
PeDRA offers a mentorship program for trainees, early career, and mid-career clinician-scientists interested in developing their skill set and growing their network to advance their careers in pediatric dermatology research. The program is designed to foster meaningful relationships between early investigators and more established investigators in the field. These relationships are intended to build the professional networks of burgeoning clinician scientists, while also providing career development training and advancing active and future research.
Enrollment for the 2022-2023 mentorship program is now closed. If you’d like to be placed on a waiting list for a mentor, please contact PeDRA’s Associate Director of Educational Programs.
The 2023-2024 cycle will open in later summer 2023.
Email Jenn Dawson, Associate Director of Educational Programs with questions about the mentorship program.
How it works
- The program begins in October 2022 and ends in September 2023.
- Matches have the option to renew for one additional year.
- Mentees must reach out to mentors to initiate meeting scheduling.
- A minimum of 3 meetings is required. Meetings may take place in-person or virtually.
- Graduate or medical students, postdocs, and residents, and will automatically be placed into mentorship groups.
- Pediatric dermatology fellows, early career, and mid-career mentees have the option of being part of a mentorship group.
Mentee Eligibility
- Must be an Active or Trainee PeDRA Member in good standing.
- Must be less than 15 years out of training, this includes: trainees – medical students, graduate students, postdocs, residents, and fellows.
Mentor Eligibility
- Must be an Active PeDRA Member in good standing.
- Graduate students, postdocs, residents and pediatric dermatology fellows have the option of serving as a mentor to a medical student mentorship group (2-5 students).
- Early investigators (less than 7 years out of training) have the option to mentor residents and/or pediatric dermatology fellows.
- Mid-career and senior-career investigators may mentor trainees and/or early investigators.
Nominate Your Mentor for a PeDRA Award
Do you want to recognize your mentor for their incredible guidance and support? We are currently seeking nominations for Mentor of the Year, along with Volunteer of the Year, and Community Member of the Year. Nominations are due August 10, 2023.
Mentorship Resources
Testimonials
Throughout my recent submission of an NIH R21, I was able to bounce ideas off Dr. Paller and get valuable feedback on everything from how to write the grant, to content, to appropriate budgeting. Dr. Paller even agreed to serve as a consultant on my grant!

Jeff Yu, MD
2019-2021 MenteeWhat a pleasure to have regular meetings with Jeff and talk research and careers. He’s well on his way to success as a physician-scientist and I am sure that I learned so much more from him than he did from me.

Amy Paller, MD
2019-2021 MentorIn this brief testimonial, Dr. Colleen Cotton shares her experiences with the PeDRA Mentorship Program. She discusses the way mentors over the years have helped shape her career and achieve important goals. Watch below.

Colleen Cotton, MD
2019-2021 MenteeIf you are interested in joining the mentee waitlist, please email Jenn Dawson.