Dermatology Foundation - $3.5 Million to Research in 2005

At its 40th Annual Meeting on February 19, 2005, in New Orleans, LA, the Dermatology Foundation announced the allocation of $3.5 million to research in support of developing the research and teaching careers of the next generation of leaders in medical and surgical dermatology.

Fifty-five (55) individuals and projects received funding as part of the Foundation's mission of shaping the future of dermatology. The Foundation continued its emphasis on career development by allocating $55,000/year for up to three years to 33 investigators. Areas being pursued by these investigators include: biologic therapies, including psoriasis; topical immunomodulators and atopic dermatitis; immunotherapies and skin cancers; laser resurfacing and microdermabrasion; dermatology workforce issues; and the burden of skin disease. The Foundation also awarded 22 one-year fellowships and grants ranging from $10,000 to $45,000.

The 2005 multi-year awards are: 10 Physician-Scientist Career Development Awards; 5 Medical Dermatology Career Development Awards; 5 Clinical Career Development Awards in Dermatologic Surgery; 2 Health Care Policy Clinical Career Development Awards; and 11 Research Career Development Awards in basic science, including the psoriasis award. One-year fellowships consist of: 7 Dermatologist Investigator Research Fellowships; 1 Fellowship in Pediatric Dermatology; and 5 Research Fellowships. Single-year grants are: 1 Patient Directed Investigation Grant; 1 Dermatopathology Research Grant; 6 Research Grants and 1 Program Development Grant. A complete list of awardees is attached.

Total Dermatology Foundation support from individual dermatologists reached $3.1 million - the most in the DF's 40-year history - and these funds came primarily from members of the Annenberg Circle and Leaders Society. Corporate support totaled $2.7 million with targeted support for the Research Awards Program coming from the following:

Contributions of $100,000 or more came from: Dermik Laboratories, Inc.; Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc.; Galderma Laboratories, L.P.; Ortho Neutrogena; and Unilever Home and Personal Care - U.S.A. Contributions of $50,000 or more were given in support of the 2005 Research Awards Program by: Avon Products, Inc., Connetics Corporation; L'Oreal Recherche; Medicis, The Dermatology CompanyŽ; and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Funding of $30,000 or more was received from: Almay, Inc., Division of Revlon Consumer Products; Ferndale Laboratories, Inc.; Mary Kay, Inc.; Pfizer, Inc.; and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International.

Meaningful support from a wide-range of dermatologic societies is a mainstay of the DF's mission to shape the future of dermatology. In 2004 funding was provided by: the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Society for Dermatopathology, the National Psoriasis Foundation, the Society for Investigative Dermatology, and the Society for Pediatric Dermatology.

The Dermatology Foundation, a non-profit organization, has been supporting the future of dermatology since 1964 when a group of concerned dermatologists founded it to support the career-development aspirations of the next generation of researchers and educators throughout dermatology. It is second only to the federal government as a source of funding for those pursuing careers in research and teaching and raises contributions from members of the specialty and the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and surgical industries. For a complete view of the Dermatology Foundation's activities, programs and publications, please visit its website at www.dermatologyfoundation.org.