Licensed in 50 states: Dr. Anna Chacon's teledermatology practice
From hospital rounds with her father in Miami to a virtual dermatology practice reaching all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Dr. Anna Chacon, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist practicing medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology at Dr. Anna Chacon, MD, a teledermatology practice rooted in Miami, Florida, with licensure in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The reach is the point. Chacon describes a practice built to deliver skin care to patients who are geographically isolated, in rural areas, uninsured, or simply too busy to wait months or travel to see a board-certified dermatologist for an urgent problem.
The through-line from a Miami childhood to a fifty-state license list is consistent: get dermatologic care to the places where it is hard to find. More on Chacon's background and practice follows below.
How Anna Chacon's childhood hospital rounds in Miami led her to medicine
Chacon decided she would become a physician as a child, after repeatedly going to work with her father at the hospital. Her father, Dr. Chacon, is described as a pioneer in critical care in South Florida and the founder of the largest private intensive care unit in the area.
She rounded alongside him and watched him care for patients during natural disasters and other times of need, work she characterizes as carried out with a great sense of compassion. Chacon says she knew from a young age that becoming a doctor was her calling and what she was born to do. She grew up in Miami, Florida, and that early exposure to acute hospital medicine, rather than a later academic decision, is what she credits as the origin of a lifelong passion for being a doctor and physician.
From valedictorian in Miami to a dermatologic surgery research fellowship: Anna Chacon's training
Chacon graduated at the top of her class as valedictorian of the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girls school in Miami. Her interest in the subspecialty field of dermatology then led her to a research fellowship in dermatologic surgery at the University of Miami.
What the University of Miami fellowship involved
During the dermatologic surgery research fellowship at the University of Miami, Chacon performed significant research investigations, presented at conferences, and managed clinical trials in lasers. The combination of bench-adjacent research and trial management sat close to the procedural side of the specialty, and it preceded the clinical training that followed.
The academic path between Brown and Los Angeles
Chacon obtained her concentration in Economics and her medical degree from Brown University's Program in Liberal Medical Education. She completed an internship in surgery at Orlando Regional Medical Center, followed by a dermatology residency at Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, where she served as chief resident. She is described on her own site as double Ivy League-educated and board-certified.
The pandemic pivot: how Anna Chacon discovered teledermatology
The pandemic is when Chacon found teledermatology. Specifically, she became interested in the nuances and differences involved in providing dermatological care across diverse platforms and across state lines, and in reaching patients in underserved and rural areas as well as busy patients simply in need of care.
That interest was not an improvisation that ended when in-person schedules resumed. It led her to work for various companies and pursuits within telemedicine and teledermatology, and the licensure footprint grew with it. Chacon is now a board-certified dermatologist with a stated passion and clinical expertise for teledermatology alongside all other aspects of dermatology: medical, surgical and cosmetic alike. The practical difference between seeing a patient in Miami and seeing one three time zones away, in regulation, platform and follow-through, became the subject she chose to learn in depth.
Where Anna Chacon is licensed to practice dermatology today
Chacon holds medical licenses in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and she is also licensed in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She is described as one of the few dermatologists licensed in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.
Within those 50 states, her stated aim is a safe, convenient and cost-effective way of delivering expert skin care, with virtual dermatology appointments conducted from a patient's home or office. The practice covers medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology, and Chacon says she enjoys practicing all aspects of the specialty, from minor skin conditions to cosmetic dermatology treatments. Appointments can be scheduled through the Dr. Anna Chacon, MD website.
What patients say about appointments with Anna Chacon on Sesame
Patient reviews of Chacon's virtual appointments describe speed, punctuality and explanation. One patient, Lauren T., wrote that Chacon was "on time, addressed concern quickly, provided feedback and follow up instructions," and was available the same day as needed.
Several reviewers return to the same handful of specifics. Makyla D. wrote that Chacon "explains the risks and I really appreciate that," noting that she left the visit understanding which medication she was getting. Virginia B. described a situation where follow-up with a pharmacist was needed and said Chacon resolved the problem. Jonathan C. wrote that Chacon was super helpful, listened without rushing, and was on time for the appointment, which mattered given a busy work schedule. Keri G., who found Chacon through the platform, wrote that she had no idea an online dermatologist was an option. Adam H., reviewing through Sesame, said the fact that the platform can attract a doctor of this quality is testimony to its ability to transform the future of medical care.
Taken together, the reviews point at the same set of operational traits:
- Same-day availability when a patient needed it
- Appointments that started on time
- Explanation of which medication is being prescribed, and of its risks
- Direct intervention with a pharmacist when a prescription issue came up
What Anna Chacon is building next: expanding licensure to the territories where dermatologists often do not exist
Chacon is in the process of expanding her licensure to service all 50 states and U.S. territories where, in her words, dermatologists often do not exist. For patients who do not currently live in a jurisdiction where she is licensed, the stated instruction is to stay tuned.
The target population is specific. Through teledermatology, Chacon says she hopes to improve access to dermatology care for patients who are geographically isolated, in rural areas, or uninsured. She also aims to help those simply too busy to wait many months or travel elsewhere to see a board-certified dermatologist for an urgent dermatological issue. She is described as particularly interested in rural outreach and in helping people in underserved areas obtain access to needed medical care.
Chacon's own geography informs the ambition. She grew up in Miami and has lived in Los Angeles, California; Providence, Rhode Island; the arctic slope region of Alaska; Cairo, Egypt; Haifa, Israel; and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The arctic slope of Alaska is as plain a case as exists in American medicine of a place where a specialist is not around the corner. It sits in the same biography as a Miami upbringing and an urban county hospital residency in Los Angeles. Details on her practice and availability are listed on her HauteMD profile.