The global WVD 2024 campaign headquarters lit up in Cali, Colombia, under the honorary leadership of Dr. Claudia Arenas and Dr. Adriana Cruz, with strong backing from Prof. Rafael Falabella and the Mayor's Office.

With the theme "United by the Skin" ("Unidos Por La Piel"), the event took place on June 24-25 at the Dann Carlton Hotel. Day one focused on clinical innovations, while day two delved into everyday vitiligo management (program). Event highlights included a creative contest awarding prizes for art, poetry, and AI-driven works on vitiligo, celebrating the vital intersection of healthcare, art, and technology. Full Report

Kazakhstan hosted an extraordinary journey into the world of vitiligo awareness and education during World Vitiligo Day 2023, held from June 23rd to June 26th. Under the honorary leadership of Dr. Aliya Kassymkhanova and Vice-President Dr. Anar Abdrakhmanova, a dedicated team advanced the global conversation on vitiligo. The event featured dynamic activities, including a live microsurgery demonstration, a scientific Q&A session, and patient-focused events, all aimed at forging new pathways in vitiligo treatment and care. It was a remarkable opportunity to engage with the most significant event on the global vitiligo calendar. Details

Marking a milestone in vitiligo education and awareness, Mexico vibrantly hosted World Vitiligo Day (WVD) 2022, with the theme "Learning to Live with Vitiligo." Honorary President Prof. Jorge Ocampo Candiani, MD and a team of eminent dermatologists pooled their expertise, amplifying the dialogue on vitiligo. Unfolding with a press conference at the Senate of Mexico, the event unveiled vitiligo's latest research and treatment breakthroughs. The heart of the celebration, a Patient Information Session, featured inspiring talks, empowering workshops, and a captivating photo exhibition, all designed to foster a better understanding and enrich the lives of those with vitiligo. Details
 

Each year, WVD is officially hosted by a different city, and in 2021, 🇮🇩 Jakarta, Indonesia, served as the eleventh WVD headquarters. The honorary captain, Dr. Srie Prihianti Gondokaryono, led the effort alongside a dedicated team from the Indonesian Society of Dermatology & Venereology, including Advisor Dr. Yulianto Listiawan, Vice-President Dr. Andreas Widiansyah, and Secretary Dr. Hanny Nilasari. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the large-scale, in-person activities typical of WVD were not possible. Instead, online events took place globally, including a 24-hour virtual room on Clubhouse. Report

June 25th, 2020, highlighted equality for those with a different skin tone—or none at all—under the theme "SELF: Awareness, Love, Respect, Care." Amid the global pandemic, World Vitiligo Day went virtual, creating a different but equally impactful vibe.

While the virtual headquarters moved to Belgrade, Serbia 🇷🇸, led by Prof. Ivana Binic, MD, a parallel virtual event in China, under the leadership of Xing-Hua Gao, achieved record-breaking participation with 5.5 million attendees. Celebrations spanned minds, hearts, and homes worldwide. Brief report

The week-long World Vitiligo Day 2019 campaign was headquartered in Hanoi, Vietnam, under the leadership of Dr. Nguyen Van Thuong and the theme “The Quality of Life of Vitiligo Patients.” Events focused on promoting understanding, combating discrimination, and inspiring hope among those affected.

In the United States, the campaign kicked off on June 21st with a three-day event in Sugar Land, Texas, organized by the Houston Vitiligo Awareness Movement. Centered on the theme “The Mental and Medical Journey of Living with Vitiligo – The Journey Starts with Me,” the event featured experts addressing current challenges and exploring future opportunities. Full Report

The 8th World Vitiligo Day celebration, held at UMass Medical School in Worcester, MA, from June 22-24, 2018, was a resounding success. Hosted by Dr. John Harris, Director of the Vitiligo Clinic and Research Center, and Valarie Molyneaux, President of VITFriends, the event brought together over 400 attendees for three days of impactful activities. The program featured two keynote speakers, 20+ presenters, five sessions, and lab tours, offering valuable insights and fostering collaboration. Networking and social events further enhanced the sense of community that UMass is known for.

Centered on the theme “Children, Research, and Hope for the Future,” the event reinforced the commitment to advancing knowledge and creating a brighter future for those living with vitiligo. Full Report

The 2017 World Vitiligo Day campaign headquarters were based in São Paulo, Brazil, under the presidency of Professor Paulo Cunha, a dedicated advocate for the vitiligo cause and a champion for underprivileged communities, including Amazonian tribes with limited access to medical care. The campaign continued its mission to advance awareness and treatment globally, with São Paulo hosting impactful events to mark the occasion.

In the U.S., the main celebrations took place in Detroit from June 23-25, led by Lee Thomas and hosted by the Southeast Michigan Vitiligo Support Group, bringing together patients, advocates, and experts in a powerful display of unity and progress. Report

The World Vitiligo Day 2016 campaign was one of the largest and most exhilarating in the event’s history. Prof. Jana Hercogova, Chair of the WVD 2016 campaign, hosted a key media event in the picturesque city of Prague, setting the tone for global celebrations.

Festivities continued worldwide throughout the weekend, with a standout series of events in Washington, DC, on June 24-25. Building on the momentum of last year’s successful rally at the Massachusetts State House, organized by VITFriends of Boston, this year’s rally exceeded all expectations. Led by Valerie Molyneaux, over 300 participants gathered, representing activists, nonprofits, researchers, healthcare workers, and elected officials. Governors of 18 US states issued proclamations in support of WVD, which finally marked the UN Calendar in July. Details

World Vitiligo Day 2015 reached new heights, with campaign headquarters in Shenyang, China, under the dynamic leadership of Prof. Xing-Hua Gao, MD. Thousands of passionate volunteers worldwide mobilized in the streets and across media platforms, amplifying awareness like never before. Over 30 major hospitals opened their doors to vitiligo patients, providing care and hosting educational events that underscored the campaign’s growing impact.

This year’s efforts began months earlier, on February 13, 2015, when the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists, and Leprologists (IADVL)—the largest dermatology society in India—made a historic decision to move its Vitiligo Day from May 19th to June 25th, aligning it with the global campaign, thanks to efforts of Davinder Parsad. Details

In 2014, Chandigarh, India, hosted a landmark World Vitiligo Day celebration under the leadership of Dr. Davinder Parsad. Over just three years, the campaign had transformed from a modest grassroots effort into a global movement, now involving 484,687 activists and over 50 clinics offering free skin check-ups across 17 countries.

At WVD headquarters at PIGMER hospital, 225 vitiligo patients were examined in a single morning, followed by over 800 doctors participating in events, showcasing growing medical engagement. Meanwhile, 40 rickshaws adorned with World Vitiligo Day logos and street performers paraded through the city, raising awareness and capturing widespread attention. Details

This year, the World Vitiligo Day changed it's headquarters from Rome (Italy) to Detroit (USA) and was celebrated in a series of events, from the distribution of leaflets to large gatherings, which have made each World Vitiligo Day a huge success and generated worldwide media interest: Fox TV interview with entertainment guru Lee Thomas, roundtable with Henry Ford Hospital Dermatology Chair Dr. Henry Lim, art-project with Stephanie Corne and so on. We collected 130,929 signatures to date. Brief Report
 

World Vitiligo Day officially launched on June 23, 2012, with a press conference at the University of Guglielmo Marconi in Rome, hosted by Prof. Torello Lotti and Valle. While this marked the first formal World Vitiligo Day, it is recognized as the second event in the campaign, honoring the groundbreaking Purple Fun Day held in Nigeria in 2011. The event's impact reverberated globally on June 25, with vitiligo activists from Australia to Africa to China joining in solidarity. In a notable development, the Delaware Vitiligo Support and Awareness Group in the United States secured a gubernatorial proclamation designating July as Vitiligo Awareness Month. Continue reading

The origins of World Vitiligo Day can be traced back to a grassroots initiative in Nigeria. On June 18, 2011, Ogo Maduewesi, Founder and President of Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF), organized the first Vitiligo Awareness Day, also known as Purple Fun Day, at Silverbird Galleria in Victoria Island, Lagos. Coinciding with this event, an online petition was launched on the Petitions24 website, gathering its first 111 signatures that year.

The initiative gained momentum in early 2012 when VITSAF joined forces with VR Foundation to launch the World Vitiligo Day campaign. On January 18, 2012, VR Foundation introduced www.25June.org, which became the official website for the World Vitiligo Day campaign. This collaboration marked a significant step in transforming a local awareness event into a global movement for vitiligo recognition and support.