UConn School of Medicine’s Jane M. Grant-Kels, MD, FAAD, has been announced by The American Academy of Dermatology as its next president-elect. Grant-Kels will be installed as AAD president-elect in March 2027 and will then hold the office of president of the AAD for one year beginning in March 2028.

“I am very excited to be able to contribute to this great organization and represent our members,” says Grant-Kels of UConn. “I am gratified that I have been chosen by the membership for this role. As I have been a member of the board and previous VP of the association in the past, I am ready to work hard and accomplish what is needed by our membership and our patients from the get-go.”

Grant-Kels says winning the dermatologist-wide election is huge for both her personally and for UConn as The AAD is the largest U.S. professional dermatology organization with more than 90 percent of board-certified dermatologists being members.

“Huge kudos to our wonderful colleague for being elected to this tremendously important role in the field of dermatology,” shared Dr. Philip Kerr, UConn’s chair of dermatology. “Great job, Jane!  This is great for our Academy, as well as for UConn Dermatology and the School of Medicine!”

In addition to being a board-certified dermatologist at UConn Health, Grant-Kels is the vice chair of the Department of Dermatology, founder and co-director of the Cutaneous Oncology Center and Melanoma Program, a professor of dermatology, pathology, and pediatrics, and the associate dermatology residency program director at UConn School of Medicine. Grant-Kels is also an adjunct professor of dermatology at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida.

Grant-Kels was also the founding chair of the Department of Dermatology, founding director of the dermatopathology laboratory and founding director of the dermatology residency at UConn School of Medicine.

She earned her medical degree and completed both pediatrics and dermatology residencies at Cornell’s medical school, then completed a pathology fellowship at Bellevue Hospital Center and a dermatopathology fellowship at NYU’s hospital with A. Bernard Ackerman, all in New York City.

Grant-Kels has served on a variety of AAD councils and committees and the AAD’s Board of Directors, is the deputy editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, and a past vice president of the AAD.

The American Academy of Dermatology is the world’s largest dermatologic society, representing more than 21,500 physicians who specialize in the diagnosis and medical, surgical, and cosmetic treatment of skin, hair, and nail conditions.

Grant-Kels and other newly elected officers and board members, all of whom are board-certified dermatologists, will also hold the same position for the American Academy of Dermatology Association, a sister organization to the AAD that focuses on government affairs, health policy, and practice information.

Other 2026 election winners for the AAD include Alice B. Gottlieb, MD, PhD, FAAD, as next vice president-elect; and elected board of directors  Alexandra Flamm, MD, FAAD, Sandra Lee, MD, FAAD, Klint Peebles, MD, FAAD, and Lara Wine Lee, MD, PhD, FAAD, and also Angela Yen Moore, MD, FAAD, was elected to serve as the Nominating Committee Member Representative.

The American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is committed to advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical, and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair, and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care because skin, hair, and nail conditions can have a serious impact on your health and well-being.