The Vitiligo Innovators ProgramTM

Recognizing individuals for their impact on the vitiligo community.

The nomination period is now closed and will reopen in June 2025. Recipients for the 2024 cycle will be announced at that time.

Celebrating Positive Contributions to the Vitiligo Community!

Created to recognize positive contributions for the vitiligo community, the Vitiligo Innovators Program™ (VIP) seeks to acknowledge patients, caregivers, advocates, researchers, medical students, residents and/or healthcare providers for their extraordinary efforts to bring understanding, compassion and strength to the vitiligo community.

Incyte, a global pharmaceutical company, is proud to celebrate individuals who are dedicated to supporting and making a positive impact on people living with vitiligo.

The nomination period is now closed and will reopen in June 2025. Recipients for the 2024 cycle will be announced at that time.

Eligibility

Eligibility Information

The following individuals are eligible to be nominated:

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Community Innovators: An advocate or non-medical individual who has made a significant positive impact in supporting, or caring for, people with vitiligo. Types of work recognized could include significant advocating efforts on behalf of the community, impactfully driving awareness of vitiligo, or even being a caregiver to a person living with vitiligo in a meaningful way.
Healthcare Innovators: Healthcare professional (i.e., nurse, PA, physician) who provides extraordinary care and/or education for people with vitiligo. Types of work recognized could include dedication, or care, that goes "above and beyond" for patients.
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Rising Innovators: Promising resident, medical student or researcher who has demonstrated significant contributions to advancing the understanding of vitiligo and/or disease management. Types of work recognized could include authoring, or presenting relevant vitiligo research.

Criteria for nominations are as follows:

  • Choose only one category for nomination
  • A completed nomination form must be submitted by the deadline provided
  • The achievements of the individual must be relevant and recent (i.e., should have had a positive impact within the vitiligo community, must have taken place within the last 3-5 years)
  • Individuals must be nominated by others
  • Individuals being nominated must be aware of the nomination
  • The nomination must be compliant with any institutional rules and guidelines
  • Nominated individuals must reside in one or more of the 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia and or Puerto Rico

The following people are not eligible for nomination:

  • Employees or agents of lncyte, or lncyte vendors
  • Current program year judging panel members
  • Incyte Ingenuity Award winners of current program year

Recognition details:

  • Up to three recipients (one per category) will be recognized
  • Each category is open to individual recipients
  • Recipients in each category will receive a physical award recognizing their dedication to individual care

Individuals or organizations may not be recognized two years in a row or for a length of time agreed upon by the judging panel.

Incyte reserves the right to modify the eligibility requirements at any time.

Have additional questions?
Check out our FAQ page

Meet the Judges

Meet the Judges

Meet our 2024 VIP judging panel!

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Erika Page

Erika Page is the Founder and Editor of Living Dappled, a blog and community for women with vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that causes loss of pigment. After getting vitiligo at the age of seven, she lost 100% of her pigment; she founded the platform to help educate, support, and inspire the 1% of the population with this condition. Erika has spoken at the U.S. World Vitiligo Day conference and has been featured on DermHealth.Co’s Heal Thy Skin podcast, Channel Kindness, and The Pretty Pimple. In 2021, Erika Page was named the No. 4 Most Influential Vitiligan for the second year in a row through a survey conducted by Unite for Vitiligo.

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Vivian Shi, MD, FAAD

Vivian Shi is a Board-Certified Dermatologist, Professor at Department of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle. Dr Shi’s research and clinical interests are in complex inflammatory skin conditions. She cares for a large volume of patients with pigmentary disorders, including vitiligo, and has published extensively on topics related to disparities and management of patients with skin of color. She has served on the steering committee on the sciences of skin related to diverse pigmentation. She has served as the principal investigator for numerous industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated clinical and translational studies. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and is the editor for two reference dermatology textbooks on atopic dermatitis and hidradenitis suppurativa. She is an editor of chapters on dermatoses related to pigmentary alteration in an upcoming diagnostic textbook. She is on the Board of Directors for the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation, the advisory board of the National Eczema Association, and is a member of the International Eczema Council.

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Gwen Dalphon, PA-C

Gwen Dalphon is a board-certified Physician Assistant licensed by the
state of Delaware where she has practiced as a PA in dermatology since 2013. Mrs. Dalphon graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Robert Morris University in 2009. There she played 4 years of division one field hockey. She earned her Master’s of Science in Physician Assistant Studies in 2012 from Seton Hill University. Mrs. Dalphon completed an American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) approved Dermatology Physician Assistant Fellowship training program in Washington, DC. As a Dermatology PA, Gwen is trained to diagnose and treat many skin conditions including but not limited to acne, rosacea, eczema, warts, psoriasis, and skin cancer. She also performs comprehensive skin exams and minor surgeries including the removal of benign and cancerous lesions. She has a special interest in psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and vitiligo. She has also had extensive training in Botox injections. Gwen is a member of the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants and the AAPA. She currently serves as president on the board of directors for the Delaware Academy of Physician Assistants. Each summer she provides the dermatology lecture for the Arcadia University Physician Assistant Program. When not working she enjoys traveling, exercising, and spending time with her husband and their dog, Tater.

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James Mcleod

James Mcleod is a dynamic force of positivity, committed to transforming both bodies and minds through self-love and inclusivity. Despite facing great adversity and bullying due to vitiligo, James overcomes these challenges and now shares his story as a motivational speaker, social influencer, personal trainer, and author. He inspires audiences of all ages at schools, youth programs, churches, and on social media. James is the author of two children’s books, The Boy Behind the Face and My Daily Superpowers, which promote messages of confidence, acceptance, and positivity. James has been featured in the global fashion magazine CR Fashion Book, on Bodybuilding.com, in campaigns for Soul Cycle, WebMD, PBS, and was a featured presenter at World Vitiligo Day 2020. As a young boy, James was determined not to let bullying define who he is. Now, James has dedicated his life to supporting and inspiring others to overcome their insecurities and fears. Join James to “Smile and let your happy shine!” @thatvitiligo_guy

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Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD, FAAD

Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD, is an internationally recognized expert in skin of color. She lectures nationally and internationally on the cosmetic concerns of skin of color. Dr Woolery-Lloyd participates extensively in clinical research, serving as an investigator for clinical trials with an emphasis on increasing inclusion of skin of color patients. She has dozens of publications in the medical literature with a focus on skin of color dermatology. She has also been featured as an expert dermatologist in various publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Forbes. Dr Woolery-Lloyd is an active member of the American Academy of Dermatology and the Skin of Color Society. She also serves as Director of the Skin of Color Division for the University of Miami Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery.

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Incyte will not provide any advice or input during the judging process, and all decisions made by the judging panel are made independently and are final. These judges will receive compensation for their services from Incyte, based on fair market value.

Judging Criteria

Judging Criteria – What makes a
Vitiligo Innovator?

The judging panel will consider the following criteria when evaluating each award nomination:

Checkmark iconDoes the nominee meet the eligibility requirements?

Documents iconDoes the nomination contain all of the necessary details?

Stopwatch iconAre the achievements of the nominated individual relevant and recent (i.e., have they made a positive impact within the vitiligo community within the last 3-5 years)?

Incyte reserves the right to change the judging criteria at any time.

Program Process

Program Process

VIP recipient selection overview:

  • A judging panel made up of five judges will be responsible for deciding who should be recognized.
  • Recognition will be conferred based upon the judging panel’s review of nominations for each category and pre-established and published rating system prior to the recognition event.
  • Nominators and those nominated will be communicated with depending upon their circumstances.
  • Individuals sending incomplete nominations will be notified and advised that they must complete nominations by the deadline.

Have additional questions?
Check out our FAQ page