Atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common form of eczema, impacts patients’ life trajectories beyond the physical scars. A novel study shows that adults with AD, particularly those with childhood onset, report significantly greater limitations in their educational and professional choices, with up to 38% of childhood-onset patients reporting career restrictions and more than 36% reporting constrained study choices, compared to individuals whose disease began in adulthood. The findings of the new study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (JID), published by Elsevier, provide a scientific basis for more comprehensive, early, and multidimensional care that goes beyond symptom control for patients with AD.

The Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP) welcomes the first group of participants in the new Poly-ABROAD Visiting Student Program—an international collaboration with the Macromolecules Innovation Institute at Virginia Tech. From May through August, six doctoral candidates and students from the U.S. will complete a three-month research stay in Mainz, working on interdisciplinary projects related to biologically inspired and sustainable polymer materials and networking with other doctoral candidates from both Max Planck Institutes and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz at the “Max Planck Graduate Center with Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.” The goal of this initiative, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, is to strengthen scientific exchange in polymer and materials research and to integrate young talent into international networks.