In 2022, the 10th PeDRA Annual Conference is expected to bring together more than 350 participants—including dedicated scientists, industry partners, patients, and advocates—to learn, share, and advance research that improves the lives of children facing the burden of skin disease. Whether you’re a longtime PeDRA member, parent of a child with skin disease, or considering research in the field for the first time, don’t miss the 2022 PeDRA Annual Conference on November 3-5 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.
The 10th PeDRA Annual Conference is being planned as a hybrid event with a focus on in-person engagement and the option to participate virtually.
Add the 2022 PeDRA Annual conference to your calendar
Highlights
- Reimagining Community – The conference will kick-off with a look at the past, present, and future of the pediatric dermatology research community along with an energizing audience activity.
- Chasing My Cure – Keynote session featuring David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, who will share his experience building the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network, creating a community of scientists, and fostering a paradigm-shifting economic model for clinical research.
- Finding Your Purpose – Featured speaker, Vic Strecher, PhD, MPH from the University of Michigan will speak on leveraging collective genius and purpose to break down barriers and create breakthroughs with collaborative research.
- Saturday morning focus on NIH – PeDRA will welcome the new director of NIAMS, Lindsey Criswell, MD, MPH, DSc, for a featured presentation to be followed by a plenary session on the community of resources at NIH.
- Introducing Yourself to Your Community – The 2022 Early Investigator Forum will welcome back Melissa Marshall for a dynamic session that prepares early investigators for the all-important elevator pitch. Please note that the 2022 EI Forum is closed to students or other trainees prior to graduating from medical school. Students and recent graduates are encouraged to participate in the NextGen Research Forum instead of the EI Forum.
- 2nd Annual NextGen Research Forum – Students and recent graduates will have the chance to present research and gain valuable career guidance. Applications are no longer being accepted.
- Skill-Building Workshops led by expert moderators on Grant Writing, Building your Clinical Trial Toolkit, and Addressing Health Disparities Through Research.
- Breakout Sessions – Focused Study Groups and project teams will come together to discuss new and ongoing collaborative research studies.
- Original Research – shared during two poster receptions and as oral presentations of selected abstracts.
- Patient Engagement activities, including the 3rd Camp Wonder at PeDRA being hosted by the Children’s Skin Disease Foundation, giving patient stakeholders and scientists the chance to connect to make an impact on pediatric dermatology research.
- 2022 Dash for Discovery Fun Run/Walk – giving runners and walkers of all ages and abilities the chance support pediatric dermatology research while staying healthy and having fun.
- Partner Exhibits – Patient groups and industry partners will share resources and connect with attendees.
- View the full agenda here.
Conference Chairs
Michele Ramien, MD
University of Calgary
Chair
Lisa Arkin, MD
University of Wisconsin
Vice Chair
Chairs plan the PeDRA Annual Conference with critical leadership and support from the PeDRA Meetings Committee
Registration
| Category | In-person / Early (through Oct. 6) | In-person / Late (through Oct. 26) | Virtual / Early (through Oct. 6) | Virtual / Late (through Oct. 26) |
| Active or Affiliate Member (established) | $195 | $215 | $150 | $175 |
| Active or Affiliate Member (<2 years out of training) | $50 | $75 | $35 | $35 |
| Trainee Member | $50 | $75 | $35 | $35 |
| Patient stakeholders | $50 | $75 | $35 | $35 |
| Industry Representative | $495 | $515 | $450 | $475 |
| Non-member | $295 | $315 | $175 | $225 |
No on-site registration will be available. Please send us an email with any questions.
Cancellation Policy
Individuals who have registered for the conference and no longer wish to attend for any reason* must submit cancellation requests by email to conference@pedraresearch.org. Full or partial refunds will be granted according to the following schedule:
- Through September 19: The full registration fee will be refunded following the conference.
- September 20 – October 19: Registration fee, less a $100 administrative fee**, will be refunded following the conference.
- October 20 or later: No refund will be provided.**
*The same refund schedule will apply regardless of the reason for cancellation. No exceptions will be made, including positive COVID tests. Attendees are encouraged to obtain travel insurance to offset the costs of potential cancellation.
**If the registration category is less than the $100 administrative fee, there will be no refund, nor will further charges be assessed.
Hotel and Travel
Conference Location:
Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Road
Rockville, MD 20852
Tel: 301-822-9200
The room rate at the Marriott is $179 single/double, plus applicable sales/lodging taxes (currently at 13%). Click here to make your room reservation before Wednesday, October 19, 2022. Please consider staying at the Marriott property over alternatives in the area. Doing so will keep attendees in the PeDRA spirit throughout the event, while reducing exposure and allowing PeDRA to receive reduced rental fees for use of the event space. Thank you!
Getting There:
Attendees can fly into any of the three DC area airports. We recommend that you use a ride-share service or shuttle unless you have activities planned outside the conference schedule. If you’re flying into the Ronald Regan Washington National Airport (DCA) you can also take the DC Metro.
You can easily take the DC Metro to the hotel from DCA. Take the Blue Line from DCA towards New Carrollton. Transfer from the Blue Line to the Red Line at Metro Center Metro Station. Take the Red Line towards Shady Grove. Arrive at North Bethesda Metro Station located on Marinelli Road. Walk West on Marinelli Road .2 miles and arrive at the hotel.
The hotel has overnight parking at the rate of $19 in the parking lot adjacent to the hotel. Local attendees can park in the conference center parking lot that is adjacent to the conference hotel located on Executive Boulevard. The conference center parking lot is free for the first two hours and then the economical rate is scaled depending on the length of your stay.
Travel Scholarships:
PeDRA is offering a limited number of scholarships for Trainee Members and Active or Affiliate Members who are fewer than 2 years out of training to facilitate their in-person participation at the 2022 PeDRA Annual Conference. Interested members must submit application materials as part as their conference registration on the conference platform. The deadline to apply to for a travel scholarship was Friday, September 9, and applications are currently under review by the PeDRA Meetings Committee. Applicants will be notified by Friday, September 30. Send us an email with any questions. Travel Scholarships will provide free conference registration and up to $600 to cover travel expenses for those traveling to Bethesda or up to $100 to cover expenses for local attendees. To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be PeDRA Members in good standing, and all non-local recipients must also stay at the conference headquarters – the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.
PeDRA is committed to enhancing equity, diversity, and inclusion across all of its programs, including the Annual Conference. 2022 PeDRA Annual Conference Travel Scholarships are intended to provide access to the conference to trainees and new investigators from all backgrounds including, but not limited to, underrepresented minorities in medicine (URiM). Please email conference@pedraresearch.org with any questions.
COVID 19 Safety:
PeDRA is committed to providing a safe space for conference attendees with varying levels of comfort and vulnerability to the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic/endemic. The following measures will be put in place:
- Registered in-person attendees will be asked to complete a rapid COVID-19 test before traveling to the conference*. Anyone testing positive for COVID-19 should follow CDC health and safety guidelines and plan to attend the conference virtually.
- In-person attendees will be encouraged to wear a mask while in the audience during general sessions and during other activities that do not require them to speak.
- In-person attendees are encouraged to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, however no proof of vaccination will be required.
- A limited number of rapid COVID-19 tests will be available for free on-site for anyone experiencing symptoms.
*This request will be made as a courtesy to other attendees. No proof of test results will be required.
Abstracts and Posters
The abstract submission deadline was Friday, September 9, and abstracts are currently under review by the PeDRA Outcomes Committee. Submitting authors will be notified by Friday, September 30. Authors are encouraged to carefully review PeDRA’s 2022 abstract submission guidelines for more information on important dates or send us an email with any questions.
Special Events
NextGen Research Forum
Now in its second year, this Forum is provided as an opportunity for students and research graduates to grow their networks, develop relevant skill, and present their research during the PeDRA Annual Conference. The 2022 NextGen Research Forum will be co-chaired by Keith Choate, MD, PhD of Yale University and Lara Wine Lee, MD, PhD of the Medical University of South Carolina, and supported by other established PeDRA investigators as moderators.
The Forum will include a panel discussion on the evening of Thursday, November 3 and a breakfast session on the morning of Friday, November 4. The breakfast session will feature a career-journey presentation from Jillian Rork, MD, oral presentations from selected trainee abstracts, and the opportunity for all trainees to give short presentations or elevator pitches on a research project 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 will be given to participants who have a project for presentation during the Forum.
It is PeDRA’s intention to include all interested trainees in the NextGen Research Forum. However, applications are required for space and scheduling purposes and to verify trainee eligibility. The deadline to apply to the NextGen Research Forum was Friday, September 9, and applications are currently under review. Applicants will be notified by Friday, September 30. Send us an email with any questions.
Dash for Discovery fun run/walk
In 2022, PeDRA will hold its second-ever fun run to give runners and walkers of all ages and abilities the chance to support research and collaboration in the field of pediatric dermatology with their choice of a 5K fun run/walk or a child-friendly 1-mile run/walk.
The 2022 Dash will take place as a hybrid event, giving in-person attendees at the 2022 PeDRA Annual Conference the option to join a pace group led by a PeDRA leader on one of many routes departing from the conference hotel, and virtual participants the chance to run or walk a course of their own design. Participants are encouraged to make the 2022 Dash whatever they want they want it to be, while knowing they’re running alongside a proud community pursuing the shared goal of ending the burden of childhood skin disease through research.
Camp Wonder at PeDRA
This FREE, kids-only event is being hosted through a special partnership with the Children’s Skin Disease Foundation (CSDF) . Pediatric patients whose parents are attending the conference in person can join for 3 hours of games, sing-alongs, and other fun activities in a safe and welcoming environment. Help spread the word by sharing the Camp Wonder at PeDRA flyer with your patients.
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 is proud to welcome them back to this year’s conference.
Parents or adult caregivers should indicate their child’s interest in joining Camp Wonder at PeDRA when registering for the Annual Conference, and follow the provided link to full camp registration form. Registrations are now being accepted with a deadline of Friday, October 14.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout sessions will be held throughout the conference as venues to discuss new or ongoing collaborative research projects. Breakout sessions at the 2022 conference will include:
- Acne & HS
- Atopic Dermatitis & Psoriasis
- Birthmarks
- Connective Tissue & Autoinflammatory Disorders
- Cross-Cutting Research
- Drugs & Bugs
- Genetic Skin Disorders
- Hair Disorders
- Neonatal Skin Care
- Patient-Focused Breakout Session
- Skin of Color & Pigmentary Disorders
- Skin Tumors and Reactions to Cancer Therapies (STARC)
Please note that breakout sessions will not be used for presentations of final results. To request time on the agenda during a breakout session please email us.
Partnering
The 2022 conference will provide many partnership opportunities for industry and patient advocacy organizations. Please review the 2022 Annual Conference Partnership Prospectus for available opportunities.
Supporters
Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by (1R13AR082270-01) from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).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.
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Last updated September 21, 2022
To learn more about previous annual conferences click here.