Quality Improvement Initiative: Bridging the Inflammatory Dermatosis Care Divide with Teledermatology Grant Program

Quality Improvement Initiative: Bridging the Inflammatory Dermatosis Care Divide with Teledermatology Grant Program is sponsored by George Washington University (GW) and Pfizer Global Medical Grants. This program awards grants to expand community-based teledermatology services in underserved communities, focusing on improving access to dermatologic care, digital health equity, and dermatology education.

The initiative builds on GW's existing teledermatology help desk model.

George Washington University/Pfizer Global Medical Collaborative Awards Two Grants to Expand Teledermatology Programs in Underserved Communities | Dermatology | GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences George Washington University/Pfizer Global Medical Collaborative Awards Two Grants to Expand Teledermatology Programs in Underserved Communities The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, in collaboration with Pfizer Global Medical Grants, today announced the recipients of two grants supporting the expansion of GW’s Teledermatology clinic model in underserved communities across the United States.

In 2026, these grants will reach underserved communities in the Bronx and Los Angeles. “We are proud to continue our support of the GW/Pfizer Global Medical Collaborative through these new grants, which expand access to high‑quality dermatologic care in communities where health disparities remain significant,” said Adam Friedman, MD, chair of the Department of Dermatology and residency program director at GW SMHS.

“Our ongoing free telehealth clinic and health fair program now at the Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, DC has demonstrated that thoughtfully designed, community‑based teledermatology can meaningfully improve patient access, digital literacy, and health outcomes.

Building on that success, we are excited to deepen and expand partnerships with additional institutions to help more at‑risk populations obtain timely, effective, and equitable dermatologic care.

” Funded by Pfizer Global Medical Grants, the recipients of the 2026 “Quality Improvement Initiative: Bridging the Inflammatory Dermatosis Care Divide with Teledermatology Grant Program” are: Reimagining the Teledermatology Help Desk: A Community-Embedded FQHC Model to Advance Digital Health Equity in Teledermatology Led by Rithu Srikantha, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Montefiore-Einstein College of Medicine, this program will establish a community-accessible teledermatology help desk capable of capturing and uploading high-quality skin images and facilitating synchronous teledermatology visits.

This initiative will also serve as a health education touchpoint offering bilingual, low-literacy visual aids and handouts on eczema care and telehealth use through Montefiore Comprehensive Health Care Center clinics to support awareness and walk-in engagement.

In addition to improving digital health literacy, the program aims to enhance patient self-management by improving symptom-tracking, recognition of personalized disease insights like flare patterns, setting skincare goals, and expanding access to dermatologist-approved educational content through the organization’s EczemaXCel platform, particularly for patients with eczema and atopic dermatitis.

USC Dermmunity Telemedicine Initiative Led by Nada Elbuluk, MD, MSc, professor of clinical dermatology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, founder and director of USC Skin of Color & Pigmentary Disorders Program, her team will continue its work supporting the USC Dermmunity Teledermatology Initiative (DTI), a community-based program created in partnership with Faithful Central Bible Church located in Los Angeles County.

Previously funded through the GW/Pfizer Global Medical Collaborative grants program, the initiative delivers telehealth service and dermatology education to underserved and minority communities. In a study of its participants, nearly 80 percent had never seen a dermatologist or used telehealth before and nearly 100 percent reported satisfaction with their telemedicine experience.

Additionally, 90 percent said the program improved their comfort with telemedicine, and 96 percent reported a better understanding of how to access dermatologic care in the future. With this new funding, the program will expand by partnering with additional grassroots community organizations to deliver culturally competent dermatology care and education to communities of color across greater Los Angeles.

Grant Program Based on GWU’s Teledermatology Help Desk Clinic model The grant program is designed as an expansion of a current program run by GW which focuses on neighborhoods in Wards 7 & 8 of Washington, D. C. , areas with limited access to dermatologic care.

GW first established a pilot telehealth help desk at the Temple of Praise Church, a community anchor with a membership of more than 15,000. The program was designed to complement the church’s existing outreach efforts and provide accessible, community-based dermatologic care to residents in need.

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