Skin Health for Everyone. Everywhere.

Kari Wanat is a Professor in Dermatology and Dermatopathology and the Chair at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she practices complex medical dermatology, inpatient consults, and dermatopathology.  She is passionate about increasing access to dermatology care to underserved populations both locally and abroad through work in global health, teledermatology, and medical education. She has collaborators across the world with primary projects in Tanzania and Niger.

I was actively involved in diverse areas such as outbreak management, community-based
research, operational research, and clinical trials. My research contributions encompass 42 papers published in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters.

A Fellow for Ethiopian Academy of Sciences I am actively engaged in national and global health initiatives. I am serving as a member of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases. My leadership extends also to role as the vice-chair of the International Alliance for Global Health Dermatology (GLODERM) and as a member of the advisory board of Amref Ethiopia.

Additionally, I remains actively engaged in training initiatives, having been an alumnus of the TDR lead Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative and facilitating operational research training for South East Asia and Africa.

She has won the American Academy of Dermatology’s Member Making a Difference Award, as well as the most highly cited author in the area of epidemiology in AIDS in 2009.

Her current work centers around Kaposi’s sarcoma, a potentially deadly tumor associated with HIV that first appears on the skin.
Her work has been supported by the National Institute of Health (NIH), the American Skin Association, the Harvard Center for AIDS Research, and the Medical Dermatology Society.

Dr Claire Fuller is a consultant dermatologist from London, UK. She is a medical dermatologist with interest in infectious and tropical dermatoses as well as multidisciplinary genital skin diseases management. She is on the leadership team of the Neglected Tropical Disease NGO Network Skin NTD Cross Cutting Group and is a founder member of GLODERM (The International Alliance for Global Health Dermatology) as well as IACS International Alliance for the Control of Scabies

Dr Wingfield Rehmus is currently the head of pediatric dermatology at BC Children’s Hospital which provides dermatology services to children from throughout British Columbia including small remote communities. Her team also works in collaboration with a social pediatrics network in downtown Vancouver called RICHER, which is embedded into the community to support children and families living in vulnerable situations.

Dr Sangatu is a second year Dermatology Resident from Solomon Islands, currently working and training at the Pacific Dermatology Training Centre in Fiji. In 2021, he completed a year of residency and returned to Solomon Islands to set up the country’s first Dermatology Clinic. In 2023, he helped facilitate a partial residency training for a second Solomon Islanders. He is passionate about Universal Health Coverage and Health Equity. His goal is to strive for a ‘Skin Friendly Pacific’, where access to dermatology services is not limited by the geography of the region.

Mentor: Esther Freeman

Dr. Karen Eugenia Férez Blando is an internist and dermatologist from Mexico City. Trained at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán, she merges internal medicine and dermatology in her practice there. As a lecturer at Panamerican University, she trains future healthcare professionals. She is also the founder and president of the Mexican Foundation for Vitiligo and Skin Diseases, A.C., where they provide medical care, fight discrimination, and conduct research on vitiligo. One of her proudest initiatives is the “Vitiligo Project,” using photography to challenge societal beauty norms and promote acceptance. Through her book “Dermatoons” and other educational initiatives, she aims to make dermatology fun and accessible.

Mentor: Cristina Galván

Dr Olufolakemi Cole is a consultant physician, dermatologist, venereologist and associate lecturer based in Lagos, Nigeria. She works at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and the Lagos State University College of Medicine. She is a graduate of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, and has specialist training in Internal Medicine and Dermatology with Membership of the West African College of Physicians and Fellowship of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. She also has a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an MSc in Public Health and Health Promotion from Brunel University, London.

She is an active clinician and clinical researcher, working on various areas of research in dermatology and global health, including albinism, skin biophysical parameters in darker skin, skin lightening practices, acne vulgaris, atopic dermatitis, seborrhoeic dermatitis, psoriasis, skin NTDs like leprosy and scabies, and dermatological infectious diseases like mpox. She is an active member of the Nigerian Association of Dermatologists and an associate member of the International Society of Dermatology.
 
Olufolakemi is also a skin health advocate and frequently engages and educates the public about skin health on radio, television, print media, and various social media platforms. In addition to putting smiles on the faces of her patients by treating and beautifying their skin, she enjoys dancing and creative writing. She is happily married with a son. 

Mentor: Kari Wanat