The International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) announced the six recipients of its 2025 Young Dermatologist International Achievement (YDIA) Awards.
The recipients, one from each of the ILDS’ six world regions, are:
- Dr Olufolakemi Cole-Adeife (Africa). Dr Cole-Adeife is assistant editor of the Nigerian Journal of Dermatology. She has also delivered a range of programs to support World Skin Health Day as part of her drive to increase access to dermatological care in Nigeria.
- Dr Niraj Parajuli MD (West, South and Central Asia). Dr Parajuli is Founding President of Rare Skin Disease Nepal, the organisation focusing on raising awareness of rare skin diseases in the country. He is the dermatological expert on multiple national public health committees and his leadership has been pivotal in developing national guidelines on skin Neglected Tropical Diseases, such as leishmaniasis.
- Esther E. Freeman, MD PhD (North America – excluding Mexico and the Caribbean). Dr Freeman leads the American Association of Dermatology and ILDS registries for COVID-19, Mpox, and Emerging Infections and recently launched the AAD/ILDS Drug Resistant Dermatophytes Registry. She is also Founding Chair of the International Alliance for Global Health Dermatology (GLODERM) Mentorship Programme, which increases access to dermatological care in under-served communities.
- Bryan Edgar Ko Guevara MD, FDDS, FDSP (East Asia, South-East Asia and Oceania). Dr Guevara chairs the Research and In-Service Training Examination Committees of the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) and is co-chair of its Immunodermatology subspecialty core group. He has also served as Editor-in-Chief of the PDS Journal and is now its Associate Editor.
- Jonathan Ho MBBS DSc (Latin America – including Mexico and the Caribbean). Dr Ho is President of the Dermatology Association of Jamaica and chairs the Dermatology Association of Jamaica Specialist Registration Committee. He has also served as Treasurer for the Caribbean Dermatology Association and as a Council Member for the Medical Association of Jamaica.
- Dr Zenas Yiu (Europe). Dr Yiu is Co-Deputy Chair of the UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network and Associate Editor of the Guidelines subsection of Evidence-based Dermatology. She holds a range of other association roles, including serving as a sub-committee member of the British Association of Dermatologists and as a steering committee member of the UK Keratinocyte Cancer Collaborative.
The YDIA are awarded biennially to coincide either with the ILDS World Congress of Dermatology (WCD) or the ILDS World Skin Summit.
Recipients receive a bursary towards travel and accommodation and free registration for the event at which their awards will be presented.
The 2025 Awardees will attend the World Skin Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, from 24-25 October.
One YDIA Awardee is selected in each of the ILDS’ six regions with all ILDS member societies entitled to nominate one of their own members. Nominations are then reviewed by the ILDS Awards Committee, which selects the six recipients.
“The passion of this year’s Awardees to play leading roles in their national and regional societies and to increase access to dermatological care for their patients is simply inspirational,” says ILDS President Henry W. Lim, MD, Henry Lim, MD the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI, in a news release. “We’re delighted to recognise their achievements and look forward to meeting them in person at next year’s ILDS World Skin Summit.”
Further information on the Awardees can be found here.
