Funding is provided annually for basic research and clinical studies. Research must be conducted by dermatology residents, fellows, and young faculty (5-10 years post first academic appointment) from institutions within the US and educational programs related to skin cancer. Proposals are evaluated by the members of the Grants Review Committee. All projects are selected on the basis of their applicability to the Foundation's mission of reducing the incidence, morbidity and mortality of skin cancer.

Only applications for research projects relevant to skin cancer will be accepted for consideration. The Foundation's Grants Program is intended for pilot projects, which, if successful, can be further developed in order to be eligible for larger grants from other sources. Research must be conducted at institutions within the U.S. Preference is given to projects that address, at the basic science and clinical level, improved methods of prevention, detection, and treatment of skin cancers.

Because the amounts of the grants are small, it is the Foundation's policy not to fund overhead or indirect costs.

2010 Research Grants Awarded by The Skin Cancer Foundation

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.