I'm Nathan, a student researcher in pediatric dermatology on the physician-scientist track, and co-founder of FutureBright Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose free health camps have brought care to patients on three continents.
Nathan Francis is an aspiring physician-scientist from San Jose, California. His research in pediatric dermatology spans the clinical literature and the lab bench: a first-author review of topical corticosteroid safety in children, abstract published through the IRCC, manuscript under journal review, an award-winning Drosophila model of eczema, and a publicly available AI model for photographic eczema screening. The questions driving that research come from the field, through FutureBright Inc., the 501(c)(3) global health nonprofit he co-founded at 15, whose free health camps have served 500+ patients across Ghana and India and whose current project is a school for 300 children in Burkina Faso. This site documents the record, studies, screenings, structures, and results published openly.
Keywords: pediatric dermatology · topical corticosteroids · Drosophila disease models · clinical screening · global health equity · nonprofit leadershipEverything on this page runs on top of a full AP course load at Valley Christian High School. The classroom comes first, it's where the questions that became research papers and health camps started.
I co-founded FutureBright at 15 because the organization I wanted to join didn't exist, so I built it, funded it, and published every result.
Eczema affects over 70 million children worldwide, and the safety of its most common treatment is surprisingly under-studied. I've approached that gap from two directions, a formal review of the clinical evidence, and an experimental disease model I built myself.
A year-long mentored project through the Polygence Research Program synthesizing 20+ clinical sources on long-term topical corticosteroid safety in children. The abstract was published through the International Research Conference for Children; the full manuscript is under journal submission.
Designed and ran an experimental fruit-fly model of eczema's broken skin barrier, measuring a 7× staining difference in barrier permeability, roughly 80 hours of research and preparation. Selected as one of five awardees at the IRCC after defending the poster before a specialist judging panel; also presented at the Synopsys Science Fair.
Trained a binary-classification AI model that detects eczema from skin photographs, built under the mentorship of Jeffrey Moon through Curious Cardinals, with hands-on work in computer vision, image preprocessing, data labeling, and model evaluation. Publicly available, connecting the research back to FutureBright's field screenings.
See all researchEverything below traces to the same idea: access to health is a right. I work on it as a builder, and as a volunteer at patients' side.
At 15, I co-founded FutureBright, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, because the organization I wanted to join didn't exist. FutureBright funds and organizes free health camps, donates medical equipment, and builds educational infrastructure in underserved communities, and publishes its results and financials openly.
Running an organization teaches you systems; sitting with patients teaches you why the systems matter. I keep both in my week, every week, at home in San Jose.
Co-founded and incorporated FutureBright as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit at age 15. Joined the Kyle J. Taylor Foundation as a volunteer and junior board member the same year.
Organized with Mission Hospital Pullur, India: 500+ runners promoting heart-healthy living, with local leaders presenting awards.
100+ patients received free ECGs, lab testing, and cardiologist consultations. Demand exceeded capacity. Attendee knowledge was measured with pre/post surveys and the findings published.
Donated a chemical analyzer to the clinic at Vallarpadam, Kerala, on-site lab testing for a community that previously traveled hours for it.
Authored a literature review on long-term topical corticosteroid safety in children through Polygence, and built a ceramide-deficient Drosophila eczema model that went on to win Best Poster at the International Research Conference for Children.
FutureBright co-funds a kindergarten and primary school for 300 children in Boassa Village. Foundation completed January 2026; walls up by March; opening targeted for the 2026–27 academic year.
Organized and funded a free community health screening at the Abira Chiefs' Palace with St. Joseph Catholic Hospital. Queues formed from 7 AM; volunteer doctors from Kumasi and Accra worked hours past the planned close so no one was turned away.
Not everything worth doing happens in a clinic or a lab. These are the pursuits that don't fit the resume categories, and shape everything that does.
