Expanding Global Access to Dermatology: GLODERM and CeraVe Awards Fuel Community-Driven Change

In a collaborative effort to support global health, education, and dermatologic care initiatives, the International Alliance for Global Health Dermatology (GLODERM) and CeraVe’s "Care for All" social impact program recently announced the recipients of the 2025 GLODERM x CeraVe Access Grants.¹ With $140,000 awarded across 7 projects, the initiative seeks to address one of dermatology’s most pressing challenges: equitable access to care in underserved regions.

Cyndy Muliro, MMED, MBchB | Image Credit: ILDS

This year’s grants support clinicians operating in some of the most resource-limited areas worldwide. The 7 dermatologists, all alumni of the GLODERM Mentorship Programme, will each receive $20,000 to implement year-long projects that advance skin health in their communities.

Dermatology Times spoke with Karolyn (Kari) Wanat, MD, a leader within the GLODERM Mentorship Programme, and Cyndy Muliro, MMED, MBchB, one of this year’s Access Grant recipients, to highlight how this initiative is creating ripple effects far beyond the clinics it touches.

The Vision Behind the GLODERM x CeraVe Access Grants

According to Wanat, the grant selection process is based on critical principles: local partnerships, sustainability, community embeddedness, and the applicant’s dedication to service.

"We look at the community partnerships that the mentee may have with the individuals and organizations that they'll be partnering with, and the impact on dermatologic care. We're looking at expansion: increasing access to dermatology care within a local community, and that's either through clinical programs or educational partnerships," Wanat explained.
"We're looking at the patient population that they're serving and who it is currently helping. We're oftentimes looking at underserved communities that are present and then working with them. Then we’re looking at sustainability, because we’re really interested not only in making an impact for 1 year, but also the future plan with that."

The access grants are not just a boost in funding—they are meant to activate a domino effect in health equity.

"These access grants are to really enable the changemakers in dermatology,” Wanat emphasized. "I think the partnership is really, really important. I think having a good understanding of what the communities themselves need—so having these mentees who are really entrenched in their community, who have a really good understanding of the needs of the community—so that they can develop a project in collaboration with the community to make it forthcoming. I really think about it as a domino effect."

The grants serve as a bridge between academic mentorship and real-world practice. Each project serves as a living extension of the GLODERM: skin health for everyone, everywhere.

"Although our mentorship program is a smaller group of people, those people are leaders in the community, and through their access grants, they're going to help take care of a patient who's then going to tell another patient about where they can get care or about their skin condition. They’re going to train individuals: community health workers, primary care providers, other dermatology trainees. And then those people are going to have a domino effect," Wanat added.

Karolyn (Kari) Wanat, MD | Image Credit: ILDS

Spotlight: Dr Cyndy Muliro’s Mission to Improve Access in Kenya

One of the 7 grantees, Cyndy Muliro, MMED, MBChB, is a consultant dermatologist and public health advocate based in Nairobi, Kenya. She brings not only clinical expertise but also a commitment to community-based dermatology.

"I'm a global health dermatology advocate. I'm very passionate about community dermatology and working towards ensuring or improving access to dermatological care, especially in underserved communities," said Muliro.
"I'm also part of the GLODERM COVID-2 mentorship program. I was privileged to be part of it, and very grateful because I learned so much from that program."

In Kenya, where the population exceeds 56 million, access to dermatologic care is limited.

"We have less than 30 specialists. So this gives you, I think, a ratio of about maybe 1 doctor to maybe 3 million people, and that's quite a gross under serving of the community," she explained.

This statistic emphasizes the urgent need for intervention and is exactly what Muliro’s 3-pronged project aims to address. Working in rural Kenya, her initiative includes mobile dermatology outreach, community education, and telemedicine support for frontline health workers.

As one of the few dermatologists working in Kenya’s public sector, Muliro is positioned to drive change in settings where dermatologic conditions are both underrecognized and undertreated.

CeraVe's Commitment to a Healthier Global Future

This marks the second year of the GLODERM x CeraVe Access Grants, made possible through CeraVe’s "Care for All" program. The grants are administered by the International Foundation for Dermatology, the charitable arm of the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS), which also oversees the GLODERM Mentorship Programme.

Gene Colón, Global SVP of Medical Affairs and Communications at CeraVe, described the brand’s role in this partnership as both a responsibility and an honor.

"We're thrilled to kick off the second year of the GLODERM x CeraVe Access Grants. It’s an honour to back these remarkable changemakers who are driving essential dermatological work to bring much-needed care to their communities," said Colón in a news release from the ILDS.¹ "These transformative, impactful efforts are set to create ripples that will resonate both locally and globally, changing lives and advancing skin health worldwide."

Wanat echoed this sentiment, noting the significance of CeraVe’s philanthropic leadership.

"I want to acknowledge the importance of CeraVe—my gratitude, as well as the importance that CeraVe has in providing these. They have really been leaders in acknowledging the importance of philanthropy and giving back to communities," she said.

The Bigger Picture: Collaboration, Capacity, and Inspiration

The 2025 awardees are advancing a variety of projects:

• Indonesia: Floating hospital outreach programs with primary health worker training
• Madagascar: mHealth tools for neglected tropical skin diseases
• Zanzibar: Specialized care for people living with albinism
• St. Lucia: Leprosy elimination
• Vietnam: Remote dermatology education through ECHO
• Tanzania: Community-integrated teledermatology

But as Wanat emphasized, the impact of these grants extends well beyond the immediate project year.

"The access grant for a year is really great, but I really think it's a stepping stone to future opportunities—grant funding, collaborations, involvement, all of that," she said. "We really rely on the mentees and their knowledge of the communities, as well as those strong partnerships. None of this work is done in a silo."

Learn more about GLODERM and its Mentorship Programme at gloderm.org.

Reference

1. GLODERM and CeraVe award grants to expand access to dermatological care in underserved communities globally. News release. ILDS. April 14, 2025. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://www.ilds.org/news-events/news/2025-GLODERM-CeraVe-Access-Grants/