Q&A – Incyte Ingenuity Awards in Vitiligo

Please tell us about yourself.

I'm currently at Incyte as Group Vice President & Head of the Dermatology Business Unit. I have over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and have held leadership roles at UCB, AbbVie, Abbott, and TAP pharmaceuticals.

My experience has given me a unique perspective of the evolving health care landscape’s impact on dermatology and how to align pharma’s commercial objectives with the needs of patients, dermatology care providers, and payer stakeholders. 

Before entering the healthcare industry, I served in the US Army as a Flight Operations Officer and Pilot and earned my MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. 

What are some challenges experienced by patients with vitiligo? 

Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune condition characterized by depigmentation (loss of color) of skin, resulting in white patches on the face and body. Vitiligo impacts everyone differently, and many people living with the condition may face a range of challenges, such as self esteem or misperceptions about the condition being cosmetic versus an autoimmune condition.  

What we’ve heard in particular from the vitiligo community is that more education, awareness and resources are needed to help address their specific needs, which is a large part of why we created the Incyte Ingenuity Awards in vitiligo. 

Can you provide a brief overview of the two winning projects: Good Skin Knowledge and the VStrong “Shine” – Vitiligo Sun Protection Strategy? What are the goals of each of these projects? 

The American Academy of Dermatology’s (AAD) project, Good Skin Knowledge, aims to destigmatize and raise awareness of vitiligo by equipping educators and community leaders to teach children about the condition through an English and Spanish training module. The VStrong Vitiligo Support Community’s project, VStrong “Shine” – Vitiligo Sun Protection Strategy, will provide the vitiligo community with the necessary tools and education on proper sun protection, which helps address the increased risk of sunburn, sun avoidance and stigma that people living with vitiligo face. 

We look forward to seeing these innovative projects come to fruition and the positive impact they will have on the vitiligo community. 

What inspired the decision to award funding to the American Academy of Dermatology and VStrong Vitiligo Support Community? 

The Incyte Ingenuity Awards in vitiligo were created to fund thoughtful, creative and original programs and resources that address specific needs of people with vitiligo. The program consists of two awards that will fund two novel, innovative initiatives: one up to $35,000 and another up to $100,000, to support projects of different scales. 

The judging panel, consisting of up to 5 patient advocacy leaders, dermatologists, and other health care professionals, selected these projects as they reflect a true understanding of the needs of the vitiligo community and exemplify the core mission of the program: to support innovative initiatives that improve the lives of people with vitiligo. Incyte does not provide any advice or input during the judging process. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

We are pleased with the inaugural Incyte Ingenuity Awards in vitiligo and are excited to launch the 2023 application cycle, open now through October 31, 2023. Incyte welcomes submissions from non-profit 501(c)(3), patient, policy and caregiver organizations or healthcare providers and mid-level/junior faculty from healthcare organizations. For more information on the program, including the eligibility criteria and 2022 recipients, please visit IncyteIngenuityAwards.com/vitiligo.