The 2021 PeDRA Annual Conference took place virtually October 14-15, 2021.

Highlights

• Building Bridges – Plenary sessions will help attendees develop collaborative research projects by showcasing successful collaborations with industry, patient advocacy, and basic and translational scientists.
• Diversity and Inclusion in Research – This year’s keynote session will feature a special presentation from renowned advocate for social justice Dorothy Roberts, JD from the University of Pennsylvania.
• Finding Your Career Happy Place: Thriving, Not Just Surviving – The 2021 Early Investigator Forum will focus on strengthening the skills of early career investigators in the field on the morning of Friday, October 15.
• Inaugural NextGen Research Forum – Giving students and recent graduates the chance to present research and gain valuable career guidance. This new activity was a networking opportunity for students and research fellows and was co-chaired by Keith Choate, MD, PhD of Yale University and Lara Wine Lee, MD, PhD of the Medical University of South Carolina, along with other faculty moderators. The Forum included a virtual panel discussion on the evening of Thursday, October 14 and a virtual session on the morning of Friday, October 15. The session featured peer-reviewed oral presentations from selected trainee abstracts and the opportunity for all trainees to give 2-minute presentations on a digital poster or project pitch in a small group setting. To be eligible for participation in the NextGen Research Forum individuals must be Trainee Members of PeDRA, registered for the PeDRA Annual Conference, and either currently enrolled in an accredited medical and/or graduate school program or a recent graduate prior to the start of dermatology residency. Priority consideration was given to participants who have a project for presentation during the Forum, as either an abstract submitted to the Digital Poster Forum or other project proposal.
• Finding a Problem Worth Solving – A special session will leverage information learned from the 2019 PeDRA Annual Conference and the interim work of PeDRA investigators to highlight problem-based research and innovation in pediatric dermatology.
• Breakout Sessions – Bringing together Focused Study Groups and project teams to discuss new and ongoing collaborative research studies. Virtual breakout sessions were held as venues to discuss new or ongoing collaborative research projects.
• Digital Poster Forum supported by Timber Pharmaceuticals – Featuring digital posters and an on-demand highlight reel of abstracts selected for brief oral presentations. Digital posters will be discussed during the 2021 Poster Pub Crawl. This special networking event took place just after the conclusion of the keynote session. Attendees were encouraged to grab a drink and then meet in breakout rooms to view digital posters together. Each group had 10-15 attendees and two established PeDRA investigators to moderate and guide the discussion.
• Patient Engagement activities including the 2nd Camp Wonder at PeDRA. This FREE, kids-only event was hosted through a special partnership with the Children’s Skin Disease Foundation (CSDF) . Pediatric patients whose parents are attending the conference could join for 90 minutes of games, sing-alongs, and other fun virtual activities. The folks at CSDF have been running the full Camp Wonder since 2001 as a week-long escape for children with chronic and life-threatening skin diseases to take a break from being a patient and focus on being a kid. They are experts at creating fun for children and PeDRA was proud to welcome them back to this year’s conference.
• Virtual Partner Exhibits – Giving patient groups and industry partners the chance to share resources and connect with attendees.

Supporters

PeDRA is grateful to all individuals, organizations, and companies who provide funding in support of our mission. Special thanks to these supporters of the 2021 PeDRA Annual Conference:

Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by (1R13AR079894-01) from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and all co-funding support provided by National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.