Joint Welcome Message

Presidents' Welcome Messages

A Message from the Presidents

Dr. Saad AlSogair & Dr. Martin Kassir

Dr. Martin Kassir

President, International Society of Dermatology

Dr. Saad AlSogair

President, 17th SSDDS Conference

Dear Colleagues and Friends

It is with immense pride and genuine excitement that we welcome you to the 17th SSDDS Conference and 8th CCD Congress – a landmark event that brings together, for the very first time, two distinguished international dermatology platforms under one roof, in one extraordinary city.

Riyadh has long been a centre of excellence for clinical dermatology in the Arabian Peninsula. The SSDDS Conference, now in its 17th edition, has over nearly two decades established itself as the most respected dermatology congress in the region; a meeting known for scientific rigour, clinical relevance, and an unwavering commitment to the professional development of our community.

The Congress of Clinical Dermatology, hosted by the International Society of Dermatology, carries its own proud legacy; a global platform that has, across eight editions, brought together dermatologists from every corner of the world to exchange knowledge, challenge convention, and advance the science of skin.

That these two great meetings now come together in Riyadh in November 2026 is not coincidence. It is the natural culmination of a shared belief, held by both societies and both of us personally, that dermatology is stronger when it is connected. Connected across geographies, across specialties, and across the full arc of a clinician’s career from trainee to global thought leader.

What awaits you in Riyadh is a scientific program of exceptional depth and breadth: six curated tracks spanning the full spectrum of dermatology and dermatologic surgery; a faculty of more than 60 internationally recognised speakers drawn from both the SSDDS and ISD networks; hands-on workshops designed to build practical skills; and a research platform worthy of the abstract you have been waiting to share.

But the congress is more than its program. It is the conversation over coffee between two clinicians who have never met but share a patient population. It is the collaboration born from a shared poster session. It is the idea that changes a practice, sparked by a session you almost didn’t attend. These are the moments that make a congress matter; and we have designed this one to create as many of them as possible.

We look forward to welcoming you to Riyadh with the warmth, hospitality, and scientific ambition that has always defined this community.

With warm regards and great anticipation,

A Personal Note from

DR. SAAD ALSOGAIR

President, 17th SSDDS Conference

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Seventeen editions. Nearly two decades. And yet, as I reflect on the journey of the SSDDS Conference, what strikes me most is not how much has changed, but how constant our purpose has remained.

From the very first edition, this congress was built on a simple conviction: that Saudi dermatologists deserve a world-class platform, grounded in the realities of our practice, connected to the advances of global medicine, and accessible to every member of our professional community from the most senior consultant to the most junior trainee.

The 17th edition honours that conviction, and raises the ambition significantly. By joining forces with the International Society of Dermatology and the 8th CCD Congress, we are not simply adding names to a programme. We are opening a door between the Saudi and international dermatology communities that I believe will remain open long after November 2026.

I am proud of what the SSDDS community has built over these seventeen years. I am more proud of what we are about to build together in Riyadh. I hope to see you there.

 

Dr. Saad AlSogair

President, 17th SSDDS Conference

A Personal Note from

DR. MARTIN KASSIR

President, International Society of Dermatology

Dr. Martin Kassir

President, International Society of Dermatology

Dear Colleagues,

The International Society of Dermatology was founded on a principle as simple as it is powerful: that the exchange of knowledge across international borders makes every dermatologist, and every patient, better off.

In eight editions of the Congress of Clinical Dermatology, the ISD has taken this principle to six continents, gathering clinicians from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific to share the science that unites our field while celebrating the clinical realities that make each region unique.

It is with this spirit of openness and intellectual generosity that I welcome the 8th CCD to Riyadh, and to its historic partnership with the 17th SSDDS Conference. Saudi Arabia is home to some of the world’s finest dermatologists, and Riyadh is a city whose ambition, energy, and capacity for hospitality make it a natural home for a congress of this scale.

I am excited by what our two communities will learn from one another. I am confident that the science we share in November 2026 will echo in clinics, research labs, and consulting rooms long after the congress closes.

I look forward to meeting you in Riyadh.