The Dermatology Innovation Forum cultivates an ecosystem that transforms dermatological science into scalable, real-world solutions to improve patient lives.
The conference fosters entrepreneurship through connection, education, leadership development, and sustained advocacy and support.
Daniel C. Butler, MD
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs & Associate Professor,
University of Arizona College of Medicine
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs & Associate Professor,
University of Arizona College of Medicine
Buu T. Duong, MD
Founding Director & Board Member,
Skin Angels
Co-founder & President,
Stratum Biosciences
Founding Director & Board Member,
Skin Angels
Co-founder & President,
Stratum Biosciences
Michael Girardi, MD
Evans Professor and Vice Chair of Faculty Development & Scientific Innovation,
Department of Dermatology,
Yale School of Medicine
Evans Professor and Vice Chair of Faculty Development & Scientific Innovation,
Department of Dermatology,
Yale School of Medicine
John E. Harris, MD, PhD
Chairman, Department of Dermatology,
Lancer Professor of Dermatology,
Mass General Brigham
Chairman, Department of Dermatology,
Lancer Professor of Dermatology,
Mass General Brigham
Helen He, MD
Director,
Lasers and Cosmetic Surgery
Co-Director,
Mount Sinai-Clinique Healthy Skin Dermatology Center
Assistant Professor,
Department of Dermatology,
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Director,
Lasers and Cosmetic Surgery
Co-Director,
Mount Sinai-Clinique Healthy Skin Dermatology Center
Assistant Professor,
Department of Dermatology,
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Ryan Irvine, PhD
R&D Consultant
R&D Consultant
Alberto Pappalardo, MD
Associate Research Scientist,
Department of Dermatology,
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Associate Research Scientist,
Department of Dermatology,
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Brian S. Kim, MD, MTR
Sol & Clara Kest Professor of Dermatology & Vice Chair of Research, Department of Dermatology,
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Director,
Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation & Itch
Lead,
Allen Discovery Center for Neuroimmune Interactions
Sol & Clara Kest Professor of Dermatology & Vice Chair of Research, Department of Dermatology,
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Director,
Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation & Itch
Lead,
Allen Discovery Center for Neuroimmune Interactions
Justin M. Ko, MD, MBA, FAAD
Service Line Chief, Dermatology, Associate Chief Quality Officer, Physician Lead, Patient Experience and Ambulatory Access Transformation,
Stanford Health Care
Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology,
Stanford University School of Medicine
Service Line Chief, Dermatology, Associate Chief Quality Officer, Physician Lead, Patient Experience and Ambulatory Access Transformation,
Stanford Health Care
Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology,
Stanford University School of Medicine
Sancy A. Leachman, MD, PhD, FAAD
Chief Medical Officer,
SkinBit, Inc.
Adjunct Professor of Dermatology,
Oregon Health & Science University
Adjunct Professor of Dermatology,
University of Utah
Chief Medical Officer,
SkinBit, Inc.
Adjunct Professor of Dermatology,
Oregon Health & Science University
Adjunct Professor of Dermatology,
University of Utah
Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD
Professor of Medicine,
Inaugural Chair, Department of Dermatology,
University of Arizona
Professor of Medicine,
Inaugural Chair, Department of Dermatology,
University of Arizona
Victoria Mar, MBBS, FACD, PhD
Fellow,
Australasian College of Dermatologists
Director,
Victorian Melanoma Service at the Alfred Hospital
Fellow,
Australasian College of Dermatologists
Director,
Victorian Melanoma Service at the Alfred Hospital
Vijendra Nalamothu, PhD
Founder, CEO, CSO, Entrepreneur, Strategic Advisor,
Specialized in Dermatological Product Development & Commercialization
Founder, CEO, CSO, Entrepreneur, Strategic Advisor,
Specialized in Dermatological Product Development & Commercialization
Ross Lane Pearlman, MD
Chairman of the Board of Directors,
Skin Angels
Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer,
Stratum Biosciences
Chairman of the Board of Directors,
Skin Angels
Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer,
Stratum Biosciences
Marta J. Van Beek, MD, MPH
Executive Medical Director,
Ambulatory Care
University of Iowa Health Care System
C. William Hanke Professor of Dermatologic Surgery & Cutaneous Oncology
University of Iowa
Executive Medical Director,
Ambulatory Care
University of Iowa Health Care System
C. William Hanke Professor of Dermatologic Surgery & Cutaneous Oncology
University of Iowa
Daohong Zhou, MD
Professor,
Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology,
University of Texas Health San Antonio
Professor,
Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology,
University of Texas Health San Antonio
9:00 AM
Registration and Networking Café
9:30 AM
Entrepreneur Bootcamp
Michael D. Howell, PhD; President & Chief Executive Officer, Mountaineer Biosciences, Inc.
Jasmina Jankicevic, MD, MSc, CCRP; Chief Medical & Scientific Officer, Indero
Vijendra Nalamothu, PhD Founder & Chief Executive Officer, ApoStrata, LLC
11:00 AM
Networking Lunch
12:00 PM
Welcome
William Ju, MD, FAAD; President & Founding Trustee, Advancing Innovation in Dermatology, Inc
12:05 PM
Skin as a Window into Overall Health: Leveraging Dermatology Data and AI for Systemic Impact
Co-Chair: Justin M. Ko, MD, MBA, FAAD; Service Line Chief, Dermatology, Associate Chief Quality Officer, Physician Lead, Patient Experience and Ambulatory Access Transformation, Stanford Health Care; Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine
Co-Chair: Sancy A. Leachman, MD, PhD, FAAD; Chief Medical Officer, SkinBit, Inc.
Douglas C. Canfield; Founder & President, Canfield Scientific, Inc.
Clara N. Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD; Chair, Department of Dermatology, Professor of Dermatology, Co-Director Skin Cancer Institute, University of Arizona
Victoria Mar, MBBS, FACD, PhD; Fellow, Australasian College of Dermatologists; Director, Victorian Melanoma Service at the Alfred Hospital
H. Peter Soyer, MD, FACD, FAHMS; Chair in Dermatology, The University of Queensland
Marta J. Van Beek, MD, MPH; Executive Medical Director, Ambulatory Care, University of Iowa Health Care System; C. William Hanke Professor of Dermatologic Surgery & Cutaneous Oncology, University of Iowa
12:50 PM
Innovation Tank Winner – SquareMind
Ali Khachlouf; Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
1:00 PM
Zombie Apocalypse: Senescence and Skin
Chair: Frederick Beddingfield, III, MD, PhD, FAAD, FACMS; Chief Executive Officer, Rubedo Life Sciences; Volunteer Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Daniel C. Butler, MD; Associate Professor of Dermatology, Director Inflammatory and Aging Skin Research Program, University of Arizona College of Medicine
John E. Harris, MD, PhD; Chairman, Department of Dermatology, Lancer Professor of Dermatology, Mass General Brigham
Helen He, MD; Director, Lasers and Cosmetic Surgery, Co-Director, Mount Sinai-Clinique Healthy Skin Dermatology Center, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Ryan Irvine, PhD; R&D Consultant
Alberto Pappalardo, MD; Associate Research Scientist, Department of Dermatology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Dahoung Zhou, MD; Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, UT Health San Antonio; Co-Director, Center for Innovative Drug Discovery (CIDD); Associate Director for Drug Development, Mays Cancer Center
1:35 PM
Break
2:05 PM
Early Roadmap for Academic Entrepreneurs
Michael Girardi, MD, FAAD; Professor & Vice Chair of Faculty Development & Scientific Innovation, Department of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine
2:35 PM
Early-stage Funding and Partnership Models
Chair: Thibaud Portal, PhD; Founder, President & Chief Operations Officer, Alys Pharmaceuticals
Buu T. Duong, MD; Founding Director & Board Member, Skin Angels; Co-founder & President, Stratum Biosciences
Ross Lane Pearlman, MD; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Skin Angels; Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Stratum Biosciences
Arun Pores Fernando, PhD; Senior Director, Lilly Ventures
Kazumasa Hirata, PhD; Corporate Officer, Research, Maruho Co., Ltd.
3:10 PM
Skin in the Game: Profiling Early-Stage and Growth-Stage Derm Ventures
Chair: Adam Raff, MD, PhD, FAAD; Senior Vice President, Autoimmune Clinical Development, CREATE Medicines
John E. Harris, MD, PhD; Chairman, Department of Dermatology, Lancer Professor of Dermatology, Mass General Brigham
Brian S. Kim, MD, MTR; Sol & Clara Kest Professor of Dermatology & Vice Chair of Research, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Director, Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation & Itch; Lead, Allen Discovery Center for Neuroimmune Interactions
Reid Waldman, MD; Chief Executive Officer, Veradermics
3:55 PM
Closing
Seth Orlow, MD, PhD, FAAD; Professor & Chair of Dermatology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine; Senior Advisor, Pharus Advisors, LLC
4:00 PM
Networking Reception
AID Early Innovator Award Winners
Five outstanding early-career professionals have been selected as the recipients of the 2026 AID Early Innovator Award. Selected by AID’s Research Leadership Council and chosen for their promise and dedication to advancing dermatology through innovative solutions, these awardees reflect the very spirit of the DIF and AID’s community.
William Lewis, MD
Instructor of Dermatology,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School
Instructor of Dermatology,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School
Premier
Major
Supporting
Founders
The Dermatology Innovation Forum utilizes a conference app for meeting materials and networking, available to all registered attendees.
The app will serve as a networking portal. Upon logging into the app, you will be able to update your profile, view other registered attendees in the app and communicate via chat.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Amanda Pacia
amanda.pacia@advancing-derm.org
General Inquiries
Confirmed Speakers
Faye Silag
faye.silag@advancing-derm.org
What is the agenda for the conference?
The current program agenda can be found here.
What is the cost of registration?
If registered by January, 30, 2026 – $185 Physicians and Academicians / $445 Industry
Registration after January, 30, 2026 – $245 Physicians and Academicians / $595 Industry
Department nominated Residents and Fellows – $45
What is included in the registration fees?
Conference registration includes:
- Entrepreneur Bootcamp
- Networking Lunch and Break
- All Conference Sessions
- Access to Conference App
- Networking Reception
Cancellation Policy
Requests for registration fee cancellations for the conference must be received on or before February 27, 2026. At the discretion of the conference organizers, a refund via the method of original payment, minus a $125 non-refundable administrative fee, will be issued. No refunds will be made if notice is received after 3pm Eastern Time on February 27, 2026. Written notice of your cancellation should be sent to jamie.breslin@advancing-derm.org with a copy to support@advancing-derm.org.
I am a Sponsor. How do I redeem my contracted complimentary registration(s)?
Your company point of contact will receive an email with unique codes and instructions to register online. We encourage all complimentary and discounted registrations to be completed by January 16, 2026. If you have not yet received the email, please contact Faye Silag at faye.silag@advancing-derm.org.
How do I become a Sponsor?
If you are interested in a sponsorship opportunity, please contact Amanda Pacia at amanda.pacia@advancing-derm.org, for the sponsorship overview and level pricing.
What is the dress code?
Attire is business casual. Feel free to be comfortable in slacks, polo shirts, blazers, blouses and most importantly, comfortable shoes. We do recommend you dress in layers as temperatures in meeting rooms can vary.
Force Majeure
No damages or refunds shall be due for a failure of performance or because of a delay or cancellation by the occurrence of any contingency beyond the reasonable control of Host. These contingencies include, without limitation, threat of or actual war, terrorism, sabotage, insurrection, riot or other act of civil disobedience, act of public enemy, strikes, labor disputes, picketing or work stoppage (actual or threatened), failure or delay in transportation, an epidemic, pandemic or disease, act of government or any agency affecting the terms of this Agreement, accident, fire, explosion, flood, severe weather, natural disaster, or other act of God, interruptions or failure of the Internet or third-party network connections, or acts beyond the reasonable control of the responsible parties making the Event impossible to hold.
Advancing Innovation in Dermatology Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
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