Program tracks
Advocacy caucus
Get the full Washington, D.C. experience by joining our advocacy caucus! Work with other advocates on Foundation advocacy initiatives and develop tools for becoming an effective advocate back home. A great warm-up to the Capitol Hill Day training on Monday!
Community Divisions:
Embracing the three Rs
Around the nation, Psoriasis Foundation constituents are working with locally-based Foundation staff to mobilize volunteer and financial support for the Foundation's mission and strategic objectives. Learn how to implement the three Rs in your community: Raise funds to support psoriatic disease research; Reach people through implementation of community advocacy and education programs; and Recruit and develop volunteers as partners in our overall mission.
Getting your point across
Raise awareness with the click of a mouse! Gain practical insight about how you can educate others about psoriatic disease through your local media and your personal social networks. Take home tips and tools for raising awareness and funds through social networking, guerilla marketing tactics and public relations.
Outreach: Engaging medical professionals
Engaging medical professionals in support of our mission is one of the most effective ways to expand the reach of the Psoriasis Foundation to people with psoriasis. Hear from a panel of volunteers and dermatology professionals about best practices in medical outreach and take away tips and tools to help you engage your dermatologist and other professionals in your community.
Psoriasis and research:
Understanding autoimmune diseases
Understanding the immune system is essential to understanding psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. This presentation will explain the basic biology of how the immune system works and what happens when it malfunctions. This presentation will also explain the Foundation's research priorities and how immunology, genetics and other research pathways will accelerate the discovery, development and delivery of new therapeutics and ultimately a cure.
Psoriasis One to One
Volunteer mentors are making a big impact on newly diagnosed psoriasis patients around the country by providing caring support and educational resources. This session will help our existing volunteer mentors hone their skills, share best practices, and develop strategies to engage program participants in support of the Foundation's mission.
Taking it home:
Getting involved in your community
Increasing awareness about psoriasis and raising funds that will help us find a cure is as easy as 1-2-3 and can be done anywhere! This workshop will give an overview of opportunities to raise awareness and funds in your community through exciting programs such as the Virtual Walk, Hill Day at Home, Kids Walk, Pin-Ups and more! You'll leave with the information, essential tools and resources you'll need to put psoriasis on the map in your city.
Walk to Cure Psoriasis
Walk to Cure Psoriasis is one of the most effective and efficient ways to reach people, raise awareness and generate dollars to support research for a cure. This session will provide you with tools and best practices to build a new walk or grow an existing walk in your community.
Pso Us: Youth for a cure
Youth will work together to design creative video stories that capture the excitement of being a young advocate and face of the psoriasis community. Teen mentors will help younger participants harness their ideas and put them on film as fun tools that will help engage and educate the next generation of advocates and ambassadors. Swim time and other fun activities will also be incorporated into our time together.
Other conference activities
Exhibit Hall
Vendors from around the country will display products ranging from traditional to complementary treatments. The exhibit hall will be open for a day and half where you can visit the informative exhibits and talk to the representatives who can answer questions about their treatments and services. This is a great opportunity to learn about available products and how they work, and to take home samples!
Health Fair
While visiting the Exhibit Hall, look for our special health and wellness guests and booths. These will allow you to meet with health and wellness professionals who will answer questions about treatment options, your general health and ways to stay healthy. The health fair will also include round-table sessions with dermatologists who will be available for question-and-answers. Health and wellness activities and evaluations will be available, along with much more!
Capitol Hill Day Training
This training will include tips for conducting a Capitol Hill meeting and a review of our issues, priorities and actions that we are asking of Congress. The session will also cover frequently asked questions and frequently encountered situations on Capitol Hill and will include time for "practice" before your meetings. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and get to know other volunteers from your region.
"I’m Just Like You" film premier
Nearly four years in the making, Fred Finkelstein has completed "I'm Just Like You," the first film to focus on the impact of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis on children. "I'm Just Like You" provides an in-depth look at the choices faced by families after they are hit with the news that their young child will live with a chronic, life-long disease. What can they expect? How will they and their child learn to accept and integrate this added burden into their daily lives? Listen to the voices of young people as they struggle to articulate their feelings on camera for the very first time, and join with their families in attempting to make sense out of this incurable, chronic condition that may alter the landscape of their lives forever.