PeDRA Celebrates 2026 Award Winners

Lisa M. Arkin, MD, is Director of Pediatric Dermatology, Associate Professor of Dermatology, and Co-Director of the Birthmarks and Vascular Anomalies Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Her clinical and research interests span pediatric autoimmune and autoinflammatory skin diseases—including lupus, dermatomyositis, and morphea—as well as vascular anomalies. Her work focuses on improving patient outcomes through rigorous clinical phenotyping, biomarker discovery, and multidisciplinary translational research.

Dr. Arkin has led collaborative efforts between pediatric dermatology and rheumatology to define disease natural history, identify predictors of disease progression, and develop validated outcome measures that support standardized, evidence-based care. Her work in pediatric discoid lupus has advanced understanding of progression to systemic lupus erythematosus and the influence of social determinants of health on disease activity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she collaborated with the NIH COVID Human Genome Effort to investigate virus-induced type I interferon responses in the skin.

Dr. Arkin is also an internationally recognized expert in the laser treatment of vascular anomalies and has lectured widely on genotype-phenotype correlations in pediatric vascular anomalies. She is passionate about translating emerging research into practical clinical strategies that improve the care of children with complex skin disease.

Taylor is a Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in infant and pediatric feeding and swallowing and, most importantly, a mom of two, including her 7-year-old son with Gorlin syndrome. Her experience navigating Gorlin syndrome alongside her son has shaped her passion for rare disease research, advocacy, and bringing families, clinicians, and researchers together to advance care.

Taylor serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Gorlin Syndrome Alliance, where she also leads the parent and caregiver support group and supports fundraising efforts for the Gorlin community. She is a proud member of the PeDRA community and is passionate about bringing the patient and caregiver voice into research and helping foster meaningful collaboration that improves care for children and families impacted by Gorlin syndrome and all rare diseases.

Taylor earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of New Hampshire. Outside of her clinical and advocacy work, she enjoys spending time with her family—especially at the beach and on the ski slopes.

Dr. Liang is an Associate Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School and Co-Director of the Vascular Anomalies Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. She has practiced at Boston Children’s Hospital since 1999 and served as the Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship Director from 2007 to 2022. A recognized leader in the field, Dr. Liang served as President of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology from 2020 to 2021. Deeply committed to medical education, she has mentored more than 40 medical students, residents, fellows, and attending physicians throughout her career.

Dr. Aimee Smidt, MD, FAAD, FAAP, is originally from New England, and obtained her M.D. from Columbia University. She completed Pediatrics residency at Texas Children’s Hospital, followed by Dermatology residency and Pediatric Dermatology fellowship at Northwestern University. She is a Professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics at the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Medicine in Albuquerque, where she has been faculty since 2009, the Founding Director of the Vascular Anomalies Clinic since 2011, and Chair of Dermatology since 2017, when she oversaw a complete re-establishment of the Department and residency training program.

She is highly clinically productive as the only pediatric dermatologist in the state of New Mexico. She is an active member of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology (SPD), American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), American Dermatologic Association (ADA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA), and New Mexico Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery Society (NMDDSS), among others. An alumna of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program, she has held numerous leadership positions within UNM Health System and is a recognized educator locally, regionally, and nationally. She is dedicated to bringing excellent dermatologic care to rural and traditionally underserved communities, and to correcting disparities in healthcare equity through education, thoughtful use of inclusive images, and recruitment/retention of diverse providers. Her interests include Southwestern art, jewelry and design, and spending time with her husband, sons, and dogs, usually on the soccer pitch, traveling or skiing.