---
description: The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Grants program gives young physicians and investigators stipends for studies that have led to important breakthroughs.
title: Research Grants
image: https://www.skincancer.org/wp-content/uploads/scfresearchgrants.jpg
---

[Home](https://www.skincancer.org/) › [About Us](https://www.skincancer.org/about-us/) › Research Grants

![SCF Research Grants Official Logo](https://www.skincancer.org/wp-content/uploads/SCF-Research-Grants-Logo-1200px-600x123.jpg "SCF Research Grants Official Logo")

# Research Grants

## Be a Part of the Next Skin Cancer Breakthrough!

##

#### The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Grants Program 

The Skin Cancer Foundation has funded more than $3.5 million in research grants since the program began in 1981. Many early career investigators in the dermatology community have used their grants to launch studies on the prevention, detection or treatment of skin cancer that ultimately led to significant advances for patients and physicians. These grants are an important first step to getting new ideas off the ground. 

Each year, researchers are invited to submit applications for one-year projects to be conducted in or in conjunction with the dermatology departments of medical or academic institutions in the United States. Our program is open to dermatology residents, fellows and investigators within 10 years of their first academic appointment. 

Led by longtime Chair David Polsky, MD, PhD, our Research Grants Committee awards two grants of $50,000 and one grant of $25,000. 

![scientists working together in lab](<> "research-grants-scientists")

**The application period for the 2026 Skin Cancer Foundation Research Grants is open. **

[Apply Now](https://research.skincancer.org)

#### Congratulations to Our 2025 Research Grants Awardees

- [Tomoko Akaike, MD](#1714058531447-83389498-c72a)
- [Matthew D. Vesely, MD, PhD](#1714058531470-3f63615e-58ec)
- [Marissa Lobl, MD, PhD](#1714058542453-f1002315-7f41)

#### Tomoko Akaike, MD

**Tomoko Akaike, MD**

Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology  
 University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle ![TomokoAkaike]()

Dr. Akaike received the $50,000 **Todd Nagel Memorial Research Grant Award** for her proposal “Evaluating Initiation of Immunotherapy in Subclinical Merkel Cell Carcinoma with Circulating Tumor DNA Positivity: Proposal for a Randomized Clinical Trial.*” *

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is several times more likely to be fatal than malignant melanoma. This project tests whether a blood test (ctDNA) can signal an opportunity for early immunotherapy in MCC. By treating high-risk patients before cancer becomes visible, this approach could improve survival and change MCC treatment altogether.

#### Matthew D. Vesely, MD, PhD

**Matthew D. Vesely, MD, PhD**  
 Assistant Professor of Dermatology  
 Yale School of Medicine  
![Evoto]()

The Research Grants Committee awarded **The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Grants Award** for $50,000 to Dr. Vesely for his proposal “Identifying Immune Resistance Pathways in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.”

Although immunotherapy has improved outcomes for some patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), many patients do not respond. This project seeks to define molecular mechanisms that may contribute to immunotherapy resistance. These findings could help identify new strategies to better predict, prevent and overcome resistance and ultimately improve treatment response in cSCC.

#### Marissa Lobl, MD, PhD

**Marissa Lobl, MD, PhD**  
 Dermatology Resident  
 University of Pittsburgh Department of Dermatology  
![Screenshot Marissa]()

Dr. Lobl received the $25,000 **Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Grant Award** for her proposal “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Topical 5% Niacinamide for Skin Cancer Prevention in Organ Transplant Recipients.”

Studies have demonstrated that oral niacinamide may decrease the risk of new actinic keratoses and nonmelanoma skin cancers in high-risk individuals. However, there are no trials investigating topical niacinamide as a chemopreventive agent. The researchers propose a novel trial evaluating topical 5% niacinamide as a chemopreventive agent in organ transplant patients.

## Sign Up to Receive Research Grants Notifications

Name \*

First

Last

Email \*

- My research is being conducted in or in conjunction with the dermatology departments of medical or academic institutions in the United States.

Submit![Loading]()

### Past Research Grants Awards

#### 2024 Research Grants Awards

**$50,000 **

Todd Nagel Memorial Research Grant Award 

**Awardee: **Andrew Ji, MD****

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City

Title of project: “Immunosuppression and Macrophage Interactions in the Development of Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)”

 

**$50,000 **

Ashley Trenner Research Grant Award 

**Awardee:** **Nicholas Collins, PhD**

Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City

Title of project: “Nutritional Enhancement of Anti-Melanoma Immunity”

 

**$25,000 **

Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Grant Award 

**Awardee:** **Gabriela Andrea Pizzurro, PhD**

Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Title of project: “Modeling Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) for Immunotherapeutic Studies”

#### 2023 Research Grants Awards

**$50,000**  
**Todd Nagel Memorial Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee:** Yuxuan Miao, PhD  
 Assistant Professor  
 The University of Chicago Ben May Department for Cancer Research  
**Title of project:** “Investigate the Roles of Skin Microbiota in Squamous Cell Carcinomas.”

**$50,000**  
**Ashley Trenner Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee:** Goran Micevic, MD, PhD  
 Instructor, Dermatology Yale School of Medicine  
**Title of project:** “Elucidating and Enhancing Durable Immune Responses to Melanoma.”

**$25,000**  
**Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee:** Riley E. McLean-Mandell, MD  
 Assistant Professor of Dermatology  
 UMass Chan Medical School  
**Title of project:** “Effect of Immunosuppression on Cutaneous Malignancies in Organ Transplant.”

#### 2022 Research Grants Awards

**$50,000  
Todd Nagel Memorial Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee:** Brian C. Capell, MD, PhD   
Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Genetics  
 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia   
**Title of project:** “Elucidating Epitranscriptomic Mechanisms to Inhibit Keratinocyte Cancers.”

**$50,000  
****Ashley Trenner Research Grant Award  
 Awardee**: Aditi Sahu, PhD   
Senior Research Scientist  
 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City   
**Title of project:** “Single-Cell Profiling for Identifying Markers of Melanoma Invasion.”

**$25,000  
****Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee**: Bilal Fawaz, MD  
Assistant Professor of Dermatology  
 Boston University   
**Title of project: **“Combination of 5-Fluorouracil and Calcipotriene in the Treatment of Superficial Basal Cell Carcinomas and Squamous Cell Carcinomas in Situ.”

#### 2021 Research Grants Awards

**$50,000  
 Ashley Trenner Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee:** Masaoki Kawasumi, MD, PhD  
 Assistant Professor, Division of Dermatology  
 University of Washington School of Medicine at South Lake Union  
**Title of project:** “Mechanisms of Myc-Associated Super-Enhancer Formation in Melanoma and cSCC”

**$50,000  
 Todd Nagel Memorial Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee**: Neda Nikbakht, MD, PhD  
 Assistant Professor of Dermatology  
 Director, Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic  
 Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology  
 Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia  
**Title of project:** “Immunosuppressive Role of Toll-like Receptor 4 Signaling in Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma”

**$25,000  
****Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee**: Harper N. Price, MD  
 Chief, Division of Dermatology  
 Phoenix Children’s Hospital  
**Title of project: **“Skin Cancer Education and Prevention in Pediatric Organ and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: Developing a Skin Cancer Prevention Program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.”

#### 2020 Research Grants Awards

**$50,000**  
**Ashley Trenner Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee**: Matthew Hangauer, PhD  
 Assistant Professor of Dermatology, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA  
**Title of project**: “Targeting Immunotherapy-Tolerant Melanoma Persister Cells”

**$50,000**  
**Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee**: Lee E. Wheless, MD, PhD  
 Instructor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN  
**Title of project:** “Using Bioinformatics to Stratify Skin Cancer Risk in Organ Transplant Recipients”

**$25,000**  
**Todd Nagel Memorial Research Grant Award**  
**Awardee**: Vishal Patel, MD  
 Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Director of Cutaneous Oncology  
 George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Washington, DC  
**Title of project**: “Delphi Consensus Determination of a Tumor Stage Based Approach to High-Risk Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma”

#### 2019 Research Grants Awards

**The Ashley Trenner Research Grant Award for $25,000  
**“*Practices and attitudes of primary care practitioners towards melanoma screening and education*”  
 Awarded to Stephanie Savory, MD, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Bob and Karen Trenner.

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award for $50,000  
**“*Decoding the role of skin inflammation in susceptibility to carcinogen-induced DNA damage*”  
 Awarded to Shruti Naik, PhD, New York University  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf.

**The Todd Nagel Memorial Award for $50,000  
**“*Defining key metabolic pathways in high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas for early detection in immunocompromised patients”  
*Awarded to Rie Takahashi, MD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Linda Nagel and The Todd Nagel Golf Open.

#### 2018 Research Grants Awards

**The Ashley Trenner Research Grant Award for $25,000**  
*“Potential Role for the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine to Prevent and Treat Squamous Cell Carcinoma”*  
 Awarded to Anna Nichols, MD, PhD, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Bob and Karen Trenner.

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award for $50,000**  
*“Validation of Dermatologist-Performed Ultrasound for Regional Lymph Node Surveillance for High-Stage Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma”*  
 Awarded to Emily Stamell Ruiz, MD, MPH, Brigham and Women’s Hospital  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf.

**The Todd Nagel Memorial Award for $50,000**  
*“Elucidating and Overcoming Mechanisms of Immunotherapy Resistance in Melanoma”*  
 Awarded to William Damsky, MD, PhD, Yale Dermatology  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Linda Nagel and The Todd Nagel Golf Open.

#### 2017 Research Grants Awards

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award Society for $25,000**  
*“Skin Cancer in Nonwhite Organ Transplant Recipients: Identifying a High-Risk Population”*  
 Awarded to Christina Lee Chung, MD, Associate Professor, Drexel University College of Medicine  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf.

**The Ashley Trenner Research Grant Award for $25,000**  
*“Neuroglial and neuronal regulation of melanoma progression”*  
 Awarded to Yuri Bunimovich, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Bob and Karen Trenner.

**The Todd Nagel Memorial Award for $25,000**  
*“Epigenetic and Immunologic Modulators in Melanoma”*  
 Awarded to Neda Nikbakht, MD, PhD, Dermatology Resident (Research Track), Thomas Jefferson University Hospital  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Linda Nagel and The Todd Nagel Golf Open.

**The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Award for $10,000**  
*“Postoperative Phone Calls, Patient Satisfaction and Quality Improvement in Dermatologic Surgery”*  
 Awarded to Jesse Miller Lewin, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York  
 Funded by committed Skin Cancer Foundation donors.

#### 2016 Research Grants Awards

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award Society for $25,000**  
*“Confocal Microscopy to Guide in Vivo Carbon Dioxide Laser Ablation of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer”*  
 Awarded to Anthony Rossi, MD, Assistant Attending Physician, Dermatology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf.

**The Ashley Trenner Research Grant Award for $25,000**  
*“Targeting p53 for Skin Cancer Prevention”*  
 Awarded to Tamara Terzian, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology Department, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Bob and Karen Trenner.

**The Todd Nagel Memorial Award for $25,000**  
*“Development of CTCL-Seq, a Rapid, High Throughput Method to Simultaneously Assay All Known Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressors in Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma”*  
 Awarded to Jaehyuk Choi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Dermatology and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Linda Nagel and The Todd Nagel Golf Open.

#### 2015 Research Grants Awards

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award Society for $25,000**  
*“Reprogramming the Tumor Microenvironment to Treat Melanoma”*  
 Awarded to Yuhang Zhang, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati  
 Funded by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf

**The Todd Nagel Memorial Award for $25,000**  
*“Defining Novel Mechanisms of Genome Instability in Melanoma”*  
 Awarded to Neil J. Ganem, MD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine  
 Funded by The Todd Nagel Golf Open

**The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Award for $25,000**  
*“Tumor staging and outcomes of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in organ transplant recipients”*  
 Awarded to Bichchau Michelle Nguyen, MD, Assistant Professor, Tufts Medical Center  
 Funded by committed Skin Cancer Foundation donors

**The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Award for $15,000**  
*“Measuring patient expectations and outcomes in patients with skin cancer: Field-testing of a new patient-reported outcome measure.”*  
 Awarded to Erica Lee, MD, Assisting Attending Physician, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center  
 Funded by committed Skin Cancer Foundation donors

**The Ashley Trenner Research Grant Award for $10,000**  
*“Sphingolipid Metabolism as a Novel Therapeutic Target in Skin Cancer”*  
 Awarded to Linda Heffernan-Stroud, MD PhD, Dermatology Resident, Eastern Virginia Medical School  
 Funded by Bob and Karen Trenner

#### 2014 Research Grants Awards

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Grant Award │$25,000**  
 Presented by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf  
*“Notch Pathway Repression in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma”*  
 Sarah Arron, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf.

**
The Dr. Alfred W. Kopf Research Grant Award│$25,000**  
 Presented by Leonard H. Goldberg, MD  
*“The Role of Voriconazole in Promoting UV-induced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma”*  
 Michael Gober, MD, PhD, Clinical Instructor of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia  
 Funding for this award was made possible by committed Skin Cancer Foundation donors.

**
The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Award│$25,000**  
 Presented by Leonard H. Goldberg, MD  
*“The Effect of mTOR Inhibition in the Treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma”*  
 Ling Gao, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas  
 Funding for this award was made possible by committed Skin Cancer Foundation donors.

**
The Todd Nagel Memorial Award│$15,000**  
 Presented by Mrs. Linda Nagel  
*“Optimization of Mohs Surgery for Melanoma In Situ.”*  
 Christine A. Liang, MD, Clinical Instructor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts  
 Funding for this award was made possible by The Todd Nagel Golf Open.

**
The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Award│$10,000**  
 Presented by David Polsky, MD, PhD  
*“Expression of Notch and c-jun in Photoprotected and Photodamaged Skin as Compared to Actinic Keratosis and Squamous Cell Carcinoma.”*  
 Yevgeniy Balagula, MD, Dermatology Resident at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland  
 Funding for this award was made possible by committed Skin Cancer Foundation donors.

#### 2013 Research Grants Awards

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Grant Award │$25,000**  
 Presented by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf  
*“A non-randomized controlled trial of sentinel lymph node biopsy for high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma”*  
 Chrysalyne D. Schmults, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, Jamaica Plain, MA  
 Funding for this award was made possible by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf.

**
The Dr. Alfred W. Kopf Research Grant Award│$25,000**  
 Presented by David Polsky, MD, PhD  
*“Characterizing incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of skin cancer in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients”*  
 Peggy Wu, MD, Instructor, Dermatology Department, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Training Program, Boston, MA  
 Funding for this award was made possible by committed Skin Cancer Foundation donors.

**
The Melissa K. Bambino Memorial Award│$25,000**  
 Presented by Leonard H. Goldberg, MD  
*“Keratoacanthoma: whole exome sequencing for gene discovery of relevant mutations for tumor regression”*  
 Christine J. Ko, MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology and Pathology, Yale University, New Haven, CT  
 Funding for this award was made possible by The Melissa K. Bambino Melanoma Foundation.

**
The Todd Nagel Memorial Award│$15,000**  
 Presented by Mrs. Linda Nagel  
*“The role of autophagy in melanoma and the development of melanoma drug resistance”*  
 Joshua Arbesman, MD, dermatology resident, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH  
 Funding for this award was made possible by The Todd Nagel Golf Open.

**
The Paul Silberberg Memorial Award│$10,000**  
 Presented by Mrs. Paul Silberberg  
*“Examining the molecular pathogenesis of high-risk and low-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma”*  
 Philip Scumpia, MD, PhD, dermatology resident and postdoctoral fellow, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA  
 Funding for this award was made possible by The Skin Cancer Foundation’s A Night the Stars Shine On event.

#### 2012 Research Grants Awards

**The Joseph A. Stirrup Memorial Award

**  
 A one-year, $25,000 grant, for a research project, *“Characterizing human T cell immunity to merkel cell polyomavirus in Merkel cell carcinoma.”* Rachael Clark, MD PhD, Assistant Professor, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 

Funding for this Award was provided by The Skin Cancer Foundation’s A Night the Stars Shine on event.

**The Paul Silberberg Memorial Award

**  
 A one-year, $25,000 grant, for a research project,* “The role of the desmosome protein, plakophilin 2, in cancer.”* Lisa M Godsel, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL

Funding for this Award was provided by The Skin Cancer Foundation’s A Night the Stars Shine on event

**The Alfred W. Kopf Research Grant Award**  
 A one-year, $25,000 grant, for a research project, *“Characterization of genetic mutations in primary dermal melanoma.”* Bryan K. Sun, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA

Funding for this Award was provided by the donors of The Skin Cancer Foundation

**The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Award**  
 A one-year, $25,000 grant, for a research project, *“Cutaneous vaccination to Basal Cell Carcinoma-harnessing Dendritic Cells of the Skin and Skin Draining LN to improve immunity.”* Niroshana Anandasabapathy, MD, Dermatology Resident, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

Funding for this Award was provided by the donors of The Skin Cancer Foundation.

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award

**  
 A one-year, $15,000 grant, for a research project, *“Incidence of skin cancer risk factors experienced by veterans involved in Operation Enduring Freedom /Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) and subsequent skin health behavioral modifications post – combat.”* Jennifer Powers, MD, Chief Resident, Dermatology, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, TN.

Funding for this Award was made possible by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf

**The Todd Nagel Memorial Award**  
 A one-year, $15,000 grant, for a research project, *“A study of the association of BRAF mutations and brain metastases in melanoma.”* Michelle W. Ma, MD, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY

Funding for this Award was made possible by the Todd Nagel Golf Open

**The Melissa K. Bambino Memorial Award

**  
 A one-year, $15,000 grant, for your research project, *“Retinoid related orphan receptor-gama (RORy: a novel therapeutic target for melanoma treatment).”* Rahul Purwar, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Funding for this Award was made possible by the Melissa K. Bambino Melanoma Foundation

**The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Award**  
 A one-year $10,000 grant, for your research project, *“A pilot study to explore safety, tolerability and potential clearance with topical sirolimus for treatment of actinic keratoses.”* Jennifer Stein, MD, Assistant Professor, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY

Funding for this Award was provided by The Skin Cancer Foundation’s A Night the Stars Shine on event

#### 2011 Research Grants Awards

**The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Melanoma Research Award**  
 A one-year, $50,000 grant awarded to Jedd Wolchok, MD, Associate Attending Physician, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, for a research project, *“To Prospectively Investigate the Immunologic Effects of the Combination of a BRAF Inhibitor (BMS-908662) with the CTLA-4 Blocking Antibody Ipilimumab Using Concurrent and Sequential Treatment Schedules.” *

Funding for this Award was provided by The Skin Cancer Foundation and by the Foundation’s A Night the Stars Shine On event.

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Grant Award

**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant awarded to Ling Tang, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, for a research project, *“Study of Laminin 511 Function in Melanoma Adhesion and Elasticity Using Atomic Force Microscopy Nano-Technique.”* 

Funding for this award was provided by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf.

**The Errol Cook Research Grant Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant awarded to Grace Ying Wang, MD, Assistant Research Scientist, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California, for a research project, *“Mechanism of Activation of p53 in Inhibiting Murine BCC Carcinogensis.”* 

Funding for this award was provided by Mr. Errol Cook and other committed Skin Cancer Foundation donors.

**The Dr. Alfred W. Kopf Research Grant Award

**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant awarded to Natasha Atanaskova Mesinkovska, MD, PhD, Dermatology Resident, Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University, for a research project, *“Melanoma: Altering Melanocyte Epigenomic Mechanisms in Response to Solar Radiation.”* 

Funding for this award was provided by Skin Cancer Foundation donors.

**The Joseph A. Stirrup Memorial Award

**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant awarded to Benjamin Yu, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, The Regents of the University of California, San Diego, for a research project, *“Dissecting Ribosomal Processing in Non-melanoma Skin Cancers.”* 

Funding for this award was made possible by The Skin Cancer Foundation’s A Night the Stars Shine On event.

**The Melissa K. Bambino Memorial Award

**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant awarded to Meg R. Gerstenblith, MD, Visiting Assistant Professor of Dermatology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, for a research project, *“Inclusion of Clinical and Dermoscopic Imaging of Nevi in a Comprehensive Melanoma Database to Examine Potential Associations between Dermoscopic Patterns of Nevi and Genetic and Somatic Mutations in Melanoma.”* 

Funding for this award was made possible by The Melissa K. Bambino Melanoma Foundation.

**The Todd Nagel Memorial Award

**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant awarded to Zoe Verney, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Alabama at Birmingham, for a research project, *“Efficacy and Mechanism of Action of 9-cis UAB30, a Novel Rexinoid Analog, in Human Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma Cell Lines.”* 

Funding for this award was provided by the Todd Nagel Golf Open.

**The Paul Silberberg Memorial Award

**  
 A one-year, $5,000 grant awarded to Ana-Maria Forsea, MD, Visiting Scientist, Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, for a research project, *“Development of International Educational Programs for Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection.” 

*Funding for this award was made possible by the Foundation’s A Night the Stars Shine On event.

#### 2010 Research Grants Awards

**The Dr. Patricia Wexler Research Grant Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant, for a research project,* “DNA Damage-Mediated Sirtuin 1 Inhibition as Novel Survival Mechanism in Skin Cancer”* Arianna L. Kim, PhD, Herbert Living Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.

A one-year, $10,000 grant, for a research project, *“The Utility of Src-kinase Inhibitors in Preventing the Formation of Precancerous Lesions and Squamous Cell Carcinomas”* John T. Seykora, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Philadelphia, PA.

Funding for these Awards was provided by the Brown Foundation.

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant, for a research project, *“Delivery of Topical siRNAs for the Prevention and Treatment of Squamous Cell Carcinomas and other Skin Cancers”* Thanh-Nga Trinh Tran, MD, PhD, Graduate Assistant, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charleston, MA.  
 Funding for this Award was provided by the Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award Society.

**The Melissa K. Bambino Memorial Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant, for a research project, *“Determining Benign or Malignant Behavior of Spitzoid Neoplasms Through Deep Molecular Profiling”* Arlo Miller, MD, PhD, Resident in Dermatology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, New York.  
 Funding for this Award was provided by the Melissa K. Bambino Melanoma Foundation.

**The Dr. Alfred W. Kopf Research Grant Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant, for a research project, *“Role of Immune Modulation and Surveillance in Sentinel Lymph Node Positivity in Melanoma”* Farbod Darvishian, MD, Assistant Professor of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY.

Funding for this Award was provided by the donors of The Skin Cancer Foundation.

**The Live Love and Laugh Research Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant, for a research project, *“Proteomic Characterization of Benign Melanocytic Lesions and Melanoma: A Pilot Study” *Adar Berghoff, MD, Chief Resident Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.

Funding for this Award was provided by Mindy Gorman.

#### 2009 Research Grants Awards

**The Dr. Patricia Wexler Research Grant Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant for a research project *  
 “T-oligo as a Novel Therapeutic Agent for Melanoma” * 
Dr. Neelu Puri, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences

**The Dr. Patricia Wexler Research Grant Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant for a research project  
*“The Integration of a Genome-wide Approach to the Discovery of a Unique Molecular Signature of Nodular Melanoma”*  
 Iman Osman, MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology and Medical Oncology, Director, Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Research Group, NYU School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology

**The Melissa K. Bambino Memorial Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant for a research project  
*“Targeting c-Jun and c-Fos for Skin Cancer Treatment” 
*  
 Jennifer Yunyan Zhang, Assistant Professor, Duke University

Funding for this Award has been provided by The Melissa K. Bambino Melanoma Foundation through their Annual SUN RUN 5K Run/Walk

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant for a research project,  
*
“Vitamin D, DNA Repair and Skin Cancer Prevention”*  
 James E. Cleaver, Ph.D., Professor of Dermatology & Pharmaceutical Chemistr, Auerback Melanoma Laboratory, University of California – San Francisco, USCF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center  
 Funding for this Award has been provided by The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award Society

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant for a research project,  
*“Investigating the Immunogenomic Landscape of Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma”*  
 Dr. Michael Girardi, M.D., Associate Professor & Residency Director, Yale School of Medicine, Dept. of Dermatology

Funding for this Award has been provided by The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award Society

#### 2008 Research Grants Awards

**The Dr. Patricia Wexler Research Grant Award**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant for a research project  
*“Inhibition of Human Melanoma Metastasis with Semaphorin 3F, A New Anti-Angiogenic and Anti-Lymphangiogenic Factor” 
*  
 Diane Renee Bielenberg, PhD, Assistant Professor Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA

**The Dr. Patricia Wexler Research Grant Award
**  
 A one-year, $10,000 grant for a research project  
*“Transcutaneous Delivery of Bcl-2 Antisense Oligonucleotide for Skin Cancer Treatment” *  
 Omathanu P. Perumal, PhD, Assistant Professor, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD

Funding for these Awards has been provided by The Brown Foundation

**The Theodore S. Tromovitch Memorial Award
**  
 A one-year, $5,000 grant for a research project  
*“Developing a Molecular Diagnostic for Sentinel Lymph Node Status in Melanoma Patients” *  
 Mayumi Fujita, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO

Funding for this Award is provided by Stephen N. Snow, MD

**The Melissa K. Bambino Memorial Award
**  
 A one-year, $8,000 grant for a research project  
*“Application Of Proteomics And Mass Spectrometry For The Identification Of New Melanoma Biomarkers” *  
 Arash Radfar, MD, PhD, Department of Dermotology, Pittsburgh, PA

Funding for this Award has been provided by The Melissa K. Bambino Melanoma Foundation through their Annual SUN RUN 5K Run/Walk

**The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award**  
 A one-year, $6,000 grant for a research project,  
*
“Cure Rates Of Superficial Basal Cell Carcinoma Following 1 Versus 3 Cycles Of Electrodessication And Curettage: A Randomized Prospective Study.” *  
 Rosemarie Liu, MD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

Funding for this Award has been provided by The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Research Award Society

## Sun & Skin News

[Your October Update: Sun Damage & Your Eyes](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/2026-10-newsletter/)![SCF newsletter]()

[Monthly Newsletter](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/enews/)

### [Your October Update: Sun Damage & Your Eyes](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/2026-10-newsletter/)

[Young Survivor Warns: “People Aren’t Scared Enough of Skin Cancer”](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/skin-cancer-at-age-23/)![young woman with squamous cell carcinoma on her lip]()

[This Is Skin Cancer](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/true-stories/)

### [Young Survivor Warns: “People Aren’t Scared Enough of Skin Cancer”](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/skin-cancer-at-age-23/)

[Your September Skin Health Update](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/your-september-skin-health-update-2026/)![SCF newsletter]()

[Monthly Newsletter](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/enews/)

### [Your September Skin Health Update](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/your-september-skin-health-update-2026/)

[Finding Their Way to Honor Their Family History](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/finding-their-way-to-honor-their-family-history/)![Jake and Alexis Schweitzer are working to make sun protection a habit for their generation, and to honor their dad’s father, who died of melanoma when he was 43.]()

[The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/the-skin-cancer-foundation-journal/)

### [Finding Their Way to Honor Their Family History](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/finding-their-way-to-honor-their-family-history/)

[Redefining What It Means to Be a Beauty Queen](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/redefining-what-it-means-to-be-a-beauty-queen/)![Sophia Xia, former Miss Illinois Teen USA, is a scholar, researcher, athlete, mentor and leader of a youth skin health advocacy movement.]()

[The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/the-skin-cancer-foundation-journal/)

### [Redefining What It Means to Be a Beauty Queen](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/redefining-what-it-means-to-be-a-beauty-queen/)

[A Minecraft Streamer Who Speeds Up for Good](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/a-minecraft-streamer-who-speeds-up-for-good/)![When lightning-fast Minecraft player Anthony Salzarulo (aka Couriway) learned that his girlfriend was diagnosed with melanoma, he snapped into action to help.]()

[The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/the-skin-cancer-foundation-journal/)

### [A Minecraft Streamer Who Speeds Up for Good](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/a-minecraft-streamer-who-speeds-up-for-good/)

Last updated: June 2026

Open menu

Menu

Close menu

SearchSearch

```json
{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/about-us\/research-grants\/","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/about-us\/research-grants\/","name":"Research Grants - The Skin Cancer Foundation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/about-us\/research-grants\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/about-us\/research-grants\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/scfresearchgrants.jpg","datePublished":"2019-05-10T18:53:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-23T18:50:05+00:00","description":"The Skin Cancer Foundation Research Grants program gives young physicians and investigators stipends for studies that have led to important breakthroughs.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/about-us\/research-grants\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/about-us\/research-grants\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/about-us\/research-grants\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/scfresearchgrants.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/scfresearchgrants.jpg","width":1920,"height":1008,"caption":"Skin Cancer Grants"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/about-us\/research-grants\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"About Us","item":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/about-us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Research Grants"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/","name":"The Skin Cancer Foundation","description":"Education, prevention, early detection, and treatment of skin cancer","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization","name":"The Skin Cancer Foundation","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCF-Logo-2025-4C.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCF-Logo-2025-4C.png","width":1199,"height":1254,"caption":"The Skin Cancer Foundation"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/skincancerfoundation","https:\/\/x.com\/skincancerorg","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/skincancerorg\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-skin-cancer-foundation\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/skincancer\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SkinCancerFoundation","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Skin_Cancer_Foundation","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@skincancerorg"],"description":"The Skin Cancer Foundation saves and improves lives. We empower people to take a proactive approach to daily sun protection and the early detection and treatment of skin cancer.","email":"info@skincancer.org","telephone":"(212) 725-5176","legalName":"The Skin Cancer Foundation"}]}
```