Raising Awareness in DC and NY

Kate Frantz (left), Awareness Campaign Manager, with Marcy Syms (center) and Mindy Unger (right) at the Greater New York Dental Meeting. The Awareness Campaign is generously funded by the Sy Syms Foundation and the Unger family.

The IPPF Awareness Campaign seeks to reduce pemphigus and pemphigoid (P/P) diagnosis times by increasing symptom recognition among dental professionals. It’s important for the Awareness Campaign to connect with dental communities, and one effective way to do this is by exhibiting at major dental conferences.

Recently, the Awareness Campaign was an exhibitor at the American Dental Association’s (ADA) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC from 11/5-11/10 and the Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM) from 11/29-12/2. Campaign staff and volunteers connected with over 600 dental professionals at each meeting, handing out brochures and post cards specifically designed to help these dental professionals recognize P/P symptoms.

An important feature of the IPPF exhibitor booth was the “Meet a Patient” area, where conference attendees were encouraged to ask a volunteer with P/P about their diagnosis story. This kind of personal appeal goes a long way toward helping dental professionals remember to “Put It On Your Radar.”

Another result of attending these conferences is the opportunity to network with others in the dental community who can help spread the word about P/P. At GNYDM, Awareness Campaign Manager Kate Frantz was interviewed for an article in Dentistry Today. The article was published the day after the conference ended, and it featured both an overview of the Awareness Campaign and key information about P/P.

With the success of the ADA and GNYDM exhibitions, the Awareness Campaign will continue to pursue these valuable opportunities to educate dental communities about P/P in 2016. The next event is the Yankee Dental Congress in Boston, MA from 1/28-1/30.