Alaska
Dr. Chacon is the first and only dermatologist to have worked in the North American arctic within Alaska. She works primarily at the specialty clinic at Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital, a state-of-the-art medical center located in Utqiagvik (formerly known as Barrow), located 340 miles above the Arctic Circle. The area is in an extremely harsh arctic climate within a new critical access hospital for native Alaskans and the native Inupiat tribes. From this hub she provides a full array of dermatology and teledermatology services to indigenous populations that are local as well as natives of remote villages in the arctic. She works with the local population and medical community to improve the health and wellbeing of members of the Arctic Slope Native Association through education, medical care and social interaction supporting a spiritual atmosphere revolving around quality, family-centered care in a safe environment.
Guinea
Dr. Chacon is an invited guest by the director of Dermatology at University of Gamal Abdel Nasser in Conakry, Guinea, a francophone country in West Africa where she will be providing free consultations to inhabitants in remote islands off the Ivory Coast, in the islands of Loos and Kassa. She is also an invited guest for the World Skin Health Day which will be taking place in Conakry, Guinea in January 2021. Topicals include the cutaneous manifestations of infection to those of vaccination, not to mention the impact of the pandemic on patients with chronic dermatoses or immunocompromised individuals. In Guinea, artificially induced depigmentation contributes to extensive skin damage in the population and acquired skin disorders, such as ochronosis, irreversible darkening of the skin attributed to misuse and inadequate use of hydroquinone, a bleaching cream.
California
Dr. Chacon provides dermatological care to patients at the Lake County Tribal Health Consortium and serves as their very first dermatologist. The LCTH promotes positive changes through culturally sensitive healthcare services including dermatology, promoting physical, spiritual, emotional and social health status in American Indians.
The patient population serviced includes the Lake County Pomo Indians are direct descendants of the Pomos who inhabited the Clear Lake area for thousands of years. As a dermatologist working at the Lake County Tribal Health Consortium, Dr. Chacon’s mission includes providing necessary and culturally appropriate health services to all Native Americans.
Tanzania
In January 2020, Dr. Chacon traveled to Tanzania and Kilimanjaro with the American Academy of Dermatology for a tropical dermatology immersion, a unique experience at the Regional Dermatology Training Center at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Moshi, Tanzania.
In Tanzania there are many cases of oculocutaneous albinism, characterized by a lack of pigment in the hair, skin and eyes. Although rare in the Western world, albinism is very common in sub-Saharan Africa including Guinea and Tanzania, and has been associated with stigma and superstitions in that region. Recently a notion emerged that albino body parts possessed magical powers and were good luck charms. As a result there has been albino murders in parts of Africa such as Tanzania which have garnered international attention from the dermatologic and medical community, such as the American Academy of Dermatology. To ameliorate the plight of the albinos, a coordinated effort between dematologists is necessary to address skin cancer prevention education, stigma and discrimination among these groups as well as prosecution of albino hunters.
Dr. Chacon is well versed in tropical dermatology including diseases seldom seen in the developing world and public health concerns in sub Saharan Africa
