Fourth-year medical student helps bring research to the national dermatology stage

On September 27, 2025, NEOMED fourth-year medical student Natasha Salmen, the medical student liaison for the Rural Access to Dermatology Society (RADS), organized and led the inaugural RADS Virtual Research Symposium. The event brought together more than 100 participants from across the country, providing a national platform for medical students to showcase their research.

The symposium received over 75 abstract submissions, with 15 student presentations selected.

Salmen worked closely to secure two distinguished keynote speakers, Jerad M. Gardner, M.D., an internationally recognized dermatopathologist and social media educator, and Suephy Chen, M.D., M.S., chair of dermatology at Duke University and a leader in teledermatology, as well as a resident panel, ensuring a high-caliber program that connected students with leaders in the field.

Salmen’s role as medical student liaison demonstrates how NEOMED students can take leadership within national organizations. Her initiative established a new annual event within RADS—one designed to celebrate student scholarship and further the society’s mission of expanding access to dermatology in rural and underserved communities.