Dr Tamara Griffiths Concludes Historic Term as BAD President
Dr Tamara Griffiths has just finished two and a half years as President of the British
Association of Dermatologists, the longest term in the organisation's 106-year history.
She's also the first woman of colour, and the first international medical graduate to hold
the role.
Her presidency wasn't just about a title. Over two and a half years, she pushed on issues that will shape UK skin health long after her term ends, increasing Dermatology’s voice across a number of sectors — impacting delivery of care, research priorities and educational standards. She shifted the dial for increased regulation of sun beds as part of her Skin Health and prevention agenda. She championed the safe and effective use of AI in dermatology to streamline access to care for patients. And in the world of information and misinformation, she helped clarify to the public the GMC-standard for consultant dermatologists and created a social media working party group to support accurate and unbiased dissemination of information.
Paving the Way
Being the first is never just a headline. It changes the future leadership landscape and sets a new standard for the next generation.
I didn't take this role to make history, but I know that being the first woman of colour and international medical graduate to lead BAD means something to the people coming up behind me, and I did not take that lightly.
— Dr Tamara Griffiths
Bridging Organisations for Change
Dermatologists have flagged the risks of commercial sunbed use for decades. Sunbeds are classified as carcinogenic to humans, and in the UK, it's estimated that around 140 melanoma deaths a year, roughly 6 per cent of all UK melanoma deaths, are associated with sunbed use. The risk is worse for anyone who starts young, even a single use before the age of 35 significantly increases the risk for melanoma.
Under Tamara's leadership, BAD took a unified public stance against commercial sunbed use, helping push government consultations toward tighter regulation, including the possibility of an outright ban, work that also feeds into the NHS's 10-Year Plan for preventative skin health in the community.
Every dermatologist has seen what commercial sunbed use does to skin. We don't need more evidence, we need the regulation to catch up. Tamara took a stance a lot of us have talked about privately for years and made it BAD's public position. That takes a different kind of courage.
— Dr Clare Kiely
Paving the Road for the Future of Dermatology
AI is already reshaping how skin conditions are diagnosed and treated. Tamara led work with NHS England on the responsible use of AI in clinical practice and launched the first-of-kind Skin and Responsible AI Consortium (SkinRAI), bringing all four UK nations together, creating a safe-space to test new AI technology and set standards for how it is used in dermatology.
AI has huge potential to improve efficiency and support the work of overstretched dermatology teams. My focus wasn't on slowing that down, it was to ensure patient safety and informed consent isn't an afterthought. SkinRAI (About — The SkinRAI Consortium) exists so that when AI is involved in a decision about someone's skin, there's a standard behind it, not just an algorithm.
— Dr Tamara Griffiths
Modernising BAD
Tamara also updated day-today systems within the BAD: electronic voting, governance aligned to modern Charity Commission standards, stronger communication and cohesiveness across the organisation's senior teams and membership. Outreach was also prioritised, with cross-sector multi-stakeholder collaboration, to improve patient care and promote skin health.
A standard we hold ourselves to
That's the same standard of leadership and scientific rigour behind everything we build at The Skin Diary.
