Why Dermatologists Should Have a Seat at the Investment Table, With Manju Dawkins, MD

At LEADderm 2026, dermatologist Manju Dawkins, MD, joined a panel called ‘Skin Angels at LEADderm: Building the Next Generation of Dermatology Innovation’ to share her path from clinician to entrepreneur and investor. Dawkins said her own startup is what first pulled her into Skin Angels, a dermatology-driven angel investing group she now belongs to.¹

Dawkins described Skin Angels as an angel group made up of dermatologists and other skin-disease experts who meet regularly to screen hundreds of companies in drug development, aesthetics, AI, and tech. The group holds pitch sessions with the companies it finds most promising, debriefs afterward, and lets each member decide individually whether to invest, and sometimes a member joins a company as an advisor instead.

"I think there's just a lot of opportunity. There's so much new stuff in dermatology, every aspect: drug development, aesthetics, AI in dermatology. There's so much happening, and I think it's really important that we as clinicians play a role in the development. We have to have a voice, and it's important," Dawkins said.

Dawkins said her own startup, Thimble Health, is what led her to Skin Angels in the first place. She described a Prepare patch applied before an injection to numb the skin, and a plant-based Recover patch applied afterward to ease soreness and bruising for up to two days, along with an app in development to address the psychological side of needle fear.

Dawkins pointed to needle phobia as a bigger problem than most clinicians acknowledge, citing an estimate of roughly around 60% of adults experiencing it, a figure in line with published survey research. She said patients receiving the growing wave of injectable biologics and GLP-1 therapies in dermatology deserve tools addressing how the experience feels, not just what the medication does.

Looking beyond her own company, Dawkins said she is excited about dermatology's broader direction: fewer injections over time for some biologics, oral versions of therapies once given only by injection, and more attention to how a treatment actually feels to the person receiving it. She said dermatologists are also opening up to a wider range of approaches beyond pharmaceuticals and surgery, exploring integrative modalities as part of everyday practice.

Editor's Note: This transcript has been edited for grammar and clarity using artificial intelligence tools. Dawkins had no relevant disclosures of note.

References

1. Dawkins M, Lio P, et al. Skin Angels at LEADderm: Building the Next Generation of Dermatology Innovation. Session presented at LEADderm. Aug 29-30, 2026.

2. LEADderm. About LEADderm: the missing curriculum. leadderm.org.