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.
