Strengthening Your Alopecia Areata Management Muscles

Target Audience

This activity is intended for dermatologists, pediatric dermatologists, pediatricians, primary care providers, nurse practitioners, and physician associates who care for patients with alopecia areata.                                                                                                                   

Educational Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Discuss the epidemiology of alopecia areata (AA) in adolescents 

• Describe the pathophysiology of AA, including Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathways that are targets for emerging therapies

• Review clinical manifestations, including accompanying comorbidities, that can aid in the diagnosis of AA

• Incorporate validated strategies for assessing disease severity, with consideration of psychosocial factors that impact quality of life

• Implement recently approved systemic therapies for adolescents with AA into clinical practice

Program Description

Alopecia areata (AA) is a nonscarring form of hair loss that often begins in childhood. While hair regrowth may occur spontaneously, so can AA recurrence. AA can have a devastating effect on quality of life (QOL), resulting in depression, anxiety, stigma, bullying, and reduced school and work productivity. Adolescent patients are at particularly high risk for poor QOL. Grading hair loss severity and identifying psychological implications are critical to determining appropriate treatment. Recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of AA have led to new targeted therapies, one of which is approved for children as young as 12 years of age. Clinicians should be prepared to diagnose AA, initiate treatment via shared decision-making, and have ongoing discussions about the effect of AA on the patient’s QOL. Dr. Maryanne Senna presents, in an interactive format, information on AA pathophysiology, diagnosis and scales to score severity of hair loss, strategies for discussing QOL with adolescents, off-label therapies, and data on approved Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. This interactive format allows learners to move at their own pace and provides information through a combination of text, figures, and videos.

Disclosures

Integritas adheres to the policies and guidelines, including the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE, set forth to providers by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and all other professional organizations, as applicable, stating those activities where continuing education credits are awarded must be balanced, independent, objective, and scientifically rigorous. All persons in a position to control the content of an accredited continuing education program provided by Integritas are required to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible company within the past 24 months to Integritas.  All financial relationships reported are identified as relevant and mitigated by Integritas in accordance with the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE in advance of delivery of the activity to learners. The content of this activity was vetted by Integritas to assure objectivity and that the activity is free of commercial bias.  

All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated. 

Maryanne Makredes Senna, MD

• Consultant/Advisor/Speaker: AbbVie Inc., Eli Lilly & Co., Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Kintor Pharmaceutical Limited, Pfizer Inc.

• Researcher: LEO Pharma A/S

Physician Accreditation Statement

Integritas Communications is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Physician Credit Designation

Integritas designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ABIM Credit Statements

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

For ABIM MOC points, your information will be shared with the ABIM through Integritas' Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS). Please allow 6-8 weeks for your MOC points to appear on your ABIM records. 

By sharing your Diplomate Board ID # and DOB, you are giving Integritas Communications permission to use this information/data to report your participation to these Boards via the Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS).

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, Partners for Advancing Clinical Education (PACE) is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Nursing Continuing Professional Development

The maximum number of hours awarded for this Nursing Continuing Professional Development activity is 1.0 contact hours. 

Designated for 0.50 contact hours of pharmacotherapy credit for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. Pharmacotherapy contact hours for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses will be designated on your certificate.

PA Continuing Medical Education

PACE has been authorized by the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until May 17, 2025. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

Instructions to Receive Credit

In order to receive credit for this activity, the participant must:

1. Read the educational objectives, accreditation information, and faculty disclosures at the beginning of this activity.

2. Complete the Preactivity Questions.

3. Review the activity content.

4. Achieve a grade of at least 70% on the Postactivity Test Questions and complete the Evaluation.

Fee Information & Refund/Cancellation Policy

There is no fee for this educational activity.

Contact Information

For questions about the accreditation of this activity, please contact Integritas Communications at info@exchangecme.com or PACE at https://partnersed.com.