By Michael Meyer, Content Manager, American Med Spa Association (AmSpa)

The American Med Spa Association (AmSpa) has announced its list of Distinguished Women in Medical Aesthetics, which it presents in conjunction with the inaugural Women in Aesthetics Leadership Conference (WALC) in Miami on November 1 – 3, 2023. The Distinguished Women in Medical Aesthetics are 30 women who go above and beyond to set high standards and foster growth within the medical aesthetics industry.

A Distinguished Woman in Medical Aesthetics exhibits a unique mix of talents and accomplishments that make her stand out:

• She leads successful, dynamic, healthy businesses;
• She works to safely and effectively train on clinical technique, keeping best practices and patient safety at the forefront;
• She builds and maintains a positive, inclusive culture;
• She makes a positive difference in her community, her profession or the industry as a whole;
• She creates her own destiny and isn’t easily defeated;
• She fosters a mindset of growth and evolution in medical aesthetics;
• She takes charge and takes risks; and/or
• She feels a true passion about medical aesthetics and the patients she serves.

“Women leaders have their own set of unique needs and, as an industry made up of majority female professionals and serving majority female patients, it's time we focus on meeting these needs, which was the impetus behind WALC,” says AmSpa President and COO, Cathy Christensen. “As part of this, we felt WALC was the perfect time to launch our Distinguished Women in Medical Aesthetics initiative, which acknowledges and recognizes the talents, technique, business acumen and contributions of 30 women in the industry who have gone above and beyond in medical aesthetics. Our internal committee identified a list of more than 200 incredible female contributors to the medical aesthetics community. We are looking forward to making this an annual celebration!”

WALC is a first-of-its-kind leadership retreat that will take place at the plush 1 Hotel South Beach in beautiful Miami and will include a variety of sessions and activities designed to unlock attendees’ leadership potential and nourish their souls. Faculty for the event features high-profile experts from the worlds of aesthetics and business, including Sara Blakely, founder and executive chairwoman of SPANX. Celebrated industry executive Carrie Strom, senior vice president of AbbVie and president of Global Allergan Aesthetics, will moderate the opening keynote with Blakely.

The Distinguished Women in Medical Aesthetics of 2023 are:

• Erika Barry, NP-C, MSN, Moksha Aesthetics (Potomac, Maryland)
• Sarah Berg, DNP, FNP-C, Bespoke Beauty (Missoula, Montana)
• Nicole Chiaramonte, Advanced MedAesthetic Partners (Dallas)
• Shawna Chrisman, NP, Destination Aesthetics (Northern California)
• Alexa Nicholls Costa, NP, and Alexandra Rogers, NP, LexRx (Boston)
• Cary Deuber, CRNFA, CANS, Lemmon Avenue Plastic Surgery & Laser Center (Atlanta and Dallas)
• Kay Durairaj, MD, Beauty by Dr. Kay (Pasadena, California)
• Kimberly Evans, MD, FACOG, Sugar Land Med Spa (Sugar Land, Texas)
• Gretchen Frieling, MD, GFaceMD (Wellesley, Massachusetts)
• Ann Frossard, SkinSpirit (Nationwide)
• Meredith Harris, MS, WHNP, New Life Aesthetics (Raleigh, North Carolina)
• Lynn Heublein, SkinSpirit (Nationwide)
• Amanda Holden, MD, Holden Timeless Beauty (San Diego)
• Julie Bass Kaplan, FNP-BC, Disappearing Act Medical Aesthetics (Redding, California)
• Maegen Kennedy, MMS, PA-C, Windermere Dental and Medical Spa (Orlando)
• Rana Kennelly, BSN, BCS, The Confidence Bar (Chicago)
• Brianna LaTorre, MS, APRN, The Lip Bunny Beauty (Fall River, Massachusetts)
• Vanessa Lee, RN, The Things We Do (California)
• Nicci Levy, Alchemy 43 (Nationwide)
• Nicola Lowrey, PA-C, N2 Aesthetics (Manhattan Beach, California)
• Lauren Olson, PA-C, Radiance Medical Aesthetics & Wellness (Woodlands, Texas)
• Marria Pooya, Greenwich Medical Spa (Connecticut, New York and New Jersey)
• Linette Rivera, MD, Glanz Aesthetics (Doral, Florida)
• Neekan Rivera, PA-C, Aere Aesthetics (Beverly Hills, California)
• Sarah Safa, PA-C, Refined Aesthetics (Leesburg, Virginia)
• Rahi Sarbaziha, MD, Integrative Aesthetics (Beverly Hills, California)
• Taylor Siemens, NP, My Aesthetic Training (Dallas)
• La-Tasha Walker, RN, La-Mon’e Aesthetics (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania)
• Hermine Warren, DNP, APRN, CANS, ISPAN-F, CNM, Facialogy (Encino, California)
• Limor Weinberg, FNP-BC, The Clinic USA (Miami)

For more information about the Distinguished Women in Medical Aesthetics, visit www.americanmedspa.org/distinguishedwomen.

The program for WALC includes interviews, panel discussions and presentations focused on growing leadership abilities and overcoming the obstacles that are often experienced by women leaders in medical aesthetics and elsewhere. Additionally, it will include several sessions designed to develop attendees’ mental and physical wellness, as well as unique group experiences, dinners and parties. The goal is to nurture both the minds and the souls of the women of medical aesthetics.

For more information about WALC and to register to attend, visit www.americanmedspa.org/women-in-aesthetics. This webpage features pricing, speaker bios, agendas and hotel information, and it will include the most up-to-date news on the conference as the program develops.