In December 2024, HVO and DI Skin Hospital and Referral Center (DISHARC) hosted a hybrid in-person and online symposium dedicated to pediatric dermatology for 110 attendees, 45 of whom joined virtually from as far away as Vietnam, Cambodia, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. The goal was to update and share knowledge while facilitating networking for health care professionals interested in the subspecialty. HVO established the project with DISHARC in 2017, and pediatric dermatologist volunteers inspired interest among dermatology staff. Staff members benefited from patient consultations, small-group learning sessions, and one-on-one interactions. Several were motivated to pursue pediatric dermatology training, and one was able to complete a yearlong fellowship at an HVO volunteer’s institution. A symposium seemed a logical next step in raising more awareness and engaging others.
Dr. Smita Joshi, HVO’s on-site coordinator, worked with HVO staff, volunteers, and local professionals to coordinate speakers and attendees. It was a complex process involving the coordination of multiple teams. “I, Dr. Cheryl Bayart and Ms. Natalie Cary from HVO had several email exchanges and meetings prior to the symposium,” said Dr. Joshi. “We had outstanding support from our IT Team, the hospital management and the PG and Academic Committee, led by Professor Dr. Anil Kumar Jha. We had to arrange sponsors for the physical meeting, which was managed by Professor Shristi Shrestha and Professor Jha. We had to disseminate the information regarding the meeting to potential attendees. Other than the speakers from HVO, I was also responsible for approaching and communicating with speakers including residents who presented cases for discussion.” Those who participated were mainly dermatologists and dermatology residents, along with a few nurses.
HVO volunteer Dr. Stephen Humphrey and project director Dr. Cheryl Bayart provided lectures on infantile rashes and linear morphea. Dr. Humphrey pre-recorded his lecture and answers to anticipated questions. Dr. Bayart interacted with residents presenting their cases for discussion and provided valuable input. Dr. Joshi and her colleague Dr. Shraddha Uprety presented on trichoscopy in childhood hair disorders and DISHARC’s experience managing pediatric psoriasis. Aside from the important information disseminated through the lectures, simply raising awareness of pediatric dermatology as a subspecialty was a crucial goal. “I think the most important take home message was to be aware of the need to address the pediatric group as a special population,” said Dr. Joshi. “Many times, due to lack of in-depth knowledge, patients receive suboptimal treatment, which is more pronounced in the pediatric population. Dr. Bayart’s presentation, my talk, and interactive session with residents and our junior colleagues was especially focused to address this gap.”
The hope is that this symposium encourages more dermatologists and residents to learn more about the pediatric subspecialty. “We hope to see a gradual increase in awareness and interest of the pediatrician and dermatologist to treat pediatric dermatology as a necessary subspecialty, in Nepal and South Asia. This collaboration has helped us vastly to give continuity to teaching and learning activities in pediatric dermatology and we are moving in the right direction. Right after this year’s session, we had our first dermatology resident from a different institute, who showed interest in having an elective rotation in pediatric dermatology at our center for two weeks. We are hopeful that there will be more opportunities to sensitize the young work force and help them develop a network for further training in pediatric dermatology.” Dr. Joshi and her college would like to see more, longer, annual symposiums as well as more frequent virtual case conferences. HVO will be working with Dr. Joshi and DISHARC to assess and address how to strengthen training activities and provide support.
For information on current volunteer opportunities for dermatologists, please contact Program Coordinator Natalie Cary at n.cary@hvousa.org.