint: Private Practice vs. PE vs. Employment What I'd Choose If I Graduated Today

Kimberly Shao, MD, Stan Tolkachjov, MD, Kristel Polder, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

CLINICAL EDUCATION (CONTINUED)

1:50 – 2:10 PM

When the Data Isn't There Yet: Off-Label Decision-Making in Inflammatory Derm

Carsten Hamann, MD, PhD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

2:10 – 2:30 PM

Rare Disease, Real Patients: Recognizing the Zebras in Community Practice

Stan Tolkachjov, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

2:30 – 2:45 PM

Break + Lounge 1:1 Meetings

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

INDUSTRY FLUENCY

2:45 – 3:25 PM

How to Thoughtfully Engage with Industry — Ethically & Strategically

Neal Bhatia, MD. How relationships start, what's appropriate, how to build credibility, and how to avoid missteps.

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

3:25 – 4:15 PM

Panel: Who's Who in Industry — Rep vs. MSL vs. FRM vs. TLL

Harrison Nguyen (Moderator), Mason Meyer, PharmD, Sheetal Sahel.

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

CLINICAL / THERAPEUTICS

4:15 – 4:30 PM

Pipeline in Medical Dermatology — What's Coming and What to Watch

Neal Bhatia, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

4:30 – 4:45 PM

Modern Management of NMSC & Building a Multidisciplinary Care Team

Speaker TBD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

4:45 pm - 5:15 PM

Practical Clinic Ops: Access & Adoption — Sequencing, Prior Authorizations & Real-World Workflow

Carsten Hamann, MD, PhD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

EVENING

6:30 – 8:00 PM

Practice Ready Peer Dinners (Proposed)

Hosted topic tables: Contracts, Cosmetics, EHR, Buy & Bill, First Hire, and more.

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

MORNING

8:00 – 9:00 AM

Product Theaters — Breakfast

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

CLINICAL MODERN MANAGEMENT

9:00 – 9:20 AM

Modern Management of Hidradenitis Suppurativa

So Yeon Paek, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

9:20 – 9:40 AM

Modern Management of Psoriasis

Sam Awan, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

9:40 – 10:00 AM

Modern Management of Atopic Dermatitis

Leon Kircik, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Break + Lounge 1:1 Meetings

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

ADVANCED PRACTICE GROWTH

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Panel: Investigator-Initiated Trials (IIT) + Starting a Clinical Trial Center

Leon Kircik, MD, So Yeon Paek, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

11:00 – 11:15 AM

Personal Finance for Dermatologists

Adel Haque, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

CAREER + LEGAL CLOSE

11:15 – 11:50 AM

Contract Negotiations: Navigating Job Contracts + Red Flags to Watch For

Clay Cockerell, MD, MBA, JD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City

11:50AM – 12:15PM

Closing Q&A with Practice Owners + My Next 90 Days Action Plan

Nader Aboul-Fettouh, MD, Harrison Nguyen, MD

Street, Block 12 Sector 4, Ipsum City