-
SkIN Canada NewsSkIN Canada News
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Featured profiles
-
-
-
From the SkIN Canada Patient Engagement hub
-
-
From the SkIN Canada Training Hub
-
-
-
News from Other Organizations
-
-
-
-
Recent Publications by SkIN Canada Members
-
-
-
-
Spring 2023
Team Development Awards (Deadline May 1st)

SkIN Canada is providing funds to catalyze new multi-center teams pursuing novel skin research. These awards are intended to support preliminary activities that are typically not fundable as stand-alone projects. The deadline for the application is Monday May 1st before 11:59 PM ET.
Trainee Travel Awards (Deadline May 15th)

SkIN Canada offers funding opportunities for trainees to attend conferences as part of their training experience. A limited number of awards are available each year on a competitive basis. The deadline for the next competition is Monday May 15th before 11:59 PM ET.
Trainee Mobility Awards (Deadline May 15th)

The SkIN Canada Trainee Mobility Award provides funding for trainees in skin research to study and conduct research in another laboratory other than their own within Canada or abroad as part of their training experience.
The value of the Award is up to $4,000 for a period ranging from of 2 weeks to 6 months. The deadline for the next competition is Monday May 15th before 11:59 PM ET.
SkIN Canada dinner at CDA
- Networking dinner on Thursday, June 15 from 6:30-9:30 pm ET
- Afternoon tea (AGM and discussion of future directions) on Saturday, June 16th from 3:30-4:30 pm ET
SkIN Canada publications
1. Top ten research priorities for psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and hidradenitis suppurativa: the SkIN Canada Priority Setting Initiative. Drucker AK, Omer; Abbas, Mariam; Alhusayen, Raed; Barnard, Kathleen; Cenedese, Lisa; Chen, Tiffany; Cheng, Yee Sing; Cole, Trish; De Iuliis, Jacob; Desaulniers, Katherine; Duffy, Catherine; Dutz, Jan; Ferris, Tracy; Fradette, Julie; Germain, Lucie; Gniadecki, Robert; Hanna, Sameh; Humeny, Rhiannon; Joseph, Marissa; Khan, Ushra; Litvinov, Ivan; Logsetty, Sarvesh; Lynde, Charles; Manion , Rachael ; Manolson, Morris; Morrison, Steven; Mydlarski, P. Régine ; Ogunyemi, Boluwaji; Piguet, Vincent ; Philip, Anie; Prajapati, Vimal; Ramien, Michele; Reynolds, Lauren; Rosen, Cheryl; Seguin, Kimberly; Sibbald, Cathryn; Swan, Jennifer; Timgren, Jodi; Turchin, Irina; Verner, Vicky; Walsh, Sandra; Ward, Debbie; Weston, Veronica; Zhou, Youwen; Chan, An-Wen. Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery 2023, 27:133-139.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36995350
2. Informing a Canadian Skin Science Trainee Program Based on the State of Trainee Programs Offered by International Academic Societies. Brooks SG, Pawluk MA, Litvinov IV, Fradette J, Chan AW, Philip A, Croitoru D, Richardson KC: J Cutan Med Surg 2023, 27(1):20-27.doi:10.1177/12034754221137570.
Discussion of this article can be found in a recent podcast: Ep 63: A Canadian Skin Science Research Program with Dr David Croitoru.
SkIN Canada Master Network Agreement
SkIN Canada has launched a Master Network Membership Agreement that defines terms for data sharing, data banking, and publication. This comprehensive agreement has been developed in consultation with institutional contracts offices. It allows SkIN Canada members from academic and community sites to exchange data for future studies without needing to re-negotiate a data sharing agreement with every new study. The Master Agreement will help to mitigate the start-up delays that are commonly encountered with multicentre projects.
Email info@skincanada.org to sign up or obtain more information.
Mid-Career Investigator
Dr. Sarah Hedtrich is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia. After finishing her studies of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Leipzig, Germany, Sarah Hedtrich completed her PhD in pharmacology & toxicology at the Freie Universität Berlin. During her postdoc she moved to the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich and the Tufts University in Boston, USA. After returning to Berlin, she headed a junior research group from 2013-2015 before she was appointed as an assistant professor in April 2015. Since January 2019, she is an assistant professor with tenure track at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Her lab combines research expertise in pharmacology, biomedical engineering & drug delivery. They focus on the establishment of Next Generation Therapies, Nanomedicine, Tissue Engineering & Tissue Regeneration. They are particularly interested in healthy and diseased states of human epithelia with a current focus on inflammatory and genetic diseases of the human skin and lung. Their research is highly interdisciplinary and requires close collaborations with experts in the field of chemistry, medicine and genetics….
Patient Research Partner
Kathleen Barnard is the founder of Save Your Skin Foundation. Kathy prioritizes patient care and support. She was a key player in federal tanning bed legislation for Canada’s Youth and she continues this area of focus on education and awareness, providing emotional and financial support to those dealing with melanoma and carcinoma skin cancers, prevention, access, and support of the ongoing research and treatment of skin cancer – from melanoma to actinic keratosis. As both a melanoma and immunotherapy survivor, Kathleen and her Foundation hope to share the experience and knowledge gained, by leading other patient groups in knowledge and advocacy training to ensure equal timely access to new treatments for all cancer patients……
What is the difference between focus (discussion) groups as patient engagement versus focus groups as qualitative research?
Patient engagement is an opportunity for people with experience of a health-related issue to contribute to research on that issue. The Canadian Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) highlights patient engagement as an important part of health research. Patient engagement, however, is a new concept for many researchers and research ethics boards, and it can be difficult to understand the differences between patient engagement activities and research activities. Focus groups are one example of how research and patient engagement activities are often confused.
We distinguish these two types of activities by using different terms for each. We use focus groups to refer to research activities, and discussion groups to refer to patient engagement activities. In focus groups, researchers collect data by speaking with a group of research subjects about their experiences. Researchers use this information to answer research questions and share their findings in academic journals and gatherings. In patient engagement, discussion groups are a way for patients to help plan research projects. Their contributions are not treated as research data, but instead, they help make decisions that shape the research process. We have found that using different languages to refer to each type of activity has led to improved clarity in research planning and research ethics submissions. This information is in reference to the work done by the Maritime Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Unit.
2. The Skin Canada 2023 Quarterly Webinar will be held on Wednesday June 7th at 3:00 PM ET. The Webinar will feature Dr. David Croituro from the University of Toronto and Dr. Philippe Lefrancois from McGill University. The Webinar will focus on “Novel Technologies to Study Skin Biology and Skin Diseases.”
3. SkIN Canada is now accepting applications for Trainee Travel Awards. The deadline for receiving the application is Monday, May 15th at 11:59 PM ET.
4. SkIN Canada is also now accepting applications for Trainee Mobility Awards. The deadline for receiving the application is Monday, May 15th at 11:59 PM ET.
Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO): Call for Members of the College of Lived Experience
Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO) is an independent not-for-profit organization established with support from the Government of Ontario. Our mandate is to work together with the clinical trials community, the public, and other partners to improve Ontario’s clinical trials environment. Since 2012 we have been carrying out our mandate with one of our three strategic pillars being patient and public engagement. We believe engaging patients and the public is critical to improving the environment for clinical trials in Ontario and will result in better clinical trials, better experiences for trial participants, better physician-researcher experiences, and in the long run, a better health care system. More information about Clinical Trials Ontario can be found at www.ctontario.ca.
Apply to become a CIHR Institute Advisory Board Member
Apply here
Email info@skincanada.org with questions
Understanding pain in scleroderma: A patient-researcher partnership
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Ellen Wang, Programs Coordinator, Arthritis Consumer Experts, speaks to Dr. Brett Thombs, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, and Director, Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN). Recently, his team was obtained an Ignite Grant from the Arthritis Society for the project titled “A Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network patient-researcher partnership to understand pain sources, patterns, and barriers to effective management in systemic sclerosis.”
They discuss the importance of integrating the patient voice at all stages of research and the benefits of doing so. Dr. Thombs explains that patients have the choice of how they want to be involved and no formal experience is needed.
Additional learning resources
Inflammatory Skin Conditions
- Quaglino P, Scarisbrick J, Roccuzzo G, Abeldano A, Battistella M, McCormack C, Cowan R, Cozzio A, Cury-Martins J, Enz P et al: Identifying unmet needs and challenges in the definition of a plaque in mycosis fungoides: An EORTC-CLTG/ISCL survey. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2023, 37(4):680-688.
- Gupta AK, Wang T, Polla Ravi S, Bamimore MA, Piguet V, Tosti A: Systematic review of newer agents for the management of alopecia areata in adults: Janus kinase inhibitors, biologics and phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2023, 37(4):666-679.
- Eichenfield LF, Stein Gold L, Kircik LH, Werschler WP, Beer K, Draelos ZD, Tanghetti EA, Papp KA, Baldwin H, Lain E et al: Triple-combination clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1%/adapalene 0.15% gel for moderate-to-severe acne in children and adolescents: Randomized phase 2 study. Pediatr Dermatol 2023.
- Blauvelt A, Thaçi D, Papp KA, Ho V, Ghoreschi K, Kim BS, Miller M, Shen YK, You Y, Chan D et al: Safety of guselkumab in patients with psoriasis with a history of malignancy: 5-year results from the VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2 trials. The British journal of dermatology 2023.
- Croitoru DO, Piguet V: T Cells Remember SARS-CoV-2 in Rituximab-Treated Pemphigus Vulgaris. The Journal of investigative dermatology 2023.
Wound Healing, Fibrosis and Regeneration
- Sibbald RG, Ayello E: Results of the 2022 Wound Survey on Skin Failure/End-of-Life Terminology and Pressure Injuries. Adv Skin Wound Care 2023, 36(3):151-157.
- Brady EL, Prado O, Johansson F, Mitchell SN, Martinson AM, Karbassi E, Reinecke H, Murry CE, Davis J, Stevens KR: Engineered tissue vascularization and engraftment depends on host model. Scientific reports 2023, 13(1):1973.
- Naasani LIS, Sévigny J, Moulin VJ, Wink MR: UTP increases wound healing in the self assembled skin substitute (SASS). J Cell Commun Signal 2023.
Skin Cancer
- van Bodegraven B, Vernon S, Eversfield C, Board R, Craig P, Gran S, Harwood CA, Keohane S, Levell NJ, Matin RN et al: “Get Data Out” Skin: national cancer registry incidence and survival rates for all registered skin tumour groups for 2013-2019 in England. The British journal of dermatology 2023.
- Nguyen A, Xie P, Litvinov IV, Lefrançois P: Efficacy and Safety of Sonic Hedgehog Inhibitors in Basal Cell Carcinomas: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2009-2022). Am J Clin Dermatol 2023.
- Mirali S, Tang E, Drucker AM, Turchin I, Gooderham M, Levell N, Beecker J, Bissonnette R, Catherall H, Lapointe McKenzie JA et al: Follow-up of Patients With Keratinocyte Carcinoma: A Systematic Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines. JAMA Dermatol 2023, 159(1):87-94.
- Jicman PA, Smart H, Ayello EA, Sibbald RG: Early Malignant Melanoma Detection, Especially in Persons with Pigmented Skin. Adv Skin Wound Care 2023, 36(2):69-77.
- Devasenapathy N, Chu A, Wong M, Srivastava A, Ceccacci R, Lin C, MacDonald M, Wen A, Steen J, Levine M et al: Cancer risk with topical calcineurin inhibitors, pimecrolimus and tacrolimus, for atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2023, 7(1):13-25.
Other
- Weng J, Zhou LL, Hahn T, Shojania K, Dutz J: Adult-Onset Still Disease After ChAdOx1 nCOV-19 Vaccination. J Rheumatol 2023, 50(2):290-291.
- Sibbald RG, Hastings-Truelove A, DeJong P, Ayello EA: Reconciliation and Diversity for Educators: The Medicine Wheel, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and CanMEDS Competencies. Adv Skin Wound Care 2023, 36(2):64-66.
- Shah SD, Mathes EF, Baselga E, Frieden IJ, Powell J, Garzon MC, Morel KD, Lauren CT, Mancini AJ, Chamlin SL et al: Multicenter retrospective review of pulsed dye laser in nonulcerated infantile hemangioma. Pediatr Dermatol 2023, 40(1):28-34.
- Schachner L, Alexis A, Andriessen A, Baldwin H, Cork M, Kirsner R, Woolery-Lloyd H: Supplement Individual Article: The Importance of a Healthy Skin Barrier From the Cradle to the Grave Using Ceramide-Containing Cleansers and Moisturizers: A Review and Consensus. J Drugs Dermatol 2023, 22(2):SF344607s344603-SF344607s344614.
- Nejstgaard CH, Boutron I, Chan AW, Chow R, Hopewell S, Masalkhi M, Moher D, Schulz KF, Shlobin NA, Østengaard L et al: A scoping review identifies multiple comments suggesting modifications to SPIRIT 2013 and CONSORT 2010. J Clin Epidemiol 2023, 155:48-63.
SkIN Canada Executive Committee

An-Wen Chan

Rachael Manion

Anie Philip
