2026 NextGen Research Forum

Medical students and research fellows are eligible to apply for the 6th Annual NextGen Research Forum, providing them with an opportunity to expand their networks, develop relevant skills, and present their research during the conference. The Forum is co-chaired by Elena Hawryluk, MD, PhD of Harvard University and Joseph Lam, MD of the University of British Columbia, along with other faculty moderators.

The Forum will include a panel discussion and reception on the evening of Friday, October 16, and a morning session on Saturday, October 17. The session will feature oral presentations from selected students and interactive learning opportunities.

Please review the guidelines below and scroll to the bottom of this page to submit your application.

Jump to NextGen Application Form

Application Process
  • All medical students and research fellows interested in attending the 2026 PeDRA Annual Conference must apply for and be accepted into the NextGen Research Forum.
  • The deadline to apply for the NextGen Research Forum is 11:59 PM PT on Thursday, July 2, 2026.

 

Eligibility Requirements
  • Applicants must be a Medical Student Member and or Research Fellow of PeDRA and either currently enrolled in an accredited medical and/or graduate school program or a recent graduate prior to the start of residency. Membership is $25. Apply here.  NextGen applicants should apply for PeDRA membership no later than Friday, June 5, 2026 to be considered.
  • Recipients of PeDRA Research Fellowships or Emerging Investigator Research Grants must complete this application form even if the terms of their award require participation at a PeDRA Annual Conference.
  • Applicants are required to submit a letter of recommendation from a mentor or supervisor. This mentor or supervisor does NOT need to be a PeDRA member, but should be someone who can speak to the applicant’s interest in pediatric dermatology research.
  • Applicants are required to submit a CV or NIH-style biosketch. For a 5-minute tutorial about writing a biosketch, please click here.
  • Applicants must include an abstract for a proposed, active, or completed research project as part of their application. Everyone accepted into the NextGen Research Forum will have the opportunity to share their abstract as a poster during the PeDRA Annual Conference and a select number of abstracts will be chosen for oral presentations during the Forum on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Additional abstracts may be submitted through the main abstract submission form after applicants are accepted into the Forum.

 

Other Information
  • Upon acceptance into NextGen, all students and research fellows will be eligible to register for conference and submit an additional abstract for consideration as a poster. Further information and instructions will be included in the acceptance email.
  • Awardees will receive a $300 NextGen Travel Stipend to support their travel to the conference, and their conference registration fee will be waived.
  • Students and research fellows are not eligible for additional travel support from PeDRA to attend the conference.
  • The submission of this form serves as the applicant’s NextGen Travel Stipend application for the conference.

 

 Important Dates
  • June 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT: Deadline to apply for PeDRA membership (if not already a member).
  • July 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT: Deadline to apply for the NextGen Research Forum.
  • July 23, 2026: Notification of acceptance into the NextGen Research Forum.

 

Questions?

If you have questions or encounter any trouble with the form, please email conference@pedraresearch.org.

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