Skincare brand La Roche-Posay and the Women’s Dermatological Society (WDS) are teaming up to support Howard University medical students in an effort to increase diversity in dermatology, a field where just 3% of professionals are Black.
The inaugural Diversity in Dermatology Fellowship will sponsor a year of supplementary work experience for an underrepresented medical student pursuing a residency program in the field of skin disease diagnosis and treatment, La Roche-Posay announced Oct. 12.
Designed by a committee of WDS members, the fellowship provides the selected candidate a livable salary, a research grant, a health insurance stipend, as well as a stipend for travel and family visits.
“This inaugural first of its kind, collaborative fellowship is a three-year commitment which promises to prioritize DEI in dermatology. Change comes in the form of action, and that is precisely what this partnership is aiming to accomplish,” said Mona Gohara, MD, president of WDS and associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine.
Receiving this year’s fellowship is third-year Howard University medical student Chidubem Okeke, who says she aspires to reduce health disparities by studying skin diseases that affect people of color disproportionately.
Okeke, a Cornell University graduate, is the co-president of Howard’s Student Dermatology Society and helps lead the Scarring Alopecia Foundation’s Journey to Acceptance medical student working group.
During her fellowship year, Okeke will “conduct translational and clinical research in addition to participating in Howard University’s dermatology clinics and community outreach events,” according to La Roche-Posay.
According to the company, many programs offering fellowships in dermatology are not backed by funding, limiting the pool of potential participants to those with financial means.
“I was fortunate enough to receive an academic scholarship to college, which was not something my family could have afforded otherwise. Being able to support funding for an incremental opportunity for a DEI candidate is something I am proud to pay forward,” said Tyler Steele, vice president of medical and media relations at La Roche-Posay. “I have every confidence this program will allow a bright medical student to become an incredible dermatologist.”
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