Today we’d like to introduce you to Shloka Reddyreddy
Hi Shloka, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Formally, I say I started this endeavor back in 2022, when I first began conceptualizing the idea of Ederm. But honestly, my journey with skin health and medicine dates back to my childhood. My life, wholly, along with my own personal struggles with eczema as well as my observations of the dermatological world, have brought me to where I am today.
I was born with a skin condition known as eczema. Patients with eczema experience dry, itchy, sensitive skin. Those with more severe cases, such as I, are more susceptible to rashes and flare ups, as well as autoimmune diseases/conditions.
So, as a baby I wore mittens, as a toddler I avoided gluten, as a child I carried lotion to school, and as a teen I take biweekly shots of medicine to counter my condition.
Throughout all of this, I attended many dermatologist visits. As I sat in waiting rooms, I made observations. About the other people waiting in the room with me for their appointments. About the informative posters I saw on the walls and the brochures that sat on the small wooden tables. And always, on the car rides home when we pulled into the drive through line at CVS, I wondered about the people who were like me, with chronic skin conditions and unpredictable flare ups, but unlike me at the same time, with no access to professional skin consultation or to trustable information about skin
care.
Only after joining highschool did I realise that I could do something for those people. This is how I was inspired to create Ederm and it is the main reason for my passion in this project.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As my dad always says, “Smooth roads don’t make good drivers.” And so, I’m rather content in saying that there have been several struggles in creating and running Ederm, but they have all built me up stronger. I’d say the biggest struggle for me has got to do with garnering public interest in the Ederm mission. Consumer support is and will always be a central factor in the operations of all organizations alike. Even with the immense passion I have for creating accessible skin care knowledge, it can be hard to earn that same support from others. To combat this struggle, we often host in-person booths, attend events as guest speakers, and run an extensive year-round social media campaign. This is also why Ederm works constantly to support other small businesses and non-profit organizations to help them spread their messages and implement larger, more successful health/education-beneficial projects.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Ederm is a student-founded company that strives to create more accessible, reliable and convenient dermatology diagnosis aid in the absence of proper systems thereof. In light of this mission, the Ederm team works to produce biweekly blog articles and monthly newsletters that explore various skin controversies, misconceptions, and inquires, providing research-supported data and easy-to-understand skin care advice.
Ederm also hosts a Spotify podcast where we talk to medical professionals about their journeys in medicine to spread awareness about different medical professions and life-paths for interested students.
We also conduct joint events with other organizations and sponsor STEM-related educative programs and student research projects.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I’m the oldest sibling in my family, born in Dallas in 2008 before we moved to the Austin area 2 years later. I was my parents first child so growing up I did every activity you could imagine. Violin, gymnastics, singing lessons, robotics, soccer, ballet, theater, etc.. As I’ve gotten older, my passions have gotten stronger and fewer in number. One thing I have continued to love is swimming, which I have done competitively my entire life. I also dance classically, my love of over 8 years, and now have a diploma in Kathak (indian dance form) from the Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University. Now, apart from Ederm, I play a part in other non-profits such as ITServe and BrainBridge Connections. I also conduct medical research and dictate my work in published papers, my most recent of which studies the representation of skin colors in medicine. My favorite things to do right now are traveling and going to concerts. As I continue to attend Stony Point High School as a junior, I hope to discover many more favorites and learn many new things!
Pricing:
- Free, as medical aid should be!
- Feel free to donate to our cause on our website!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.edermofficial.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edermofficial
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78XzmmpDVFhpA5eyc0F2l3
