PeDRA Pearls

This is the third and final webinar in the Monday Alopecia Areata re-release. Dr. Rodney Sinclair presents cutting-edge clinical trial data and discusses emerging mechanisms of action in the treatment of Alopecia Areata in children. To view the video version of this webinar, please click here. Please note this webinar originally aired in June of 2021.

This is the second webinar in the Monday Alopecia Areata re-release. In this installment of the Alopecia Areata (AA) series, featured guests Dr. Ali Jabbari and Dr. John O’Shea dive into the science of AA. Dr. Jabbari discusses his translational approach to elucidate new targets for AA and Dr. O’Shea discusses his groundbreaking work to identify JAK inhibitors as a novel therapy for numerous immune-mediated diseases.

For the video version of this webinar, please click here. Please note this webinar originally aired in June of 2021.

Enjoy the re-release of the first webinar in the Emerging Mechanisms of Action in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Alopecia Areata in Children - An Overview. Listen as Dr. Leslie Castelo-Soccio and Dr. Britt Craiglow discuss current clinical practices in treating pediatric patients with alopecia areata (AA), dive into the challenges both providers and patients face, and offer guidance on how to approach patients and their families in the clinical setting. To view this webinar, please click here. Please note this webinar originally aired in May of 2021.

Two of our dedicated PeDRA members, Amy Paller, MD and Andrea Rustad, a fourth-year medical student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, recently published a children’s book, Skin-Vincible, in collaboration with the Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types. Through the experiences of its main character, Cece, this book addresses skin differences and how to cope with bullies. Watch and learn how this book was made and why it’s an important tool for parents, teachers, and children in addressing bullying and differences. Click here to buy the book. To watch this interview on PeDRA's YouTube Channel, click here.

In part two of our Community Spotlight podcast featuring the Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types (FIRST) you’ll hear from the Cina Family as they discuss the important role patient advocacy organizations play in supporting families. Sean and Jolie Cina have two children with ichthyosis – Portia (16) and Miles (12), and found FIRST shortly after Portia was born and diagnosed. Now, 16 years later, the family is more involved than ever with the FIRST community. Inspired by her own condition, Portia created and produced a documentary about living with ichthyosis, called Beneath the Skin (you can watch this and other related videos on Portia’s YouTube Channel here). Enjoy this episode as you learn more about ichthyosis and the Cina’s experience with FIRST.

Community Spotlight is back with new episodes and we’re proud to be shining a light on the Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types, more commonly known as FIRST! This incredible organization has been supporting patients, families, and caregivers, as well as funding research for more than 40 years. Listen to Chief Executive Officer, Chris Boynton as he shares his journey into rare disease advocacy, and highlights ways both patients, families, and investigators can become involved.

Diana Zarowin is a fourth-year medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. From the moment she joined PeDRA, Diana hit the ground running, participating in Focused Study Groups, applying for the PeDRA Mentorship Program, attending the PeDRA Annual Conference, and working with her mentors to prepare successful grant and fellowship applications. To date, she is the recipient of an Emerging Investigator Research Grant under the mentorship of Dr. Britt Craiglow and a PeDRA Research Fellowship award with Dr. James Treat. Most recently, she joined forces with Mattel to champion the Barbie Like Me campaign, putting dermatology-represented Barbies into the hands of young patients. Learn more about this incredible project, how her research supported by PeDRA has influenced her career aspirations, and the types of books she enjoys reading in her limited spare time. For more information about the Barbie Like Me campaign, please email PeDRA.

PeDRA member Emily Croce, PhD, CPNP-PC presents this collaborative research study that was partially funded by a 2021 PeDRA Research Fellowship: Validation of Remote Atopic Dermatitis Severity Assessment with the Eczema Area and Severity Index in Children Using Caregiver-provided Photos and Videos. To view the video version of this presentation, please click here.

We invite you to join us for the Innovation Forum taking place at the 11th PeDRA Annual Conference, November 9-11, 2023. The Innovation Forum is a workshop designed to engage conference attendees in learning how to identify important real-world problems related to pediatric dermatology and ways to develop innovative solutions to solve them. Led and facilitated by Lilit Garibyan, MD, PhD, Kachiu Lee, MD, and Yakir Levin, MD, PhD of the Magic Want Initiative. The deadline to enroll is 5pm PT, Thursday, October 12. Please click this link for more information or click here to register directly. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Bella Plumptre, MD is in her final year of dermatology residency at the University of Massachusetts. Hailing from England, Dr. Plumptre found her passion for pediatric dermatology while doing a pediatric dermatology rotation in London, where she “she found her people.” Cut to a few years later, she began studying in the US and sees herself in the academic setting in the future. Learn more about Dr. Plumptre’s research interests and global adventures, including her love of tandem biking all over the world.