About

The Annual Conference of the Society is the largest conference on laser and energy-based technologies for medicine held in the United States. The ASLMS Annual Conference provides a forum at which a multidisciplinary array of scientists, clinicians, residents, students, health care professionals, and industry representatives can learn, share, investigate, and create ideas; the outcomes of which are clinical applications that can and have changed the world of patient care.

• Hundreds of scientific abstracts are presented annually, and symposia in each specialty, as well as common areas of interest, are included in the sessions to acquaint attendees with the latest developments and state-of-the-art clinical use of lasers and other energy-based devices.
• Throughout the conference, guest speakers, including industry luminaries and award recipients, provide additional perspectives.
• Specialty sessions, which deal in detail with specific areas of laser and other energy-based applications, comprise the other major part of the program. Attendees are free to attend the specialty breakout sessions and individual lectures of their choice, to develop individualized programs suiting their particular needs and interests. Prior to the conference, a variety of courses, from novice to intermediate to expert, provide further educational opportunities.

Meet the President and 2019 Conference Co-Chairs

Eric Bernstein, MD, MSE

Dr. Eric Bernstein received his B.S. from Duke University, summa cum laude with distinction in his major, and his M.D. from the Yale University School of Medicine, where he served as banner bearer and class president, and an M.S.E. in management of technology from the Engineering School at University of Pennsylvania, co-administered by the Wharton School. Following fellowships with the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health and Hahnemann University, he joined Jefferson Medical College, where he directed a research photobiology laboratory and served as the first director of the Laser Surgery Center. Dr. Bernstein holds 14 U.S. and numerous international patents, has authored over 100 scientific publications and has given more than 300 presentations worldwide. 

Dr. Bernstein’s research on, and invention of, a molecular model of skin photoaging led to the founding of DakDak Photoaging Technologies, which performed in vitro phototoxicology testing for large pharmaceutical companies and pursued discovery of novel antioxidant compounds. DakDak was sold to Charles River Laboratories, a public company and leader in pharmaceutical testing models.  Dr. Bernstein heads and is on the advisory board of a number of medical technology companies. He is currently clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and teaches about entrepreneurship and medical devices at Penn.

Henry Chan, MD, PhD, FRCP

Dr. Henry Chan is a private dermatologist.  He is also currently the Honorary Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong and the research staff of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. He was the President of the Hong Kong College of Dermatologists (2009 - 2013) and the Honorary Secretary of the Asian Dermatological Association (1999 - 2011).  He was also the Chairman of the Hong Kong Society of Dermatology and Venereology (2003 - 2005 & 2007 - 2009).

Dr. Chan has headed the academic division of both The University of Hong Kong (Associate Professor 2000 - 2004) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Associate Professor 1998 - 2000) and since 1997, he has been the Honorary Consultant Dermatologist of Hong Kong Hospital Authority.  He was a visiting faculty at Harvard Medical School (Visiting Associate Professor 2008 - 2010, Visiting Scientist 2010 - 2013).

Dr. Chan has published or accepted to be published over 300 articles including 1 book, 34 book chapters and 135 peers review international indexed publications. He is an Associate Editor of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, and serves on the editorial board of several other international journals including the Dermatologic Surgery; Lasers in Medical Science, Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy and Skinmed for Clinician.

Dr. Chan was voted and elected to membership in the American Dermatological Association as an International Honorary Member in March 2016.  He is the only non-American to be awarded the Ellet H. Drake Memorial Award by the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) for his contribution to laser surgery in 2010 and is actively involved with the Society, being the only Asian that has been session chairman for 5 ASLMS annual meetings. He was the recipient of ASLMS Presidential Citation in 2016 and 2002.  In 2012, Dr. Chan became one of the few non-Americans to be elected as a member of the Board of Directors of ASLMS (2012-2015).  He was also an elected board member of DASIL (2011-2014) and Honorary President of DASIL Annual Congress 2017. In 2014, he received the president citation from the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery.

Dieter Manstein, MD, PhD

Dieter Manstein, MD, PhD graduated from the University of Münster, Germany. He completed a research fellowship at the Wellman Center of Photomedicine and a special clinical dermatology-training track at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is currently Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School and heads his research laboratory at the Cutaneous Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. His research is focused on innovative use of energy-based devices, mainly within the area of dermatology. Many of the major current device treatments in dermatology are the direct result of his inventions and research. Notable examples are fractional photothermolysis and non-invasive fat removal by cold (selective cryolipolysis). He also contributed significantly to advances in the area of hair removal and laser-tissue interaction. Dr. Manstein received multiple honors and awards, including the Horace Furumoto Innovator Award and the Ellet H. Drake Award from the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.

Girish Munavalli, MD

A native of North Carolina, Dr. Gilly Munavalli is the medical director and founder of Dermatology, Laser & Vein Specialists of the Carolinas in Charlotte, NC. He also currently serves as Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Wake Forest University Department of Dermatology and Clinical Assistant Professor in Department of Medicine at UNC School of Medicine, Carolinas Medical Center. Dr. Munavalli received his Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Masters of Health Science from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, and Internship training at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Munavalli trained in Dermatology at Emory University and later completed his Dermatologic surgery fellowship in Mohs Micrographic Surgery & Cutaneous Facial Reconstruction, Cosmetic Surgery at the University of California-San Francisco. He also completed a fellowship in phlebology & advanced laser surgery at the Maryland Laser, Skin, and Vein Institute. Dr. Munavalli received his Board Certification in Dermatology in 2002 and recertification in 2012. He has over 40 scientific publications and has served as principal investigator in a broad range of clinical research trials and FDA pivotal trials.