Pioneers in Dermatology and Venereology: An interview with Professor Dan Lipsker

Year of birth: 1965 During my fifth year of medical school, I carefully considered different medical specialties. I wanted to become an internist with what I thought was a “real job”. Dermatology offered me that opportunity, and I have never regretted this choice. I was inspired by a few people: Berthold Hamman and Pierre Godeau, internists; Jean-Pierre Bergerat, an oncologist; Edouard Grosshans, Ernest Heid, Camille Francès and Bernard Ackerman, dermatologists and dermatopathologists. Carefully selected textbooks also became some of my greatest teachers. I have devoured medical and dermatological literature with the same passion one devours novels. From clinical practice, and in a certain way, from the patients I cared for. They transformed knowledge into experience. Among the five top publications I had the pleasure to write, I would include the following two entities that I nosologically delineated: Lipsker D, Rondeau M, Massard G, Grosshans E. The AESOP (adenopathy and extensive skin patch overlying a plasmacytoma) syndrome: report of 4 cases of a new syndrome revealing POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal protein, and skin changes) syndrome at a curable stage. Medicine (Baltimore). 2003 Jan;82(1):51–9. Kieffer C, Cribier B, Lipsker D. Neutrophilic urticarial dermatosis: a variant of neutrophilic urticaria strongly associated with systemic disease. Report of 9 new cases and review of the literature. Medicine (Baltimore). 2009 Jan;88(1):23–31. It is also worth mentioning three examples of nosologic concepts that I elaborated: Lipsker D, Saurat JH. Neutrophilic cutaneous lupus erythematosus. At the edge between innate and acquired immunity? Dermatology. 2008;216(4):283–6. Lipsker D. Monoclonal gammopathy of cutaneous significance: review of a relevant concept. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2017 Jan;31(1):45–52. Lipsker D. The need to revisit the nosology of cutaneous lupus erythematosus: the current terminology and morphologic classification of cutaneous LE: difficult, incomplete and not always applicable. Lupus. 2010 Aug;19(9):1047–9. Finally, I consider the book I wrote on how to become a good physician my most important contribution: “Comment devenir un bon médecin. Les clés de l’apprentissage et de l’exercice de la médecine ». Dan Lipsker, Masson Elsevier, Paris, 2023. No. I have definitely never sought any official administrative or honorific function. I spent the majority of my time on patient care, teaching and conducting clinical research. Providing care and support to a large number of patients and contributing to the education of many excellent dermatologists. Not being able to provide care for some patients with serious disorders. The funniest stories I’ve experienced in medicine are those that cannot be recounted in a journal. Of course, it is not possible to determine who the greatest dermatologists are, whether overall or among those still living. Many fortunate individuals have contributed to our discipline by pursuing and expanding upon the work of their predecessors. At the same time, I believe we must play the game, as requested by the editor, and not simply dodge the question. Even so, especially among living dermatologists, for 10 sympathies we risk attracting hundreds of antipathies. Therefore, I should specify that I will not name dermatologists with whom I have close connections or those with whom I have closely collaborated, as otherwise the list would be biased and far too long, even though I am absolutely convinced that some of them would deserve a place here. My major interest outside of Dermatology is history. I hesitate to choose among them, but for writers I would mention Isaac Bashevis Singer, Chaim Potok, and Herman Wouk; for composers George Gershwin; and for painters Edward Hopper. A very nice restaurant with a magnificent sea view in Bretagne, where I’m currently on vacation. What I enjoy most in my profession is that I continue to learn every day. A perfect day is one that brings a pleasant surprise. One of the greatest challenges for Dermatology in the next 10 years will be attracting young, motivated, and brilliant individuals who are willing to devote themselves to clinical dermatology in a teaching hospital. I expect significant progress in more targeted therapies for inflammatory dermatoses, the development of additional treatments for advanced skin cancers, and the integration of AI-assisted pathological reporting into routine practice. Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion (Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel). My advice to younger colleagues is to cultivate and sustain that passion throughout their career. *Note: The Pioneers in Dermatology and Venereology interview was conceived and conducted by Johannes Ring. None declared.