History of Latin American Dermatology

FERNANDO CÁRDENAS, JUAN CARLOS DIEZ DE MEDINACongress took place in that city in 1979, and it was presided by Drs. P. Sangüeza and O.Villagómez. The Congress was a great success, with the attendance of delegations fromacross the country and from abroad.Both the Third and the Fourth National Congresses took place in the city of La Paz, in1980 and 1981 respectively. In 1981, the National Congress coincided with the holdingof the Fifth Bolivarian Congress of Dermatology. Both events were held at the PlazaHotel; delegates from the Bolivarian countries as well as from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguayand the U.S. attended the Congress.After this Congress, the PUVA Therapeutic System was acquired; a place for the headquartersof the Society was rented, and some furniture was financed (desk, shelves, etc.);this place became host of the Ibero-Latin American Dermatology Association (CILAD) RegionalLibrary. The main catalysts for the purchase and operation of the aforementionedlibrary were Drs. Pastor Sangüeza and Jorge Abulafia. The Bolivian Dermatological Societywas in charge of its maintenance. These events were presided by Dr. P. Sangüeza.Since 1978, three anatomical and clinical sessions have taken place in Cochabamba;during these sessions, papers were presented and the Bylaws were reviewed and a finaltext adopted. There were also two Dermatology Update courses.In 1983, the last anatomical and clinical session took place in Cochabamba, with thepurpose of presenting a report and establishing the host city for the Fifth Congress, atwhich the Board of Directors was to be renewed.It must be recalled at this point that between 1981 and mid-1985, the country underwentsevere inflation, which hardly allowed for the undertaking of scientific activities,and consequently undermined the possibilities of carrying out congresses. In spite of this,the Santa Cruz delegation took on the big responsibility of organizing the Fifth BolivianCongress of Dermatology. The praiseworthy effort of the Santa Cruz colleagues made itpossible to carry out the scientific event as planned in October 1984. The Board of Directorswas thus once again renewed with the following members: President, Dr. LuisValda R.; Vice-President, Dr. Guido Monasterios; Secretary, Dr. Alfredo Zeballos; BoardMember, Dr. Raúl Lara.This young Board of Directors provided a boost of energy for the Society; it continuedwith previous pursuits, and in a short period of time had been prodigal in the executionof actions and undertakings: links with foreign countries are now broader and more intense,many courses are given, its members participate actively with the National andDepartmental Medical College, a seamless relationship is maintained with practically allthe dermatology colleagues from the provinces, and new, young professionals are permanentlybeing added. Weekly medical athenaeums with the presentation of case studiesare held very regularly at the Society’s headquarters, alternating with administrativeand updating sessions. Outreach to the community through the mass media has alsobeen promoted. As far as equipment is concerned, various goods were acquired, such asa typewriter, a projector and a post office box for the office of the Secretariat.Among the more outstanding events, we may mention the accomplishment of an effectiveregrouping of all the colleagues in the country, and the approval of the legal statusof the Society. This management, together with the Sucre Branch, was in charge oforganizing the Sixth Bolivian Congress of Dermatology.■ From 1986 to the to present the presentIn view of all the background that we have outlined here, we can assert that the Societyhas matured fully in less than 20 years of existence. The creation of the graduatestudies program marks this culmination.After two years of various administrative steps, the creation of the program was66