Keynote, Invited and Guest Speakers for 2026
The BAD Conference & Events Committee is extremely grateful to the contribution of the Keynote, Invited and Guest lecturers that attend the BAD Annual Meeting speaking in the Plenary and concurrent sessions. Some are familiar BAD Members, whilst others are from outside both the association and the specialty. All offer an invaluable educational benefit to our members and we are very thankful.
Details will appear here shortly on the Keynote and Invited Lecturers for the 2026 Annual Meeting.
Tuesday 30 June – Plenary Speakers
Stella brings over 30 years of NHS experience, with a career spanning clinical practice, strategic leadership, and system-wide transformation. As a consultant in vascular and general surgery at Croydon University Hospital since 2006, she has consistently driven service improvement and operational excellence.
In her national roles as Deputy National Medical Director for Secondary Care and Quality, and National Clinical Director for Elective Care at NHS England, Stella leads initiatives to improve patient safety, streamline elective care, and enhance clinical pathways through data-driven decision-making.
Most recently, Stella serves as Joint Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Southwest London ICB, shaping long-term clinical strategy and optimising service delivery. Stella also continues to champion the Croydon Elective Centre, ensuring continuity of planned care even during peak demand.
Across all her roles, Stella is recognised for her collaborative leadership and ability to deliver scalable, impactful improvements in healthcare quality and efficiency.
Giuseppe Argenziano is Full Professor and Head of the Dermatology Unit at the University of Campania, Naples, Italy; Editor-in-Chief of Dermatology Practical and Conceptual Journal; Co-founder and past president of the International Dermoscopy Society; Co-founder of the Italian Federation of Dermatological Societies; and past president of the Italian Society of Dermatology.
His main research field is dermato-oncology, being author of numerous scientific articles and books concerning dermoscopy, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. As coordinator of the Melanoma Unit at the Campania University, he has established a successful tertiary, multidisciplinary, referral center particularly devoted to the diagnosis and management of patients with skin cancer.
Over the past 30 years he has supervised over 500 foreign and Italian residents in Dermatology, established scientific collaborations with 1500+ colleagues from more than 50 Nations, and organized more than 500 national and international didactic meetings, courses and conferences.
Professor Argenziano has authored more than 950 full scientific articles and produced landmark primary publications and books in the field of skin cancer and dermoscopy. Over the past 30 years he has been invited as speaker and/or chairman in more than 1000 national and international conferences in the field of dermatology. His combined publications have received a sum total of 28.000+ citations with an h-index value of 81 (Scopus 2025).
Natalie Stone BA hons (Oxon) FRCP has been a Dermatology Consultant at Aneurin Bevan University Healthboard (ABUHB) in Newport, Wales since 2001. She was previously the ABUHB dermatology clinical director for over 10 years. Her specialist clinical interests are inflammatory dermatoses, allergic contact dermatitis and vulval dermatoses. She is President of the British Society for Cutaneous Allergy and chair of the Welsh Dermatology Clinical Implementation Network.
Wednesday 1 July – Plenary Speakers
Zoe Venables is a Consultant Dermatologist Clinical Associate Professor in Norwich and dermatology clinical lead at the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS). She studied medicine at Edinburgh University and completed her PhD in skin cancer epidemiology at Erasmus Medical Center in 2024. She chairs the BAD National Audit Committee and Chaired the BAD-NDRS partnership from 2020-2025. Research highlights include the first national report on basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) epidemiology in the UK, developing a risk prediction tool for cSCC metastasis and understanding variation in skin cancer service provision.
Chris Griffiths is Emeritus Professor of Dermatology, University of Manchester, Adjunct Professor, King’s College London and a Consultant Dermatologist, King’s College Hospital. He qualified in medicine from St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School and trained in dermatology in London and Michigan. In 1994, Chris was appointed to the Foundation Chair in Dermatology at the University of Manchester and established the Manchester Dermatopharmacology Unit and the Manchester Psoriasis Service. He has received many awards for his work including OBE “for services to dermatology” in the 2018 Queen’s New Year’s Honours.
Chris is a former President of the European Society for Dermatological Research, the European Dermatology Forum, the British Association of Dermatologists and the International Psoriasis Council, which he co-founded in 2004. He is Editor-in-Chief of Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology, author of 840 scientific papers and the 3rd most cited dermatologist in the world.
Chris has a career-long interest in all aspects of psoriasis and was part of the team that showed the disease is immune-mediated; his current research includes a drive to cure psoriasis using early intervention and cell-based therapeutics. He is active in global health initiatives which include Director of the Global Psoriasis Atlas and Co-founder of the Burma Skincare Initiative charity.
Ruth completed her undergraduate training at Edinburgh University along with her medical training and MRCP. She undertook her Dermatology training in Glasgow before undertaking the post CCT Medical Dermatology Fellowship at St John’s Institute of Dermatology in 2013.
Her interests include severe inflammatory skin disease and she continues to work as a Consultant in the Hidradenitis Suppurativa clinic at St John’s Institute of Dermatology weekly and leads the Biologics Service at St George’s Hospital in London. She is PI on several studies including HS commercial trials. She became President for the British Society of Medical Dermatology in January 2025.
Professor Carsten Flohr holds the Chair in Dermatology and Population Health Science at St John’s Institute of Dermatology, King’s College London. He is also Consultant Dermatologist and R&D Lead at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
He studied at Cambridge and Oxford, and trained in paediatrics and dermatology.
He was the first UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinician Scientist in Dermatology (2009–2014) and the first UK dermatologist awarded an NIHR Career Development Fellowship (2014–2019).
His research focuses on atopic dermatitis (AD), including early-life prevention, the microbiome, links to food allergies via transcutaneous sensitisation, and treatments for severe AD.
He co-led the landmark EAT trial and was Chief Investigator of the TREAT trial. He leads the UK-Irish A-STAR registry and coordinates an EU-funded project on food allergy development through the skin. He also directs the Global Atopic Dermatitis Atlas (GADA).
Prof Flohr is a Founding Director of the International Eczema Council, Past President of the British Society of Paediatric Dermatology, and an Honorary Member of the French Society of Dermatology.
He has published in NEJM, The Lancet, and Nature, and is Section Editor of the British Journal of Dermatology.
Thursday 2 July – Plenary Speakers
Prof Ncoza Dlova, is the Head of Dermatology, Full Professor and the immediate past Dean of the School of Clinical Medicine (SCM), UKZN, Durban,South Africa.
She has many accolades and leadership awards behind her name and is the first African Medical School Dean in the 73yrs of the school.
She is a well published dermatologist with an interest in Ethnic skin and Hair , Global Health , and Medical Education. She has more than 135 scientific publications, and is a “B” National Research Foundation( NRF) rated researcher, which speaks to her impactful research which is recognised both locally and internationally.
She is a member of numerous international dermatology boards and societies and has numerous awards to her name. She has been invited as guest speaker in numerous countries, and is a member of the prestigious American Dermatology Association (ADA) and Recipient of the Maria Duran award from the International Society of Dermatology (ISD). She is the board member of the International League of Dermatology Society (ILDS) and represents Africa as the first fully elected African representative in the 89yrs since it was established .In 2022 she received the excellence award for bridging relationships between the university and society. In 2023 she received the Living Legends award for her Extraordinary contribution to UKZN and devotion to humanity
Recently in 2024 she has been awarded:
- Gold Award by the South African Medical Research Council(SAMRC ) for her excellent contribution to research in SA.
- “Fellowship in arts and sciences award “from the South African medical association(SAMA) for her sterling contribution to health and research in SA.
- Award as innovator and leader in SCM Dec 2024,
- KZN MCC Momentum Life Time Achievement 2025
Hywel trained in dermatology and epidemiology in King’s College and St John’s Dermatology Centre in London. There, he developed diagnostic criteria for eczema that are now the most widely used in the world. Hywel joined the University of Nottingham in 1994 where he also worked as a consultant paediatric dermatologist until 2023, specialising in eczema. He started the Cochrane Skin Group in 1996, the UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network in 2002, and the Harmonising Outcome Measure for Eczema (HOME) in 2008. He now co-directs the Centre of Evidence-Based Dermatology with Prof Kim Thomas. He is the second most cited clinical dermatologist globally on Google Scholar with over 188,000 citations and over 650 peer-reviewed publications. Outside of dermatology, Hywel directed the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme from 2016 to 2020 and was senior advisor to the Department of Health for COVID-19 research oversight from 2020-2021. Hywel has had atopic eczema all his life and cares passionately about research that is relevant to patients, and is a champion of patient and public involvement in research. Hywel is a proud holder of the Sir Archibald Gray medal, an NIHR senior investigator emeritus and fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He received awarded an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours in 2021 for his services to higher education and medical research.
Professor Hiva Fassihi is Head of the Photodermatology Unit and the National Xeroderma Pigmentosum Service at St John’s Institute of Dermatology, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
As Honorary Professor of Photodermatology at King’s College London, she has published widely on different aspects of photodermatology, DNA repair disorders and photoprotection.
Nationally, she has been the Chair of the British Photodermatology Group driving national guidelines for the management of photodermatology patients. She has also been involved in the 2025 All-Party Parliamentary Group for Beauty and Wellbeing’s inquiry into UV safety.
She has achieved an array of awards including the BMJ Dermatology Team of the Year Award.
Thomas Rustemeyer is professor of dermato-allergology and occupational dermatology at the Department of Dermatology-Allergology at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (AUMC), The Netherlands. He is the supervisor of fundamental and translational immunological research. He started his clinical training under supervision of Peter Frosch in Dortmund, Germany, and then moved to Amsterdam for education in fundamental immunology. After gaining his PhD he restarted his dermatological training at AUMC. He joined the department of Derk Bruynzeel and was further trained in dermato-allergology and occupational dermatology. Rustemeyer then later become responsible for this department. He has been active in supervising patient’s care and research addressing fundamental immunological as well translational research topics. He is involved in patients’ care and research related to dental materials and oral cavity problems. He is [co-)author of over 300 publications and editor of different textbooks, and is a member and/or chairperson of various national and international societies active in dermato-allergology, immunology and occupational health, including governmental and regulatory affairs.
Tuesday 30 June – Special Interest Group Speakers
Prof Thomas Rustemeyer
Prosser-White Oration
Thomas Rustemeyer is professor of dermato-allergology and occupational dermatology at the Department of Dermatology-Allergology at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (AUMC), The Netherlands. He is the supervisor of fundamental and translational immunological research. He started his clinical training under supervision of Peter Frosch in Dortmund, Germany, and then moved to Amsterdam for education in fundamental immunology. After gaining his PhD he restarted his dermatological training at AUMC. He joined the department of Derk Bruynzeel and was further trained in dermato-allergology and occupational dermatology. Rustemeyer then later become responsible for this department. He has been active in supervising patient’s care and research addressing fundamental immunological as well translational research topics. He is involved in patients’ care and research related to dental materials and oral cavity problems. He is [co-)author of over 300 publications and editor of different textbooks, and is a member and/or chairperson of various national and international societies active in dermato-allergology, immunology and occupational health, including governmental and regulatory affairs.
Wednesday 1 July – Special Interest Group Speakers
Thursday 2 July – Special Interest Group Speakers
