• To promote mentorship within the WDS.
• To establish long-term relationships between mentors and their protégés.
• To promote projects with a clearly discernable plan supporting career development.

Purpose of the Awards:

• To develop mentoring relationships that might not otherwise be possible due to distance or funding availability.
• To develop leadership potential in candidates who have shown early promise through exceptional activities.

Program Requirements:

• All applicants must be members of WDS (may be in the application process).
• Either the mentor or protégé must be a woman.
• Protégé must attend the WDS Annual Luncheon to receive the award.
• Each mentor can have a maximum of two protégé applications.

How to Get Started:

• Choose a mentor. Ask for a letter and commitment for an agreed-upon time frame.
• Get a letter of support from your chairperson and arrange for the necessary vacation or covered time in your program.
• Complete your 2008 Online Application by
  
  2008 Application Deadline Has Expired: November 7, 2007
  (Look for the 2009 application coming in early 2008)
  
  or download the PDF version and send to:
  WDS Mentorship Grant Awards Program
  575 Market Street
  Suite 2125
  San Francisco, CA 94105
  
  FAX: (415) 764-4933

Questions? Contact Us HERE.

WDS Mentorship Grant Awards Program Expanded Thanks to Additional Funding (read more)

This grant program generously sponsored by: Dermik Laboratories

Pictured are Dr. Alexa Kimball and Dr. Tiffany Rebella (who recently completed her month-long mentorship experience with Dr. Kimball). Dr. Rebella received a grant as part of the WDS Mentorship Grant Awards Program.

• Rotations with leading clinicians in diverse areas of dermatology: pediatric dermatology, surgery, contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, cutaneous drug reactions, pigmentary disorders, and genital disorders. Generally these projects are designed to develop an area of expertise and a relationship with a mentor not available in the mentee’s own program.
• Unique and worthy proposals that may not otherwise receive funding such as history of women researchers in dermatology, project to develop expertise in public policy at the NIH.
• Applicants with a proven track record of purposeful activities in residency (publications, presentations at meetings, other visible contributions beyond the requirements for residency activities). These leadership qualities are often reinforced in the letters of support from chairpersons.
• Projects involving more than a few days. Two week to one month experiences are preferred to shorter projects.
• Applications with reasonable budgets.

Examples of applications that were not funded in the past:

• Bench research projects involving research supplies, equipment. Other funding avenues exist for these types of projects (foundations, local fellowships and institutional grants, etc). Bench research projects in which travel is necessary in order to work with a specific mentor in another institution would be considered. In these cases, the budget would cover some living and travel expenses. In general, one to two month bench research projects are difficult to carry out, however, and careful planning of the project is essential.
• Other types of projects in the same institution or city where mentored relationships can develop during training.
• Projects involving foreign travel unless a suitable mentor with the desired expertise cannot be found in the country of origin.
• Fees for meetings, dues, travel expenses, payment to the mentor or their institution for the experience.
• Projects intended to learn mainly procedures (sclerotherapy, lasers, cosmetic surgery, hair transplants).
• Projects in which the applicant joining a department faculty will learn a new skill that will benefit the department directly (such as setting up a hair clinic). The department would be expected to underwrite the costs for such a training experience.
• Partial support for already established fellowships (dermatopathology, surgery).
• Projects with budgets that rely on the purchase of equipment (computers, cameras).
• Projects to supplement perceived deficits in a training program.
• Project of less than 2 weeks duration.

This grant program generously sponsored by: Dermik Laboratories