VIRTUAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
The ISPD launched a 12-month Virtual Mentorship Program in June 2023. The goal of the program is to connect junior members with more senior members of the Society, creating a mutually beneficial professional relationship. Each mentor-mentee pair will set their own goals and learning objectives, depending on the mentee’s prior experience in pediatric dermatology. In the first session (2023-2024), six mentees were included to benefit from this program.
For the upcoming 2025–2026 Virtual Mentorship Program, the Mentorship Committee has decided to include two categories of mentees:
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Mentees with prior knowledge and experience in Pediatric Dermatology (not more than 5 years years of experience).
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Dermatologists or pediatricians who are new to the field and wish to gain knowledge and skills in the specialty.
Mentorship Committee
Chair: Sandipan Dhar (India) Co-Chairs: Dr. May El Hachem (Italy)
Dr. Leong Kin Fon (Malaysia)
Dr. Mauricio Torres-Pradilla (Colombia)
Sandipan Dhar
India
May El Hachem
Italy
Leong Kin Fon
Malaysia
Mauricio Torres-Pradilla
Colombia
Mentee learning objectives include:
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Growth of Clinical Knowledge – Through case discussions and presentations (including ISPD website cases), journal reviews, and didactic lectures.
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Research – Mentees wishing to enhance their research skills will be matched with mentors experienced in research design, clinical trials, statistical analysis, and scientific writing.
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Career Development – Including preparation for academic positions, establishing pediatric dermatology departments, or initiating multidisciplinary clinics.
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Networking – Mentorship fosters valuable connections for solving complex cases, inviting speakers, or collaborating on clinical projects. It also nurtures long-term professional friendships and support.
ONLY ISPD MEMBERS ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY!
Mentors for 2025 - 2026
Amy Paller
United States
Mark Koh
Singapore
Paula Luna
Argentina
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Arun C Inamadar
India
Andrea Zaenglein
United States
Leong Kin Fon
Malaysia
GUIDELINES FOR THE ISPD VIRTUAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME
Suggested guidelines for meetings:
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Mentors and mentees should meet virtually at least once every two months.
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The mentee should drive the agenda, set formal goals for each session, and review progress during each meeting.
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Mentees may present ISPD E-learning cases for discussion and receive additional insights from their mentor’s experience.
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Mentors may also choose cases for discussion, exploring the diagnosis options for such presentation and will discuss with their mentor the management approach emphasizing related research.
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They can also possibly review the editorial that appears in ISPD news bulletin or discuss the dermascopy pictures published in ISPD news bulletin.
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Mentor-mentee pairs may collaborate on small projects (e.g., collecting cases of childhood lichen planus or psoriasis to study clinical features or clinico-pathological correlations) to gain some research experience.
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Both may attend ISPD webinars together and use the mentee’s ‘learning objectives’ from the webinars to guide further discussion.
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Mentor-mentee pairs can build a database of thesis topics or potential research projects.
Sharing Knowledge Across the Program:
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Mentees are encouraged to maintain a logbook documenting activities throughout the year.
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Mentees may organize virtual journal clubs, individually or in groups with their mentors.
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Mentors are encouraged to deliver 15–20 minute didactic lectures, followed by a 15–20 minute Q&A. All mentees are encouraged to attend these sessions and register in their log book. Each mentee for sure should attend his or her mentor’s lectures + at least 3 more from other mentors.
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We consider participation in the didactic mentors a requisite of being a mentee – and a focus for some of the discussion with the mentor.
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Topics such as evidence-based medicine in pediatric dermatology, research methods, patient counseling, scientific writing, and presentation skills may be discussed.
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If the research is accomplished, at the end of the program, mentees may be invited to present their research during a dedicated ISPD webinar or encouraged to submit in a conference and if not research-focused, the mentee will be expected to report on lessons learned.