SOCS leaders explain SOCS Serves, a toolkit-based program connecting dermatology volunteers with students and underserved communities.
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
Elbuluk was asked what inspired the program. She pointed to the community engagement programs she built in New York City and Los Angeles, and to a desire for a model any member could adopt without starting from scratch. Proposed during her presidency, SOCS Serves now has 2 arms: SOCS Serves the Pathway, offering age-appropriate exposure to medicine and dermatology for learners from kindergarten through medical school, and SOCS Serves the Community, which brings dermatology education to groups who rarely see a dermatologist.
Ogunleye described 2 connected gaps. The first is limited access to trustworthy dermatologic information relevant to a person's skin tone and skin type. The second is a pipeline gap, in which young people from groups historically underrepresented in medicine may never meet a dermatologist or consider the specialty as a career. Elbuluk added the program aims to reach urban, rural, and eventually international communities.
Any SOCS member may volunteer, although medical students must join a dermatology resident, fellow, or attending, an arrangement the speakers said also supports mentorship. Volunteers submit a short online form listing the event, date, and location. The program team then sends a toolkit by email and physical mail.
Kits include slide decks, handouts, resource lists, and, when appropriate, demonstration materials and giveaways. Ogunleye was asked how resources fit different audiences and credited committee members for building age-specific Pathway materials for elementary school through residency applicants. Community decks cover dry skin, eczema, hair care, skin care, skin cancer, and sun protection, with some already available in Spanish. Elbuluk described a growing library of topics and languages, with international expansion planned.
Both were asked about the rewards of volunteering. Ogunleye said meeting people outside the clinic, away from documentation demands and visit time limits, reveals patient priorities, barriers, and stories while building trust that can improve later care. Elbuluk noted events reach people who never make it to an office, sometimes for a first encounter with a dermatologist, and reach far larger audiences than individual visits.
Both framed service as a core part of medicine rather than a separate pursuit. Ogunleye said it can ease burnout and reconnect clinicians with purpose, while Elbuluk tied it to health equity work. For closing advice, 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
Editor's note: This summary was edited with the help of AI tools. In this episode, Elbuluk described L'Oréal as the exclusive, champion-level sponsor of SOCS Serves.
