Applications Open 12/1 for the 2026 Future Leaders Retreat

Nov 19, 2025 | 2026 Annual Meeting News & Announcements, Grants and Fellowships

For Faculty, Program Directors & Principal Investigators

Do you mentor dermatology residents, PhD students, or postdocs who show exceptional promise in investigative dermatology? Encourage them to apply for the SID Future Leaders Retreat by sharing this opportunity with your trainees.

If your trainee applies, you’ll provide a nomination letter (1-2 pages on institutional letterhead) describing their research potential, leadership qualities, and career trajectory. This letter should be given to the trainee to upload as part of their application package.

Application deadline: Monday, March 9, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT

For Residents, PhD Students & Postdocs:

Applications open December 1, 2025, for the SID Future Leaders Retreat, held Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Chicago—the day the SID Annual Meeting begins.

The Future Leaders Retreat is designed for trainees building careers in skin biology research. Over one interactive day, you’ll gain practical guidance on securing grants, developing a research niche, and building a sustainable career in academic, industry, or government research settings.

What’s Included

  • Full-day program featuring panels, workshops, and mentorship opportunities with established SID leaders
  • One complimentary night at the Hilton Chicago (Tuesday, May 12)
  • Breakfast and lunch on Wednesday, May 13
  • Direct access to SID members and speakers
  • Seamless transition into the SID Annual Meeting (May 13-16)

Approximately 40 participants will be selected.

Who Should Apply

PhD Students & Postdocs:

  • Currently enrolled in a PhD training program, or hold a PhD or MD degree
  • Working as a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow in a research training program
  • Pursuing a non-clinical research career in skin biology (academia, industry, or government)

Dermatology Residents:

  • Hold an MD, DO, or MD/PhD degree
  • Currently enrolled in a U.S. dermatology residency program
  • Ideally in your first or second year of residency, or participating in a postdoctoral fellowship

How to Apply

Trainees apply directly online. Your application must include:

Nomination letter:

For Residents, the nomination letter should come from the Department Chair or Program Director, highlighting the candidate’s potential as a physician-scientist or academician.

For PhDs, the nomination letter should come from the Lab Director or Principal Investigator and describe the candidate’s research capabilities in their nomination letter.

Additionally, departments must acknowledge and agree that they are responsible for covering the travel expenses for candidates attending the Retreat. They must also ensure that attendees from their department are registered for the SID Annual Meeting.

Abstract or Letter of Intent:

Either an abstract you’re submitting to the 2026 SID Annual Meeting, OR
A letter of intent describing your research interests and career goals

Your CV or biosketch (2-page limit)

Application deadline: Monday, March 9, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT

If you have questions about the application process, please contact Deb Kovacs at kovacs@sidnet.org.

Participants will be notified of acceptance in early April 2026. 

Important Details for Accepted Participants 

  • SID Annual Meeting registration is separate and not included with retreat acceptance. Register early for the member discount rate. 
  • Your department covers travel costs to and from Chicago 
  • Extend your hotel reservation beyond the complimentary night if staying for the full Annual Meeting (strongly recommended) 
  • Plan to attend the full week—the retreat is most valuable when combined with the broader SID Annual Meeting 

Questions? 

Contact Deb Kovacs at kovacs@sidnet.org. 

Ready to Apply?

Complete the application form below to submit your application materials. Deadline: March 9, 2026 at 11:59 ET. 

Applicant Contact Info

Your name(Required)

Upload Your Application Materials

All materials should be uploaded as a PDF or .docx.
For the Resident nominations, the letter must be provided by the Department Chair or Program Director, highlighting the candidate's potential as a physician-scientist or academician. For PhD nominations, the Lab Director or Principal Investigator should describe the candidate's research capabilities in their nomination letter. Additionally, departments must acknowledge and agree that they are responsible for covering the travel expenses for candidates attending the Retreat. They must also ensure that attendees from their department are registered for the SID Annual Meeting.
Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 256 MB.
Please upload either your SID Annual Meeting abstract or a Letter of Interest that outlines your research interests and career goals.
Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 256 MB.
Maximum length: two (2) pages.
Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 256 MB.

Privacy Policy

PRIVACY & USER CONSENT

Introduction
The Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to advance the sciences relevant to skin disease through education, advocacy and scholarly exchange of scientific information. We are aware of and care about your own personal privacy interests, and we take that seriously. This privacy policy applies to our collection, use, disclosure, and protection of your data. It does not apply to third party websites, applications, or services. Before accessing, using, or interacting with our services, carefully review the terms and conditions of this privacy policy.

Information We Collect

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  • Member Support;
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Data from your Institution
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Data from other Sources
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Sharing Information
Information about your purchases are maintained in association with your membership or profile account. The personal information we collect from you is stored in a database hosted by a third party, YourMembership (“YM”). YM does not use or have access to your personal information for any purpose other than cloud storage and retrieval.

We do not otherwise reveal your personal data to third-parties for their independent use unless: (1) you request or authorize it; (2) it’s in connection with any of our events as described above; (3) the information is provided to comply with the law (for example, to comply with a search warrant, subpoena or court order), enforce an agreement we have with you, or to protect our rights, property or safety, or the rights, property or safety of our employees or others; (4) the information is provided to our agents, vendors or service providers who perform functions on our behalf; (5) to address emergencies or acts of God; and (6) to address disputes, claims, or to persons demonstrating legal authority to act on your behalf.

Our websites use interfaces with social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others. If you choose to “like” or share information from our websites through these services, you should review the privacy policy of that service. If you are a member of a social media site, the interfaces may allow the social media site to connect your site visit to your personal data.

Administrator Data
If you are an administrator of an institution with a subscription to a service, we will use your details to communicate with you about your institution’s subscription and related services. If you supply us contact information of your colleagues, we may include a reference to you when we contact those individuals with communications about the service(s).

Your Communications Preferences
You can customize and manage your communications preferences and other settings when you register with the Service, by updating your account features and preferences, by using the “opt-in/out” or subscribe/unsubscribe mechanisms or other means provided within the communications that you receive from us or by contacting us. We reserve the right to notify you of changes or updates to the Service whenever necessary.

Accessing and Updating Your Information
The Service may allow registered users to directly access their account information and make corrections or updates at any time. Keeping such information up to date is solely the responsibility of the user. Registered users may also close their account directly through the Service or by contacting the Service’s customer support. You have the right under European and certain other privacy and data protection laws, as may be applicable, to request free of charge:

  • Access to and correction and deletion of your personal information;
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  • Portability of your personal information.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the contact address provided below. We will respond to your request consistent with applicable laws. To protect your privacy and security, we may require you to verify your identity.

Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide the Service and fulfill the transactions you have requested, or for other essential purposes such as complying with our legal obligations, maintaining business and financial records, resolving disputes, maintaining security, detecting and preventing fraud and abuse, and enforcing our agreements.

Data Security
We take precautions to safeguard your personal information against loss, theft and misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction through the use of appropriate technical and organizational measures.

Changes and Updates to the Privacy Policy
By using the SID and/or JID websites, you agree to the terms and conditions contained in this privacy policy. As our organization, membership, and benefits change from time to time, this privacy policy is expected to change as well. We reserve the right to amend the privacy policy at any time, for any reason, without notice to you, other than the posting of the amended privacy policy on our website. We may e-mail periodic reminders of our notices and terms and conditions and will e-mail members of material changes.

Data Protection Representative
The SID is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. We have appointed an internal data protection officer for you to contact if you have any questions or concerns about our data policies or practices. Our data protection officer’s name and contact information are as follows:

Stephanie Flanagan
Data Protection Representative
SID
526 Superior Avenue, East
Suite 340
Cleveland, Ohio 44114 USA
Phone (216) 579-9300
flanagan@sidnet.org