SkinSpot wins Rep. Valerie Foushee’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in North Carolina’s Fourth District

When asked what inspired the creation of SkinSpot, the students said, “We created SkinSpot to improve access to dermatological care, especially for those who face barriers such as accessibility, time, or high costs. For Example, as a child Shunav’s sister had severe acne, but she once got a Poison Ivy rash that her parents thought was Eczema, delaying her care. The app can provide preliminary diagnoses for skin conditions, allowing users to manage their health while awaiting professional care.

Another key motivation is the early detection of skin diseases, including Lyme disease, which poses a significant health risk in the Durham area. Lyme disease, transmitted by ticks prevalent in the region, can lead to severe complications if not identified and treated promptly. Similar to skin cancer, early detection is crucial, as Lyme disease becomes more challenging to treat in its later stages. By providing users with tools for early diagnosis, our app aims to mitigate these risks and enhance overall skin health.

Additionally, the app addresses health inequities by using diverse datasets to ensure more accurate diagnoses for people of all skin tones, helping to reduce racial bias in dermatology. Historically, medical datasets have been skewed toward lighter skin tones, which leads to diagnostic inaccuracies for people with darker skin. Conditions like rashes, eczema, or even skin cancer can present differently on diverse skin tones, and tools that aren’t trained on a wide range of data might misdiagnose or overlook these conditions. SkinSpot is designed with inclusivity in mind by incorporating diverse datasets that represent a broad spectrum of skin colors and types. This ensures that the app’s AI can more accurately identify and analyze skin conditions across different ethnicities, helping to reduce racial bias and promote health equity.”