Emerging Investigator Research Grants Program (EIRG)

Emerging Investigator Research Grants Program (EIRG) is sponsored by Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA). The EIRG program supports short-term (12-week maximum) mentored research experiences for medical students and pediatric residents to conduct projects relevant to pediatric dermatology.

Emerging Investigator Research Grants Program - PeDRA Emerging Investigator Research Grants Program 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, pediatric residents, and recent graduates 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. 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 broad cohort of applicants, and contributes meaningful research outcomes to the field of pediatric dermatology. Priority consideration will be given to mentored research projects that demonstrate meaningful and sustained engagement with the patient advocacy community.

Additional priority will be given to projects that align with the scientific focus, strategic priorities, and ongoing initiatives of PeDRA’s Focused Study Groups. 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 PeDRA Annual Conference.

Applications are due at 11:59 PM PT on: Thursday, April 16, 2026 (past) Thursday, October 22, 2026 View the RFA Online Application Grants & Fellowships Guidelines Puberty and pregnancy outcomes following systemic JAK inhibitor exposure in pediatric patients Sanaz Lordfard & Cathryn Sibbald, MD 2026 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Toward Consensus in Pediatric Androgenetic Alopecia: A Delphi Study Riddhi Patel & Ilka Netravali, MD, PhD 2026 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Evaluating the Impact of Statewide Indoor Tanning Bans on Pediatric Melanoma Incidence in the United States from 2002 to 2023 David Perez & Elena Hawryluk, MD, PhD & Rebecca Hartman, MD, MPH, FAAD 2026 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Camp Navigator: A Pilot Implementation Study to Improve Access to Camp Discovery Hayden Schandua & Moise Levy, MD University of Texas at Austin 2026 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Expanding Pediatric Acne Epidemiologic Research: Validation of Automated Feature Extraction from Clinical Notes Courtney Smith & Marcia Hogeling, MD University of California, Los Angeles 2026 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Improving Equity in Pediatric Dermatology: A Geospatial Approach to Access and Resource Allocation Clayton Frazier & Thy Huynh, MD and Sarah Asch, MD University of Mississippi Medical Center 2025 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Administration Behaviors for Injectable Biologics in Dermatology: A Multi-Center Survey Study Bryanna McGowan Sullivan & Amy Paller, MD 2025 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Mapping AIRE in Alopecia Areata Skin Biopsies Zain Ul Abideen & Ryan Hobbs, PhD Pennsylvania State University 2025 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Defining Immune Cell Reprogramming in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis After Dupilumab Treatment Using High-Dimensional Spectral Flow Cytometry Jerry Zhou & Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 2025 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Understanding non-prescription strategies for managing pediatric atopic dermatitis Hannah Chang & Raegan Hunt, MD, PhD Baylor College of Medicine 2025 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Developing a Point-of-Care Diagnostic Test for Pediatric Onychomycosis and Tinea Capitis Roya Rochell & Jillian Rork, MD 2025 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Development of Epidermolysis Bullosa Patient-Derived Skin Organoids Aaron Gabriel Sandoval, MPhil, MSc & Jennifer Huang, MD & Karl Koehler, PhD 2025 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Evaluating Novel Diagnostic Generative AI Models for Evaluation (ENDGAME) of Pediatric Alopecia: A Comparative Study of Scarring and Non-Scarring Types Benjamin Stone & Albert Yan, MD, FAAP, FAAD Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 2025 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Special thanks to Sanofi & Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for their support of the 2025 EIRG Program .

Investigating the Prevalence of Inborn Errors of Immunity and Treatment Responses in Pediatric Alopecia Areata: A Multi-Site Study Alicia Edwards & Leslie Castelo-Soccio, MD, PhD National Institutes of Health 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Generative AI Tools: Evaluating Ways to Automate Your SALT (GATEWAYS) Scoring of Alopecia Radhika Gupta & Albert Yan, MD Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Keeping up with Gen Z: Identifying and Validating Impactful Skincare Trends in Pediatric Dermatology Elyse Mackenzie, BS & Emily Gorell, DO University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Genetic Characterization and Phenotypic Correlation of Severe Blistering Mucocutaneous Reactions Santanna Patterson & Beth Drolet, MD University of Wisconsin School 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Enhancing Shared Decision Making in Pediatric Dermatology: Developing and Pilot Testing a Decision Aid for Pulsed Dye Laser Treatment Carly Stevens, MD & Carrie Coughlin, MD, MPHS Washington University in St.

Louis 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant An Analysis of Local Treatment Avenues for Cutaneous and Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis Joy Xu & Jonathan Glass, MD Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Non-Invasive Genomic Testing of Large and Giant Congenital Nevi Racquel Bitar & Elena Hawryluk, MD, PhD Massachusetts General Hospital 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Mapping the CMN Removal Journey: Insights from Patients, Families, and Clinicians Yuliya Kozina & Carrie Coughlin, MD, MPHS Washington University in St.

Louis 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Risk Factors of Central Line Dressing Skin Reactions in Hospitalized Children: Evaluation and Management Consensus Using Delphi Methodology Carly Mulinda, Christine Lauren, MD, MHA & Maria Garzon, MD 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant A Comprehensive Review of Cutaneous Mosaic RASopathies in Pediatric Patients Sneha Rangu & Leslie Castelo-Soccio, MD, PhD National Institutes of Health 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Retrospective Review of Quality of Life Instrument for Pediatric Vascular Malformations Carolena Steinberg & Joyce Teng, MD, PhD 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Advancing Laser Therapies for Pediatric Dermatology: Enhancing Safety and Efficacy in Skin of Color Alejandra Moncayo, MPH & Jeannette Jakus, MD, MBA 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Retrospective Review of Pyoderma Gangrenosum in Pediatric Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa Vince Wu, HBSc & Rebecca Levy, MD The Hospital for Sick Children 2024 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Special thanks to AbbVie and Sanofi & Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for their support of the 2024 EIRG Program .

Geomapping of Pediatric Dermatologists: A practical intervention towards health equity Kaylin Beiter, PhD & Anna Cristina Garza-Mayers, MD, PhD Massachusetts General Hospital 2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Jordan Bui, Dawn Siegel, MD, & Sheligah Maguiness, MD Georgetown University, Stanford University, and the University of Minnesota 2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Imaging Analysis of Facial Atrophy in Patients with Pediatric Morphea Cheri Chambers, PhD & Heather Brandling-Bennett, MD Seattle Children’s Hospital and University of Washington 2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Understanding patient-reported outcomes in pediatric patients receiving systemic therapies for atopic dermatitis Hannah Chang & Joy Wan, MD, MSCE 2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Quality of Life Survey in Patients with Down Syndrome and Dermatologic Conditions Morgan Dykman & Jillian Rork, MD Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic 2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Pediatric Hidradenitis Suppurativa Grace Okpali & Colleen Cotton, MD Rush Medical College and Children’s National Hospital 2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Equitable Access to Sunscreen as Skin Cancer Primary Prevention for Children from Low-Income Families: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Celine Schreidah, Christine Lauren, MD, & Larisa Geskin, MD 2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant The Influence of Childhood Experiences on Exacerbations of Atopic Dermatitis Kennedy Sparling, Harper Price, MD, & Judith O’Haver, PhD, RN University of Arizona & Phoenix Children’s Hospital 2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Transition Readiness in Patients with Cutaneous Skin Diseases: A Prospective Observational Study Haleh Zabihi & Cathryn Sibbald, MD The Hospital for Sick Children 2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Novel Use of Oral Minoxidil in Pediatric Alopecia Patients Diana Zarowin & Brittany Craiglow, MD 2023 Emerging Investigator Research Grant Special thanks to AbbVie and Sanofi & Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for their support of the 2023 EIRG Program.

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