Past WCDs
There have been 25 WCDs since the first congress was held in Paris in 1889. The last congress was held in July 2023 and hosted by the Dermatological Society of Singapore in Singapore.
2023 Singapore
WCD 2027
The 26th World Congress of Dermatology will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2027
WCD2027 websiteThe 2023 WCD was organised by Dermatological Society of Singapore (DSS) and led by Roy Chan (WCD President) and Yen Lim Loo (WCD Secretary-General), in collaboration with the ILDS.
Over 12,000 delegates attended the Congress, showing that in-person meetings are still important in a digital world.
The ILDS Ordinary General Meeting of the Assembly of Delegates was held during the congress. Members gathered to elect Board Directors and choose the location of the WCD 2027. It was a tough competition between Guadalajara and Munich. Ultimately Guadalajara was chosen as host and the 26th WCD will take place in 2027.
WCD 2023 Ambassadors
Eminent and influential dermatologists and experts from around the world were appointed as WCD 2023 Ambassadors. They were part of the WCD 2023 team and supported various promotional events and activities held in the run-up to the 25th WCD in July 2023. Find out more about the ambassadors here.
2023 Singapore
Roy Chan, President
Yen Loo Lim, Secretary-General
2019 Milan
The 2019 Congress was organised by SIDeMaST and led by Giovanni Pellacani (WCD President) and Ketty Peris (WCD Secretary-General), in collaboration with the ILDS. It was a fitting celebration of the event's 130-year history and a true reflection of the global reach of the ILDS.
Over 16,000 delegates from more than 140 countries attended the Congress, showing that in-person meetings are still important in a digital world. More than 5,000 of these delegates were from our 195 ILDS Member organisations.
The ILDS Assembly of Delegates General Meeting was held during the congress. Members gathered to elect Board Directors and choose the location of the WCD 2023. It was a tough competition between Beijing, Dubai, Guadalajara, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore and Sydney. Ultimately Singapore was chosen as host and the 25th WCD will take place from 3 to 8 July 2023.Highlights
- Programme covered 45 topic areas across 250 sessions
- 5,777 abstracts were presented
- Two thirds of accepted abstracts were from:
- Asia Pacific
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- South Asia, the Middle East and Africa
- 1,132 scholarships awarded (593 to participants from lower-income countries)
- 18 major corporate sponsors
- 166 exhibitors covering the full spectrum of dermatology
- Vibrant Patient and Dermatology Community Village brought together patient groups, societies, publishers and NGOs.
- 42 ILDS Sister Society meetings
2015 Vancouver
Jerry Shapiro, President
Harvey Lui, Secretary-General
2011 Seoul
Hee Chul Eun, President
Soo Chan Kim, Secretary-General
2007 Buenos Aires
Ricardo Galimberti, President
Adrian Martin Pierini, Secretary-General
2002 Paris
Jean Revuz, President
Jean-Paul Ortonne, Secretary-General
1997 Sydney
Robin Marks, President
Alan Cooper, Secretary-General
1992 New York
John G Strauss, President
Steve I. Katz, Secretary-General
1987 Berlin
G. Stüttgen, President
Constantin E. Orfanos, Secretary-General
1982 Tokyo
A. Kukita, President
M. Seiji, Secretary-General
1977 Mexico City
A. Gonzalez-Ochoa, President
L. Dominquez-Soto, Secretary-General
1972 Padau-Venice
F. Flarer, President
F. Serri, Secretary-General
1967 Munich
W. Jadassohn, President
C.G. Schirren, Secretary-General
1962 Washington DC
Donald M. Pillsbury, President
Clarence S. Livingood, Secretary-General
1957 Stockholm
S. Hellerström, President
G.H. Floden, Secretary-General
1952 London
A. Gray, President
G.B. Mitchell-Heggs, Secretary-General
1935 Budapest
L. Nekam, President
S. Rothman, Secretary-General
1930 Copenhagen
C. Rasch, President
S. Lomholt, Secretary-General
1911 Rome
T. de Amicis, President
G. Ciarrocchi, Secretary-General
1907 New York
J.C. White, President
J. Fordyce, Secretary-General
1904 Berlin
E. Lesser, President
O. Rosenthal, Secretary-General
1900 Paris
E. Besnier, President
G. Thiebierge, Secretary-General
1896 London
J. Hutchinson, President
J.J. Pringle, Secretary-General
1892 Vienna
M. Kaposi, President
G. Riehl, Sr., Secretary-General
1889 Paris
A. Hardy, President
H. Feulard, Secretary-General