Early Stage Ideas and Investigators

Overview
Childhood skin diseases are associated with a severe burden on patients, families, and healthcare providers. Despite this burden, effective treatments remain sparse, and the pace of research remains slow. To help overcome these challenges while developing the next generation of leaders in the field, the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA) is offering the Emerging Investigator Research Grants (EIRG) program to support short-term (12-week maximum) mentored research experiences for medical students and pediatric residents to conduct projects relevant to pediatric dermatology. The expectation is that awardees will complete EIRG projects during the summer (e.g., between MS1 and MS2) or another suitable time that is mutually agreed upon with a project mentor.   

Goals
The EIRG program is driven by PeDRA’s mission to create, inspire, and sustain research to prevent, treat, and cure childhood skin disease. Grants are intended to support a focused research experience that equips awardees with valuable skills and relationships, fosters interest in pediatric dermatology from a diverse cohort of applicants, and contributes meaningful research outcomes to the field of pediatric dermatology.

Priority consideration will be given to projects that address high-priority patient-centered research questions and projects that align with the focus of any of PeDRA’s Focused Study Groups. While applications are strongly encouraged from any eligible applicant conducting any relevant research, additional priority will be given to applications that support PeDRA’s commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across all facets of its organization and pediatric dermatology research. This includes projects dedicated to EDI-relevant topics and mentors and mentees from populations who are underrepresented in medicine (URiM). Diversity and inclusion strengthen the PeDRA research network and are critical to the pursuit of its mission.


Important Details

• Eligibility criteria can be found on the EIRG RFA.
• Awardees will receive $4,000 to support an in-person project or $1,500 to support a remote project, plus $1,000 to support travel to attend the 2023 PeDRA Annual Conference.
• Applications can be submitted for the following deadlines:
  • February 2, 2023
  • May 4, 2023
  • August 3, 2023

Previous EIRG Recipients

Kaylin Beiter, PhD & Anna Cristina Garza-Mayers, MD, PhD

2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant

Massachusetts General Hospital

Geomapping of Pediatric Dermatologists: A practical intervention towards health equity

Read More…

Overview
Childhood skin diseases are associated with severe burden on patients, families, and health care providers. Despite this burden, effective treatments remain sparse and the pace of research slow. To help overcome these challenges, the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA) is committed to supporting an annual competitive research grants program.

As part of this program, this year PeDRA is offering PeDRA Research Grants to support early-stage research projects where preliminary data may be lacking, and to establish infrastructure and foster collaborations that support larger-scale studies in future. Applications may be submitted by either a single investigator or multiple investigators at multiple institutions to receive:

$40,000 to be used over two years to support larger scale projects.
or
Up to $20,000 to be used over either one or two years to support more modestly sized projects requiring less financial support or smaller scale projects.

Goals
PeDRA Research Grants are driven by the mission to create, inspire, and sustain research to prevent, treat, and cure childhood skin disease. They are intended to provide financial support for early-stage studies that are unlikely to be funded elsewhere, and to provide a mentorship opportunity for both grant preparation and project execution. Ultimately, PeDRA Research Grants are expected to generate data, establish research infrastructure, and foster collaborations that form the basis for larger scale studies with a high impact on patient lives.

Important Details

• May be submitted by individuals or teams. 
• Applications due Thursday, September 21, 2023.
• Optional opportunity to submit a preliminary application by August 7, 2023 to be eligible to receive preliminary reviewer comments and discuss their applications with a representative from the PeDRA Grants Committee.

Previous Research Grant Recipients

Yakir Levin, MD, PhD

2022 Research Grant

Massachusetts General Hospital

Pilot study of novel therapy for the treatment of disfiguring congenital melanocytic nevi

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Anna Garza-Mayers, MD, PhD

2021 Research Grant

University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

Assessment of hearing and vision in pediatric vitiligo patients

Read More…

JiaDe Yu, MD

2021 Research Grant

Massachusetts General Hospital

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Popular Over the Counter Ointments in Atopic Dermatitis: A Double Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Read More…

Hazel Wilkie, PhD

2022 Research Grant

Boston Children’s Hospital

Needle-free delivery of intralesional triamcinolone for pediatric alopecia areata: a pilot study of patient tolerability

Read More…

Sonal Shah, MD

2021 Research Grant

Case Western Reserve University

Needle-free delivery of intralesional triamcinolone for pediatric alopecia areata: a pilot study of patient tolerability

Read More…

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