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Membership & Dues

The credential of record for evidence-based medical light therapy.

Since 2007, the Medical Light Association has set the international standard for clinical phototherapy practice — certifying practitioners, publishing peer-reviewed guidance, and convening the clinicians advancing light-based therapeutics at the bedside.

Apply for Membership → Learn about the Association →
Active clinician members
11,400+
Institutional members
240+
Countries represented
47
Founded in Boston, MA
2007
A dermatologist in a white coat applies a low-level laser therapy probe during a clinical consultation, illustrating MLA's bedside practice focus.
Endorsed by the AAD, ESP, and IPA. Cited in 19,400+ peer-reviewed papers.

Three tiers. One standard.

Choose the credential that matches your role.

MLA membership is clinician-led and peer-governed. Each tier is calibrated to the scope of practice your work demands — from board-certified dermatologists and wound-care clinicians delivering bedside therapy, to senior investigators shaping the evidence base, to academic centers integrating phototherapy programs across departments.

Tier I

Clinician Member

For practicing physicians, dermatologists, and wound-care clinicians delivering phototherapy at the bedside.

Annual dues
$385 / year
Trainee rate
$145 / year
  • Full digital access to the Journal of Medical Phototherapy (Scopus-indexed, 1,840+ peer-reviewed articles)
  • Member rate on MLA Clinical Practice Guidelines (14 active guidelines on rolling 24-month review)
  • Eligibility to sit the Clinical Phototherapy Practice Certification (CPPC) examination
  • Discounted registration for the MLA Photomedicine Congress (3,400 attendees, 2024)
  • Listing in the public MLA Clinician Directory
  • Quarterly member bulletin and weekly evidence digest
Apply — Clinician →

6,200+ clinicians currently hold active CPPC credentials across 47 countries.

Tier II · Fellow (FMLA)

Fellow Member

For board-certified clinicians with ≥5 years of practice and a documented contribution to medical light research or education.

Annual dues
$720 / year
Application review
Quarterly cohort
  • Everything in the Clinician tier
  • Use of the FMLA post-nominal in clinical and academic communications
  • Voting rights in MLA governance, guideline panels, and standards committees
  • Eligibility to serve as CPPC examiner or guideline panelist
  • Priority abstract acceptance at the annual Photomedicine Congress
  • Access to the MLA Phototherapy Fellowship faculty track (22 academic medical centers)
Apply — Fellow →

Fellow status is conferred by the MLA Credentials Committee.

Tier III · Institutional

Institutional Member

For academic medical centers, hospitals, device manufacturers, and training programs integrating phototherapy across departments.

Annual dues
$4,950 / year
Seats included
Up to 12 clinicians
  • Up to 12 named Clinician or Fellow memberships under one institution
  • Site-wide access to MLA Guidelines, the Journal, and the adverse-event registry
  • Eligibility to nominate representatives to the Standards & Compliance Council (480+ device reviews to date)
  • Two complimentary congress registrations and one workshop slot per year
  • Listing in the MLA Institutional Partner directory (cited in AAD, NHS, and WHO policy documents)
Apply — Institutional →

240+ institutional members across 47 countries.

MLA's operating budget ($9.4M, FY2023) is funded 71% by member dues, 22% by accredited continuing-education programs, and 7% by grants — keeping the Association accountable to its clinical members.

What your dues unlock

Six clinical, editorial, and credentialing benefits of MLA membership.

01

The Journal of Medical Phototherapy

The field's only Scopus-indexed specialty journal, founded by MLA in 2009. Members receive full digital access to 1,840+ peer-reviewed articles covering photobiomodulation, LLLT, UV-B phototherapy, photodynamic therapy, and clinical light dosimetry — with new issues indexed in PubMed within days of release.

  • Established 2009
  • 1,840+ articles
  • Scopus-indexed

02 · Certification

Clinical Phototherapy Practice Certification (CPPC)

Eligibility to sit the world's first Clinical Phototherapy Practice Certification, issued by MLA since 2014. 6,200+ clinicians currently hold active CPPC credentials across 47 countries.

03 · Guidelines

MLA Phototherapy Clinical Guidelines

Full access to 14 active clinical practice guidelines, each maintained on a rolling 24-month evidence-review cycle and referenced by the AAD, NHS, and WHO in dermatology and wound-care policy documents.

04 · Congress

The MLA Photomedicine Congress

Discounted and priority registration for the world's largest medical phototherapy congress — 3,400 attendees in 2024, with live hands-on workshops on PBM, UV-B phototherapy, and photodynamic therapy.

05 · Registry

Adverse-Event & Outcomes Registry

Access to the largest adverse-event registry for light-based medical devices, tracking 312,000+ patient outcomes since 2016 — an evidence base no single institution can match.

06 · Network

The MLA Clinician Network

11,400+ clinician members and 240+ institutional members across 47 countries — endorsed by the American Academy of Dermatology, the European Society for Photobiology, and the International Photodynamic Association.

By the numbers

The scale and standing behind every membership.

MLA is the clinician-led body that translates peer-reviewed light-medicine research into bedside practice. The figures below describe the network your membership joins.

  • Clinician members across dermatology, wound care, and biomedical research. 47 countries represented
  • Active CPPC credential holders worldwide. Issued since 2014
  • Patient outcomes tracked in the MLA adverse-event registry. Operating since 2016
  • PubMed-indexed papers citing MLA guidance since 2009. 5x growth over the past decade

Founded in 2007 · Endorsed by the AAD, ESP, and IPA · Awarded the 2022 FMSS Specialty Society of the Year.

Before you apply

Practical questions about applying, dues, and credentials.

Answers to the queries our membership office receives most often. If your question is not addressed here, write to [email protected].

  1. Who is eligible to apply for MLA membership?

    Licensed physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician associates, and doctoral-level biomedical researchers with active clinical or research practice may apply for Clinician or Fellow tiers. Engineers, industry scientists, and administrators without a clinical credential are eligible for Affiliate membership. Students enrolled in accredited clinical or doctoral programs may apply for the Trainee tier at reduced dues.

  2. How does the CPPC credential relate to MLA membership?

    MLA membership is the prerequisite pathway to the Clinical Phototherapy Practice Certification (CPPC). Members receive a 40% discount on CPPC examination fees, priority registration for hands-on practicum workshops at the annual Congress, and reciprocity that waives continuing-education requirements for clinicians who already hold an equivalent national phototherapy credential reviewed and approved by our Standards & Compliance Council.

  3. What does my dues payment cover, and when is it billed?

    Dues operate on a rolling twelve-month cycle from the date your application is approved — not a calendar-year reset. Your dues include full access to the Journal of Medical Phototherapy, the MLA Phototherapy Clinical Guidelines, member-rate Congress registration, listing in the public Clinician Directory, and eligibility to sit for the CPPC examination at reduced fees. Institutional members receive consolidated invoicing for up to twenty-five affiliated clinicians.

  4. Can my institution pay by invoice, and is there a group rate?

    Yes. Institutional members receive an annual consolidated invoice with a single purchase-order field, NET-30 terms, and a tiered group rate that reduces per-clinician dues by 35% for groups of ten or more and by 50% for groups of twenty-five or more. Contact the membership office at [email protected] for a custom institutional quote.

Begin your application

Join 11,400 clinicians shaping the standard of medical light therapy.

Membership is the gateway to the MLA Phototherapy Clinical Guidelines, the Journal of Medical Phototherapy, the CPPC credential pathway, and the annual Photomedicine Congress. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis; most clinicians receive a decision within ten business days.

Apply for Membership → Learn More About MLA

Questions before applying? Write to [email protected] or call +1 (617) 555-0142, Monday through Friday, 09:00–17:00 Eastern.