Geomapping of Pediatric Dermatologists: A practical intervention towards health equity

Overview

Pediatric dermatology (PD) is a medical subspecialty that is often challenging for patients and families to access. This disparity in access is worse for individuals from racial and ethnic minority communities, especially with Medicaid insurance. Moreover, when individuals from these communities are able to access care, they are unlikely to be treated by a physician with a shared demographic background. The goal of our project is to first minimize barriers to accessing PD care via geomapping of all Pediatric Dermatologists in the country along with their contact information and accepted insurance plans. In addition, we seek to provide this information to medical students in order to improve mentorship within the PD subspecialty. In particular, we will assess whether institutions with PD faculty also provide financial support for formal elective rotations for medical students from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds in order to enhance their mentorship and eventual entry into Pediatric Dermatology.

Status

This project was funded through a 2023 PeDRA Emerging Investigator Research Grant.