On December 12, a delegation led by Prof. Herve Bachelez, President of the International Psoriasis Council (IPC), visited Dermatology Hospital of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University (CSU), for an insightful academic exchange. He expressed deep appreciation for the hospital's contributions to clinical diagnosis and treatment, as well as scientific research on immune-mediated inflammatory skin diseases, particularly psoriasis.

The academic exchange activity was attended by Prof. Chen Xiang, leader of the dermatology discipline at Xiangya Hospital, CSU, Prof. Chen Mingliang, Prof. Su Juan, director of the Department of Dermatology, Prof. Zhu Wu, Prof. Kuang Yehong, Prof. Peng Cong, and Prof. Liu Hong, who are responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of psoriasis, along with young scholars and graduate students from the psoriasis research team.

Prof. Bachelez is a member of several national and international scientific societies, including the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) and the European Dermatology Forum (EDF). He is the former president of the French society for Dermatological Research and of the Group for Research on Psoriasis of the French Society for Dermatology. He has received several scientific awards, including the Robert Degos award. Internationally, he is currently serving as President of the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) since January 2023, and as Past-President of the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR). Professor Bachelez’s clinical and research activities focus on inflammatory skin diseases, mainly psoriasis and psoriasis-related diseases, but also hidradenitis suppurativa, lichen planus among others.

During the exchange, Prof. Chen Xiang, a current IPC member, warmly welcomed Prof. Bachelez. Prof. Chen hoped that Prof. Bachelez could provide valuable guidance on the clinical diagnosis, treatment, and scientific research of psoriasis at our hospital. Prof. Su Juan, Director of the Dermatology Hospital (Dermatology Department), provided an overview of the discipline's development history and current status. She highlighted the establishment of the first "Special Clinic for Psoriasis" in Hunan province at Xiangya Hospital, CSU. This clinic was honored as one of the "Top Ten National Demonstrative Psoriasis Clinics" and a "Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Psoriasis." Prof. Kuang Yehong presented the progress and achievements in clinical and basic research on psoriasis at our hospital. Assistant Researcher Xiao Yi outlined the team's specific contributions to epidemiological research on psoriasis, while attending physician Zhang Mi, discussed the clinical research efforts on psoriasis. Physician Liu Panpan presented the team's work and achievements in understanding the role of metabolism in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. After these presentations, Prof. Bachelez highly recognized our hospital's endeavor in the diagnosis, treatment, and research of psoriasis. He commended the team for their remarkable outcomes and significant contributions to the global development in psoriasis and dermatology discipline. Furthermore, Prof. Bachelez delivered an academic presentation titled "Early intervention and disease modification of Psoriasis and experience Sharing" facing all researchers.

The visit from the IPC President highlights the dermatology discipline's international presence and research capabilities. It is hoped that this exchange will improve international leading competence for the development of dermatology discipline at Xiangya Hospital.