
PeDRA is a vibrant organization made up of over 700 individuals driven by the mission to create, inspire, and sustain research to prevent, treat, and cure childhood skin disease. The purpose of the PeDRA Member Spotlight is to recognize PeDRA members’ accomplishments and their service and contributions to the field of pediatric dermatology research; inspire future pediatric dermatology clinician-scientists; highlight the diversity of our membership; and strengthen awareness of the field of pediatric dermatology research.
Featured Members

Morgan Dykman
March 2023
Morgan Dykman is a third-year medical student at the University of Minnesota and our current PeDRA Fellow. As the PeDRA Fellow, she is fortunate to have many opportunities, including representing PeDRA at meetings and events. She recently attended the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting and shares her experience as a first-time attendee.
Read Morgan’s recap of AAD here, view her experience through photos and videos on PeDRA’s Instagram in the events highlight, and learn more about Morgan on Getting to Know You.

Maria Teresa García-Romero, MD, MPH
February 2023
Maria Teresa García-Romero, MD, MPH was interviewed by @HCPLive® to discuss her team’s recent development of the Morphea Activity Measure (MAM), a clinical tool designed for determining pediatric localized scleroderma (morphea).
Watch the interview to learn more about Dr. García-Romero’s work and check out the publication to learn more about this study.


Amy Paller, MD and Andrea Rustad
January 2023
Two of our dedicated PeDRA members, Amy Paller, MD and Andrea Rustad, fourth-year medical student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, recently published a children’s book, Skin-Vincible, in collaboration with the Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types. Through the experiences of its main character, Cece, this book addresses skin differences and how to cope with bullies.
Watch our interview with the authors to learn how this book was made and why it’s an important tool for parents, teachers, and children in addressing bullying and differences.
Learn More About Our Community
PeDRA Community Spotlight
Each quarter, PeDRA shines a light on a different patient advocacy organization, highlighting the incredible work they do to support patients and families, and the important role they play in research.
PeDRA Getting To Know You
In this series of video interviews you can learn how our leaders, investigators, trainees, staff, and patient partners got where they are today, and entertaining tidbits about who they are outside of work.