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/Pfizer Global Medical Grants. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

# Quality Improvement Grant Request for Proposals # Bridging the Inflammatory Dermatosis Care Divide with Teledermatology Grant Program Introduction and Background: Pfizer Global Medical Grants and The George Washington University (GWU) are proud to announce the renewal of their successful collaborative grant opportunity focused on broad implementation of the Teledermatology Help Desk Clinic model in underserved areas across the United States (US) as a means to expand access to quality-based care for Inflammatory Dermatoses including Atopic Dermatitis (AD) and other inflammatory dermatologic conditions.

Dermatologic disease affects millions of people worldwide placing a substantial burden on patients, the healthcare system and society. Affecting more than 30 million children and adults in the US, AD is one of the most prevalent skin disorders.

Quality of life of those suffering from AD is impacted not only due to unremitting severe itching, disturbed sleep, and capability to concentrate, but also because of social stigmas associated with a noticeable skin disorder. Specific populations are at greatest risk for physical, emotional, and financial losses associated with inflammatory dermatoses.

It is well established that there are significant racial disparities in health care and disease burden. The underlying causes of health disparities are complex and include social and structural determinants of health, racism and discrimination, economic and educational disadvantages, health care access and quality, individual behavior, and biology.

Delayed access to care can result from a wide array of additional factors, from patients being worried about cost, the office or clinic was not open when needed, patient did not have transportation, patient had to wait too long to see physician, patient could not afford prescriptions, patient was unable to reach physician on telephone, and patient was unable to get an appointment soon all contribute to this burden.

Telemedicine has emerged as a critical component of dermatology care delivery as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and will hopefully be so for the foreseeable future. However, improved technology access and literacy, healthcare professional training in identifying disease via telemedicine in all skin tones, and quality of care metrics are sorely needed to optimize telemedicine.

It is critical and equally important to provide accessible patient education on telemedicine best practices and on long term management strategy of their disease in tandem with quality dermatologic care.

2 The Department of Dermatology at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, with the support of Pfizer, offers this Request for Proposals (RFP) for the implementation of an established Teledermatology Help Desk/Free Clinic model in underserved U.S. based areas in collaboration with a Grantee Advisory Committee.

The Teledermatology Help Desk/Free Clinic is an in-person, recurring program held at an accessible and central location within the target community (i.e.: church, community center) where participants learn how to access a patient portal, optimize their phone/tablet, download beneficial health applications, and are educated on telehealth best practices.

Attendees also receive curated health resources for inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, as well as undergo a telehealth visit with a dermatologist or dermatology resident with the support of a volunteer telehealth visit facilitator (medical student or community volunteer).

For additional background on both the grant program and clinic model, please see the following videos: Grant Program Accepting Applications, Seeks to Bridge Care Gap in Inflammatory Dermatoses , Adam Friedman, MD: Discussing How Telemedicine can Address Disparities in Care (hcplive. com) and Addressing Disparities in Atopic Dermatitis Through Teledermatology (dermatologytimes. com) .

Institutional review board approved data collection on patient metrics, patient satisfaction, and patient reported outcomes are encouraged. Workflows and training modules will be provided to successful grant applicants to assist in the delivery of the initiative, though new approaches and tools are welcome, and a grant advisory committee will be integrated into the grant period to provide guidance and support.

Pfizer’s Global Medical Grants competitive grant program involves this publicly posted RFP that provides detail regarding a specific area of interest, sets timelines for review and approval. Organizations are invited to submit an application addressing the specific underserved communities as outlined in the specific RFP.

Specific Areas of Interest for this RFP: The intent of this RFP is to encourage organizations to submit a quality improvement project that aims to achieve quality improvement for Healthcare Practitioners (HCPs) that treat medical dermatology conditions.

Programs to help HCPs meet the needs of patients with medical dermatologic conditions through telemedicine best practices and long-term management strategy of their disease in tandem with quality dermatologic care will be considered.

Programs would focus on: 1) The education of HCPs regarding effective implementation of telehealth in their practice in combination with the development, implementation, and/or optimization of innovative or existing tools designed to facilitate diagnosis, treatment and shared decision making in a remote interaction between underserved patients and HCPs will be considered.

2) This program will improve dermatologists’ ability to: a) Partner and collaborate with community stakeholders 3 b) Train students, dermatology residents, and faculty on telemedicine best practices and clinical diagnosis during synchronous virtual visits c) Recruit, engender trust and educate those with the greatest need to access d) Identify strategies to sustain community-based care interventions to provide ongoing It is not the intent of this RFP to support clinical research projects.

Projects evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic diagnostic agents will not be considered. Generation of patient reported outcomes associated with implementation of aforementioned teledermatology are encouraged. Funding Range and Project Length: Individual projects requesting up to a maximum of $250,000 will be considered.

One grant application will be selected for the award.

Anticipated Approximate Project Start and End Dates: March 2026 – September 2027 (maximum project length is 18 months) Eligibility and Applicant Criteria: The following may apply: Organizations with expertise in the care and treatment of patients with inflammatory skin conditions, including medical, nursing, allied health, and/or pharmacy professional schools; healthcare institutions (both large and small); professional associations and medical societies; medical education companies; and other entities with a mission related to healthcare professional education and/or healthcare improvement.

If the project involves multiple departments within an institution and/or between different institutions / organizations / associations, all institutions must have a relevant role and the requesting organization must have a key role in the project. Organizations are encouraged to have collaborators such as community partners who may serve a crucial role.

Applicants are encouraged to detail project sustainability plans following the grant period. Only organizations are eligible to receive grants, not individuals or physician-owned medical practice groups/private clinics.

DERMATOLOGY: Atopic Dermatitis and Alopecia Areata and other inflammatory conditions 4 Project evaluation: Expert Review Panel (ERP): The ERP will be led by Dr. Adam Friedman of the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Department of Dermatology and comprised of and/or will consult with professionals from the medical community with advanced degrees and expertise in dermatology, telemedicine, community engagement.

The amount of the grant that Pfizer will fund for any project will depend upon the ERP’s evaluation of the proposal and costs involved and will be stated clearly in the approval notification. The ERP will evaluate the applicants for a quality improvement teledermatology project. • RFP Release Date: October 6, 2025 • Proposal Due Date: November 11, 2025 • Please note the deadline is 23:59 Eastern Standard Time (e.g., New York, GMT -5).

• Anticipated Grant Award Notification Date: January 14, 2026 • Grants will be distributed following a fully executed agreement. • Anticipated Project Start and End Dates: March 2026 to September 2027 (Projects may be shorter but no longer than 18 months maximum ) • Note: Please read this section carefully since applications submitted not following these instructions will not be accepted and will be cancelled “Create your password”.

[Note: there are individual portals for each grant application type. Please be sure to use the URL above.] • Click the "Start a New Quality Improvement Application" button.

o For the question “Competitive Grant? ” select Yes o Select the following Competitive Grant Program Name: 2026 I&I US QI GWU Teledermatology o Select the following Primary Area of Interest: Inflammatory - General/Non specific/Other - QI • Requirements for submission: o Complete all required sections of the online application and upload your project proposal (see Appendix) in the Full Proposal Submission field.

o If you encounter any technical difficulties with the website, please click the “Technical Questions” link at the bottom of the page. IMPORTANT: Be advised applications submitted after the due date will not be reviewed. 5 If you have questions regarding this RFP, please direct them in writing to the Grant Officer, Talita Honorato-Rzeszewicz ( Talita.

honorato-rzeszewicz@pfizer. com ), with the subject line “2026 I&I US QI GWU Teledermatology . ” If your grant is approved, your institution will be required to enter into a written grant agreement with Pfizer.

Please click here to view the core terms of the agreement. Pfizer has drafted the terms of these agreements to be balanced and reasonable and to further the goals of both parties.

Negotiating grant agreements requires significant resources, so please ensure that your institution (including your legal department) is able and willing to abide by these terms before proceeding with submission of your application as they will need to be accepted in their entirety. Payment will only be made to requesting Institution.

Mechanism by which Applicants will be Notified: All applicants will be notified via email by the dates noted above. Applicants may be asked for additional clarification during the review period. 6 Silverberg JI, Simpson EL.

Association between severe eczema in children and multiple comorbid conditions and increased healthcare utilization. Pediatric allergy and immunology: official publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology . Aug 2013;24(5):476-86.

Kwa L, Silverberg JI. Financial burden of emergency department visits for atopic dermatitis in the United States. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology .

Sep 2018;79(3):443-447. Silverberg JI, Gelfand JM, Margolis DJ, et al. Atopic Dermatitis in US Adults: From Population to Health Care Utilization.

The journal of allergy and clinical immunology In practice . May - Jun 2019;7(5):1524-1532 Hua T, Silverberg JI. Atopic dermatitis is associated with increased hospitalization in US children.

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology . Sep 2019;81(3):862-865. Hopkins ZH, Han G, Tejasvi T, Deda LC, Goldberg R, Kennedy J et al.

Teledermatology During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Future Directions. Cutis 2022;109:12-3. Jallow M, Ewulu A, Ajilore P, Hussain AN, Geng X , Cardis MA.

Analyzing disparities in access to teledermatology compared with dermatology clinic visits before, during, and after COVID-19 quarantine. Clin Dermatol 2022. Kennedy J, Arey S, Hopkins Z, Tejasvi T, Farah R, Secrest AM et al.

Dermatologist Perceptions of Teledermatology Implementation and Future Use After COVID-19: Demographics, Barriers, and Insights. JAMA Dermatol 2021;157:595-7. Maddukuri S, Patel J, Lipoff JB.

Teledermatology Addressing Disparities in Health Care Access: a Review. Curr Dermatol Rep 2021;10:40 -7. Patel H, Revankar R, Valliani A, Revankar N, Yerigeri S, Kaskas N et al.

Teledermatology in medical student, postgraduate trainee, and global dermatology education: A systematic review. JAAD Int 2023;11:106 -11. Ruggiero A, Martora F, Fabbrocini G, Villani A, Marasca C, Megna M et al.

The Role of Teledermatology During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2022;15:2785-93. Sharma P, Kovarik CL, Lipoff JB.

Teledermatology as a means to improve access to inpatient dermatology care. J Telemed Telecare 2016;22:304-10. 7 Pfizer supports the global healthcare community’s independent initiatives (e.g., research, quality improvement, or education) to improve patient outcomes in areas of unmet medical need that are aligned with Pfizer’s medical and/or scientific strategies.

Pfizer’s competitive grant program involves a publicly posted Request for Proposal (RFP) that provides detail regarding a general area of interest, sets timelines for review and approval, and uses an internal Pfizer review process to make final grant decisions. Organizations are invited to submit an application addressing the practice gaps as outlined in the specific RFP.

For all independent quality improvement grants, the grant requester (and ultimately the grantee) is responsible for the design, implementation, and conduct of the independent initiative supported by the grant. Pfizer must not be involved in any aspect of project development, nor the conduct or monitoring of the quality improvement program.

The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is dedicated to improving the health of our local, national, and global communities by: • Educating a diverse workforce of tomorrow’s leaders in medicine, science, and health • Healing through innovative and compassionate care. • Advancing biomedical, translational, and health services delivery research with an emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration.

• Promoting a culture of excellence through inclusion, service, and advocacy. As a globally recognized academic medical center, GW SMHS embraces the challenge of eliminating health disparities and transforming health care to enrich and improve the lives of those we serve.

Quality improvement (QI) projects are systematic, data-guided, sustainable activities designed to bring about immediate, positive changes in the delivery of healthcare in particular setting (1,2). Quality improvement seeks to standardize structure and processes to reduce variation, achieve predictable results, and improve outcomes for patients, healthcare systems, and organizations.

8 Structure includes things like technology, culture, leadership, and physical capital. Process includes knowledge capital (e.g., standard operating procedures) or human capital (e.g., education and training) (3). QI projects systematically apply what is already known into the local practice, intended to quickly improve patient care within a specific setting.

The goal of QI projects is to close a gap in performance at a specific health care system. The “performance” is a standard in health care that is not efficiently/appropriately/consistently being done (4). For these reasons, QI focuses on translating existing knowledge into programs or practices to immediately improve the quality of services to individuals and populations within a local institution or setting (5).

The risk of participation in QI is the same as the risk of receiving standard clinical care (6) since the standard of care remains the same for all patients. In contrast, research projects use a systematic approach to discover something that is unknown. Research projects add new knowledge to what was previously unknown in literature through testing of a hypothesis or a scientific question (4).

Research aims to generate knowledge with broad applications, often through controlled studies. The subjects may or may not benefit directly from the knowledge gained. Research studies aim to evaluate an innovation, study something new, or analyze a process not yet rigorously studied (6).

1. Baily MA, et al. , Hastings Cent Rep, 2006.

2. Lynn J, et al. , Ann Intern Med, 2007.

3. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Page Last Modified: 09/10/2024. 4.

Jackson C, Research Quality Manager, Office of Research and Scholarship University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Nursing. 5. Columbia University Institutional Review Board Guidance for the Classification of Quality Improvement Activities Versus Research with human Subjects, 2023.

6. Newhouse et al. , J Nurs Adm, 2006.

ibliography of relevant references. 9 Quality Improvement Project Full Proposal Applications will be accepted via the online portal listed in the How to Submit section. Full Proposal documents should be no longer than 10-15 pages in length (12-point font and 1-inch margins) excluding Organization Detail and References.

When uploading your Full Proposal please ensure it addresses the following sections: Briefly state the overall goal of the project. Also describe how this goal aligns with the focus of the RFP and the goals of the applicant organization(s). List the overall objectives you plan to meet with your project both in terms of learning and expected outcomes.

Objectives should describe the target population as well as the outcomes you expect to achieve as a result of conducting the project. Assessment of Need for the Project Please include a quantitative baseline data summary, initial metrics (e.g., quality measures), or a project starting point (please cite data on gap analyses or relevant patient-level data that informs the stated objectives) in your target area.

Describe the source and method used to collect the data. Describe how the data was analyzed to determine that a gap existed. If a full analysis has not yet been conducted, please include a description of your plan to obtain this information.

Describe the primary audience(s) targeted for this project. Also indicate whom you believe will directly benefit from the project outcomes. Describe the overall population size as well as the size of your sample population.

Project Design and Methods Describe the planned project and the way it addresses the established need. If your methods include educational activities, please describe succinctly the topic(s) and format of those activities. Explain what measures you have taken to assure that this project idea is original and does not duplicate other projects or materials already developed.

Describe how this project builds upon existing work, pilot projects, or ongoing projects developed either by your institution or other institutions related to this project. 10 In terms of the metrics used for the needs assessment, describe how you will determine if the practice gap was addressed for the target group. Describe how you expect to collect and analyze the data.

Quantify the amount of change expected from this project in terms of your target audience. Describe how the project outcomes will be broadly disseminated. Anticipated Project Timeline Provide an anticipated timeline for your project including project start/end dates.

If there is any additional information you feel Pfizer should be aware of concerning the importance of this project, please summarize here. Describe the attributes of the institutions / organizations / associations that will support and facilitate the execution of the project and the leadership of the proposed project. Articulate the specific role of each partner in the proposed project.

While estimating your budget please keep the following items in mind: o General organizational running costs such as insurances, heating, lighting, rent, building maintenance may be included. Pfizer does not provide funding for capital purchases (infrastructure expenses such as equipment, purchases of software or software licenses, technology or bricks and mortar).

Equipment hire/leasing is acceptable and may be included in project budget. o The inclusion of these costs cannot cause the amount requested to exceed the budget limit set forth in the RFP. o It should be noted that grants awarded through GMG cannot be used to purchase Pfizer therapeutic agents (prescription or non-prescription).

Pfizer maintains a company-wide, maximum allowed overhead rate of 28% for independent studies and projects. Please click here for details.