Dr. Edgar B. Smith, a former Chair of Dermatology at UTMB, was always interested in encouraging UTMB medical students and dermatology residents to pursue their research interests in dermatology. Following retirement, he established the Edgar B. Smith Scholarship as a graduation award for the best dermatology research conducted by a UTMB MS4 each year and endowed a professorship to promote dermatology research by UTMB medical students and dermatology residents. Currently Dr. Richard Wagner, the UTMB Program Director, holds the Edgar B. Smith Professorship.
Since 2001, many UTMB medical students with a career interest in dermatology have participated in the UTMB Honors Dermatology Honors Research Program, a substantive research effort where the student serves as the PI under the supervision of expert faculty. The Edgar B. Smith Professorship assists UTMB medical students working with UTMB dermatology faculty without endowed research funding by supporting biostatistical support (UTMB Office of Biostatistics), poster cost for one meeting if the research is accepted for presentation, and journal publishing fees if the resulting research article is accepted for publication.
Likewise, the Edgar B. Smith Professorship supports UTMB Dermatology Residents, if supervised by faculty without endowment funding for research, for their required Scholarly Project by funding statistical consultation and analysis through the UTMB Office of Biostatistics, as well as supporting a research poster for publication, and publishing fees if their research article is accepted for publication.