William B. Song awarded Psoriatic Disease Research Fellowship Grant from the National Psoriasis Foundation

William B. Song, a medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine, was awarded a Psoriatic Disease Research Fellowship by the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) to pursue a full-time research project under the mentorship of Dr. Joel Gelfand, MD.

William is a Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Gelfand Clinical Research Lab in Penn Dermatology. Mr. Song began working with Dr. Gelfand in 2021 as a first year medical school student. Dr. Gelfand describes Will as “a talented young health services researcher and Penn medical student, that is underscored by his recent first-author paper demonstrating low screening for cardiovascular risk factors in patients with psoriasis by dermatologists in the US (Song et al., JID, 2023).” William’s research acumen is further highlighted by this fellowship, which is primarily intended for those who already hold an MD but is also available for exceptionally promising medical students.

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated disease that causes systemic inflammation, characterized by itchy and painful skin rashes. Patients suffer substantial physical, mental, and financial burdens as a result of this disease, but research has demonstrated there are significant racial and ethnic disparities in disease burden. Mr. Song’s project, “Variation in disease burden, access, and cost based on race, ethnicity, and Fitzpatrick skin type in patients with psoriasis seeking phototherapy” is designed to further our understanding of these disparities. He will accomplish this by analyzing data from the LITE Study with a special focus on evaluating barriers and facilitators to engaging patients of color in clinical trials.”

William understands the impact of this award and his research, noting, “I’m grateful to receive the Psoriatic Disease Research Fellowship [which] will allow me to spend dedicated time exploring important questions about psoriasis and access to care for people with the disease. I hope to continue developing my skills and expertise in scientific investigation, and to better our understanding of psoriatic disease in order to improve the lives of those who suffer from it.”

The National Psoriasis Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to researching psoriatic disease and improving the health of Americans living with the disease by sponsoring research, improving health, and providing resources. For more information, visit the NPF website.

Congratulations, Will!