How does a child who smuggled gold out of communist Cuba at age five end up shaping the future of dermatological care for patients of color across three continents?

On this episode of Skin Deep, Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. David Rodriguez — a Miami-based dermatologist with over 35 years in clinical practice, pharmaceutical research, and academic medicine. A first-generation Cuban American, Dr. Rodriguez trained in internal medicine before dedicating his career to dermatology, building practices in Coral Gables and Kendall. He is a founding member of the Skin of Color Society and co-editor of the landmark textbook The Skin of Color, co-authored with Dr. Susan Taylor. His driving conviction? That patients of color deserve research-backed, culturally intelligent care — and that dermatology still has significant ground to cover.

What does it actually take to shift a patient's behavior before the damage is done? Dr. Rodriguez challenges the field's tendency to chase procedures over prevention, making a pointed case for patient education. "Every hour, somebody's diagnosed with a melanoma. Every hour — and they're not ninety. They're forty. They're thirty." The conversation spans cultural skincare habits in Hispanic and Caribbean communities, the transformative impact of biologics on conditions like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, and a frank look at why 10,000 dermatologists simply aren't enough for 350 million people. Woven throughout is an extraordinary personal narrative: a child who literally smuggled gold out of communist Cuba and grew up to become one of the field's most respected voices.

Dr. David Rodriguez is a Miami-based board-certified dermatologist with practices in Coral Gables and Kendall, specializing in medical dermatology and clinical research. A first-generation Cuban American, he graduated medical school in 1981 and has been in practice since 1989. Dr. Rodriguez is a founding member of the Skin of Color Society and co-editor of The Skin of Color, a landmark textbook co-authored with Dr. Susan Taylor. He conducts ongoing pharmaceutical clinical trials and has mentored the next generation of dermatologists — including Skin Deep host Dr. Anna Chacon — throughout his career.

In This Episode:

• (00:00) Dr. Rodriguez introduces four decades of dermatology, research, and his deep connection to Dr. Chacon's family
• (02:04) How the Skin of Color Society was founded — and why the research gap in skin of color medicine still hasn't closed
• (05:00) Cultural skincare habits in Hispanic and Caribbean communities and what dermatologists are really up against
• (08:41) A five-year-old, an 18-karat gold chain, and the day the Rodriguez family fled communist Cuba
• (14:30) Melanoma, denial, and why patient education is the gray area medicine is still failing
• (20:30) Mentoring Dr. Chacon, the biologics revolution, and what dermatology looks like when it gets it right
• (28:18) Religious persecution, communist indoctrination, and how the Rodriguez family finally got on a plane to Miami
• Share with a dermatology pro you know, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes!

About the show: Welcome to Skin Deep, a podcast designed for dermatology professionals. Host Dr. Anna Chacon, a distinguished dermatologist and author, shares her unique experiences and offers valuable insights on the future of dermatology, including telemedicine and teledermatology in reaching underserved communities. Dr. Chacon provides actionable recommendations for dermatology practices, emphasizing compassion, patient education, and staying current with advancements in the field.

About the host: Dr....

• (00:00:00) - Looking back on my time in Cuba
• (00:00:36) - Dermatologists of Color
• (00:07:03) - Hispanics on the dangers of the sun
• (00:12:53) - Cubans speak about life in America
• (00:16:38) - Dermatology on Skin Cancer
• (00:20:31) - The importance of free healthcare for dermatologists
• (00:27:41) - Describing the Communists in Cuba

What does it take for a girl from Costa Rica, raised between music and financial hardship, to inspire one of America's most recognized dermatologists?

Jeanette Enriquez, born December 22, 1941, in San José, Costa Rica, is the grandmother of Dr. Anna H. Chacón — host of Skin Deep and Miami's board-certified dermatologist and beauty expert. A lifelong advocate for family unity and education, Jeanette raised six children across two countries before immigrating to the United States. Her story is not one of credentials, but of something far more enduring: values passed hand to hand, generation to generation. What does it take to raise a doctor? Ask her grandmother.

In this intimate episode of Skin Deep, Jeanette traces her journey from a musical childhood in Turrialba, Costa Rica, to a sixty-year marriage that began with handwritten letters. She and Dr. Anna H. Chacón explore financial hardship in Guatemala, the weight of cultural traditions, and what it looked like to watch a granddaughter choose studying over socializing, every single time. "The day I leave, I will go with the greatest pride, having seen Anna grow into the amazing professional she is today."

Jeanette Enriquez was born on December 22, 1941, in San José, Costa Rica, and grew up in Turrialba, where her family roots ran deep and music filled the home. At fifteen, she began working as a cashier to support her family. A mother of six, a home economics teacher, and a great-grandmother, Jeanette has been a lifelong champion of family unity, cultural traditions, and perseverance — values she passed directly on to her granddaughter, Dr. Anna H. Chacón.

In This Episode:

• (00:00) Jeanette Enriquez recalls her childhood in Turrialba, Costa Rica, and the musical memories that shaped her
• (00:05:15) A love that arrived by letter: how she met the man she would spend sixty years married to
• (00:08:30) From Guatemala to the United States: building a life between two countries, two cultures, and six children
• (00:12:08) Jeanette shares what she asks of her family above all else: never lose your unity or your love
• (00:19:00) The granddaughter who never went out on weekends: Jeanette recalls Dr. Anna H. Chacón's sacrifice and dedication
• Share with a dermatology pro you know, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes!

About the show: Welcome to Skin Deep, a podcast designed for dermatology professionals. Host Dr. Anna Chacon, a distinguished dermatologist and author, shares her unique experiences and offers valuable insights on the future of dermatology, including telemedicine and teledermatology in reaching underserved communities. Dr. Chacon provides actionable recommendations for dermatology practices, emphasizing compassion, patient education, and staying current with advancements in the field.

About the host: Dr. Anna Chacon, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Indigenous Dermatology, specializes in treating patients in remote and rural communities. As the first dermatologist serving Alaska's Bush region, she travels by bush plane to reach isolated communities. Dr. Chacon holds medical licenses in all 50 states, DC, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, providing both in-person and teledermatology services.

Resources:

Website: www.drannachacon.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miamiderm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miamiderm/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamiderm/

YouTube:

What does it really cost — personally and professionally — to build a practice without borders?

In this solo episode of Skin Deep, Dr. Anna Chacon—board-certified dermatologist, valedictorian, and Brown University Program in Liberal Medical Education alumna—reflects on the extraordinary career that shaped her into one of medicine's most unconventional practitioners. Licensed in all 50 states, D.C., Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, and named Best Teledermatologist in the USA in 2024, Dr. Chacon is a Miami native of Hispanic and indigenous heritage who fought through significant barriers to reach the top of a specialty with only 3% Hispanic representation.

Dr. Chacon takes listeners across three continents and through some of medicine's most remote outposts: studying leprosy and HIV skin disease at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in the Philippines, learning from albinism specialists in Tanzania, and volunteering in West Africa where scarce resources blocked even the most basic treatments. She recounts becoming the first dermatologist to serve Utqiaġvik, Alaska's Iñupiat community through the Arctic Slope Native Association, the complexity of telehealth licensure in all 50 states, and a remarkable case of Kimura's disease successfully treated off-label with Dupilumab. Her mission, she says, is always evolving—from Miami Derm to America's dermatologist.

Dr. Anna Chacon, MD FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist, author, and Miami native who earned both her undergraduate degree in Economics and her medical degree from Brown University's Program in Liberal Medical Education, graduating valedictorian from Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. She completed her residency at LAC+USC Medical Center and owns Gables Dermatology & Aesthetics in Coral Gables, Florida. A prolific author in peer-reviewed journals including JAAD and the British Journal of Dermatology, she was named Best Teledermatologist in the USA in 2024 and is a founding voice in Indigenous Dermatology.


In This Episode:

• (00:00) Why she chose medicine and what drew her to dermatology over every other specialty
• (04:51) What it means to be a Latina woman in one of medicine's least diverse fields
• (10:06) What she learned treating leprosy, albinism, and parasites across three continents
• (14:58) Why she became the first dermatologist to serve Alaska's northernmost Indigenous community
• (20:30) How COVID accelerated her move to telehealth and a nationwide practice
• (22:30) What getting licensed in all 50 states actually costs in time, money, and effort
• (31:00) How a Kimura's disease patient advocated for his own off-label treatment — and improved
• (41:07) Why social media has become a lifeline for patients with rare skin conditions
• Share with a dermatology pro you know, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes!

About the show: Welcome to Skin Deep, a podcast designed for dermatology professionals. Host Dr. Anna Chacon, a distinguished dermatologist and author, shares her unique experiences and offers valuable insights on the future of dermatology, including telemedicine and teledermatology in reaching underserved communities. Dr. Chacon provides actionable recommendations for dermatology practices, emphasizing compassion, patient education, and staying current with advancements in the field.

Resources:

Arctic Slope Native Association (ASNA) — Utqiavik, Alaska:

https://arcticslope.org

Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) — Philippines:

• (00:00:00) - Skin Deep with Dr. Ana Chacon
• (00:00:42) - Dermatologist Ana Chacon on Becoming a Board Certified Der
• (00:07:12) - Latina dermatologists on the road to success
• (00:14:21) - Desire to serve Indigenous communities
• (00:19:41) - Televised dermatologists: Becoming America's dermatologist
• (00:30:00) - Representative cases of skin cancer in all 50 states
• (00:33:43) - How to manage a chronic health problem effectively
• (00:36:20) - Cultural environments affect doctors
• (00:38:21) - How to care for rosacea and other skin conditions effectively