Teledermatology with AI-assisted skin photo reviews
Official title: Improving dermatology access by direct-to-patient teledermatology and computer-assisted diagnosis
Funded at Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco · NIH-11216508 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project lets veterans use a VA phone app to send history and skin photos to dermatologists while trying out AI to help flag and prioritize worrisome findings.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2021 |
| Project end | September 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003473-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11216508 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are veterans enrolled in VA care who have a new or unresolved skin concern and can use a smartphone to take and upload photos.
✕Less likely to help
People without smartphone access, those needing immediate in-person procedures or emergency care, or individuals not enrolled in VA care are unlikely to benefit from this program.
What this research studies
You would use the VA's My VA Images mobile app to securely send your skin history and photos to a dermatologist without an in-person visit. The program runs asynchronously, so you can submit images whenever convenient and a clinician reviews them later. The team will also try AI-powered computer vision on the patient-taken photos to help triage which cases need faster attention. Researchers will track how this affects access to dermatology care, patient and provider satisfaction, and how ready VA sites are to use these tools.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could shorten wait times, make dermatology care easier to reach, and help get urgent skin problems seen more quickly.
How similar studies have gone: Asynchronous teledermatology has shown promise in prior work, but using AI on patient-taken images is newer and less well validated.
Where this research is happening
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Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Oh, Dennis H — Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Oh, Dennis H
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.