We are profoundly proud to present the speakers at IFPA Conference 2024.
We will add the speakers to this page continuously.
Speakers at IFPA Conference 2024
Dr. April Armstrong is Professor and Chief of Dermatology at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Prior to being at UCLA, Dr. Armstrong served as Associate Dean for Clinical Research at the University of Southern California (USC).
Dr. Armstrong is an internationally renowned dermatologist and clinical researcher in inflammatory skin diseases including psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Dr. Armstrong has conducted over 150 clinical trials and published over 400 articles in scientific journals. Dr. Armstrong is also a passionate educator, having received numerous awards for her educational efforts.
Dr. Armstrong is an internationally renowned dermatologist and clinical researcher in inflammatory skin diseases including psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Dr. Armstrong has conducted over 150 clinical trials and published over 400 articles in scientific journals. Dr. Armstrong is also a passionate educator, having received numerous awards for her educational efforts.
Dr. Armstrong has a long history of service to the medical profession on a national and international level. She serves as a board member of the American Academy of Dermatology, Past Chair of the Medical Board at the National Psoriasis Foundation, Co-President of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA), councilor for the International Eczema Council and International Psoriasis Council, and a board member for the International Dermatology Outcome Measures and the California Society of Dermatology and Dermatological Surgery (CalDerm). She is also an editorial board member of JAMA Dermatology and had also served on the editorial boards of JAAD and other journals.
Dr. Armstrong obtained her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed dermatology residency at the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Program. She also obtained a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health.
Joel M. Gelfand MD MSCE is the James J. Leyden Professor of Clinical Investigation and Professor of Dermatology and Epidemiology (with tenure) at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. He is also Director of the Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center and Senior Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in psoriasis, clinical epidemiology, drug safety, and clinical trials. Dr. Gelfand is the author of over 330 scientific publications, editorials, reviews, and text book chapters (cited over 35,000 times, H index 94) which appear in journals such as JAMA, BMJ, European Heart Journal, Annals of Rheumatic Disease, JAMA Dermatology, JAAD, and the JID. He is a past Associate Editor of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, past Editorial Board Member of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, and is currently Deputy Editor of Clinical Research and Epidemiology for the Journal Investigative Dermatology. He is the recipient of the American Skin Association’s Psoriasis Achievement Award, PENN’s New Investigator Marjorie Bowman Award and the Lady Barbara Colyton’s Award for Autoimmune research, Penn’s Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology’s epidemiology teaching award, National Psoriasis Foundation’s (NPF) inaugural award for scientific achievement, the American Dermatoepidemiology Network’s Founders award, the American Academy of Dermatology’s Presidential Citation for psoriasis research, and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the American Dermatological Association. He Co-Chaired the NPF’s COVID-19 task force, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the International Psoriasis Council (where he serves as Treasurer) and the Board of Directors for the Medical Dermatology Society. He has served in a number of other important leadership roles including Medical Director (Founding) Dermatology Clinical Studies Unit (2003-2023) and inaugural Vice Chair for Clinical Research (2016-2017) where he lead the effort to expand clinical trials and clinical research in a manner which is ethical, scientific, inclusive, and addressed the unmet needs of patients suffering from severe dermatological disease. He is a co-author of the AAD-NPF joint guidelines of care for psoriasis. He has given over 10 named lectureships and keynote addresses including the Society for Investigative Dermatology’s Eugene M. Farber lecture and the American Academy of Dermatology’s Marion B. Sulzberger lecture. He has received over $30 million in grant support from NIH, FDA, PCORI, the National Psoriasis Foundation, the Dermatology Foundation, the American Skin Association, and numerous pharmaceutical companies to support his independent research program. Dr. Gelfand is a dedicated mentor with over 20 MD and PhDs having spent at least one full year under his mentorship, 12 of whom have received a Master’s degree in clinical epidemiology. Over 30% of dermatologists receiving K23 awards from NIAMS over the last decade have been trainees in the Gelfand lab. His trainees have received numerous grants from the NIH (F32, T32, K23, R01, and a Lasker Award) and have established independent research careers at PENN, Harvard, UCSF, NIH, Emory, Hopkins, and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Gelfand’s research redefined psoriasis, a condition affecting 125 million people worldwide, as a systemic inflammatory disease that enhances the risk of cardiovascular events and premature mortality resulting in changes in standard of care guidelines internationally. The overarching goal of his research and clinical practice is to improve psoriasis patient outcomes in the skin and joints, while lowering the risk of diabetes, CV disease and mortality.
Dr. Eder is a Clinician-Scientist at Women’s College Research Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada. She has a broad background in rheumatology with specific training and expertise in psoriatic arthritis, musculoskeletal ultrasound, and cardiovascular diseases in rheumatic patients. She is the Director of the Psoriatic Arthritis program at Women’s College Hospital and co-Director of the University of Toronto Cardio-Rheumatology Program.
Dr. Eder’s research focuses on the transition from psoriasis to psoriatic arthritis, attempting to develop clinical and imaging tools to facilitate early diagnosis. She also studies the effect of cardio-metabolic abnormalities on the course of psoriatic disease and evaluates the effect of interventions to improve metabolic burden on cardiac, skin, and joint-related outcomes in this patient population. She was awarded the Canada Research Chair in Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases (2021-2026) for studying the effects of sex and gender as determinants of rheumatic disease outcomes.
Her research efforts have resulted in over 170 peer-reviewed publications in medical journals, book chapters, and editorials. She is frequently invited to present the results of her studies at national and international conferences in the fields of rheumatology, dermatology, and cardiology. She is an elected member of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) steering committee, Scientific Advisory Committee Member at the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), Steering Committee member, Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Clinics Multicenter Advancement Network (PPACMAN) and President, Canadian Rheumatology Ultrasound Society. As a recognized expert in rheumatology, she received a New Investigator Award from the Arthritis Society (2016), an Early Research Award from the Ontario Ministry of Research Innovation and Science (2018), and an Emerging Investigator Award from the Canadian Rheumatology Association (2023).
Professor Ennio Lubrano is Full Professor of Rheumatology at the Department of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy and Guest Professor at the Department of Rheumatology of the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium. He is the Director of Academic Internal Medicine and Rheumatology Unit, NHS, Italy.
Main research interests include clinical research on outcome measures, imaging, and biomarkers in all spondyloarthritis including Psoriatic Arthritis.
Professor Lubrano is the Vice-President of the Italian Society for Rheumatology and is member of various scientific institutions including the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) in which is a Steering Committee Member, the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS).
He has authored or co-authored 237 publications, H-index 38, for several peer-reviewed journals, and acted as a reviewer for a large number of international journals.
Main research interests include clinical research on outcome measures, imaging, and biomarkers in all spondyloarthritis including Psoriatic Arthritis.
Professor Lubrano is the Vice-President of the Italian Society for Rheumatology and is member of various scientific institutions including the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) in which is a Steering Committee Member, the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS).
He has authored or co-authored 237 publications, H-index 38, for several peer-reviewed journals, and acted as a reviewer for a large number of international journals.
Wiebke Sondermann is a chief senior physician and Assistant Professor at the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, Germany. She graduated from the medical school of the University of Münster and trained in Dermatology at the University of Essen, Germany. Wiebke Sondermann has more than 12 years’ clinical experience as a dermatologist and has been running the general outpatient clinic and the psoriasis unit for many years. Her scientific focus is on inflammatory dermatoses with a special interest in mental health in psoriasis. She is the principal investigator of a translational scientific working group and has been widely published in medical journals. Sondermann‘s habilitation thesis was on “Improving the reality of care for psoriasis patients”. Currently she is the principal investigator of a project investigating the influence of treatment-related expectations in psoriasis patients in the context of a collaborative research centre funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Dr. Curdin Conrad is Professor of Dermatology at Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland. He received his MD training at the University of Zurich, where he also participated at the Postgraduate Course of Experimental Medicine and Biology. After his training in Dermatology, he was research fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Conrad has a strong interest – from basic science to translational research and the clinic – in inflammatory skin diseases, adaptive and innate immunity, and targeted immunotherapies. He has fundamentally contributed to today’s understanding of the pathogenesis of psoriasis and has received several scientific awards for his basic and translational research. Over the years, Dr Conrad has actively been involved in the teaching of evidence-based clinical and scientific dermatology and immunology.
He serves as an external scientific expert for several international societies and foundations. Dr. Conrad is an elected councilor of the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) and, as Secretary-Treasurer, member of the executive committee of the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR).
Dr. Wilson Liao is Professor and Associate Vice Chair of Research in Dermatology and Director of the Psoriasis Center at the University of California San Francisco. He is a practicing dermatologist with expertise in biologic therapy and phototherapy and human geneticist who has contributed to the identification of over 30 psoriasis susceptibility genes. He has published over 50 genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and microbiome studies in psoriasis. Dr. Liao’s group has also investigated the impact of environmental factors on psoriasis, including diet, stress, season, exercise, sleep, meditation, viruses, skin injury, strep throat, and medications. He currently serves as a councilor for the International Psoriasis Council and Co-Chair of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research Committee. Dr. Liao is a member of the National Psoriasis Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee and Medical Board. Dr. Liao is Co-Principal Investigator of the NIH Accelerating Medicines Program in Psoriatic Disease, which hopes to identify novel biomarkers of psoriatic disease flare and remission.
Yuling Shi is a Professor and Vice President of Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital at Tongji University School of Medicine, and Director of the Institute of Psoriasis. Recognised for her outstanding contributions, Yuling Shi is a recipient of prestigious accolades including the National Ten-Thousand Talents Program Leading Talent and the National Model Worker for Women’s Achievements.
With a wealth of expertise, Yuling Shi has been honoured as one of China's Excellent Young and Middle-Aged Dermatologists and has received notable awards such as the Huaxia Medical Science and Technology Award and the Medical Tree Award for Clinical Medical Science and Technology Innovation.
As a distinguished member of the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) and the International Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research Evaluation Group (GRAPPA), Yuling Shi brings unparalleled insights to the IFPA Conference 2024.
Josef de Guzman’s career at a large multinational in the Philippines was cut short by his psoriasis outbreak in 1996. His experience as a psoriasis patient then led him on a successful health advocacy path, focusing on epilepsy, cervical cancer, hemophilia and schizophrenia, amongst others. In 2005, Josef formed PsorPhil as an online support group for Filipinos. The group turned into the leading psoriasis organization in the Philippines, with over twenty chapters. Josef also founded PsorAsiaPacific, IFPA’s regional member in Asia. Josef has also mentored other countries in starting up patient organizations and given lectures on the patient perspective at medical congresses in Asia, the EU and the Middle East.
Kristina Callis Duffin, MD, MS is Professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Utah. She is an internationally recognized expert in psoriasis and has led over 60 clinical trials and observational studies in psoriasis and other skin diseases. She is the past Vice-Chair of the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board and Past President of GRAPPA (Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis).
Professionally, Silvia worked as a radio and TV journalist in Argentina from 1979 until 2000. At the age of 18, she was diagnosed with psoriasis. When a major psoriasis flare-up in 2004 left her unable to afford her new medication, Silvia took the initiative to found AEPSO – the first and only psoriasis patient organization in Argentina. Besides her role as President in AEPSO, Silvia is also the President and founder of IFPA’s regional member, LATINAPSO / the Latin-American Network of Psoriasis.
Dr. Coates provides the rheumatological voice to this multidisciplinary committee. Dr. Coates is a Senior Research Fellow at the National Institute for Health and Care Research in Oxford, England. Her research is clinical and focuses on psoriatic arthritis and the spondyloarthritides including early diagnosis of PsA, development of PsA specific and validated outcome measures, optimal treatment pathways and strategies in PsA.
Dr. Huang holds the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University in Taiwan. In addition to her role as Director and Spokeswoman of the Taiwanese Dermatological Association, she has contributed to the psoriasis and urticaria guidelines committee of the same organization. Presently, Dr. Huang serves as the Executive Director of the Taiwanese Association for Psoriasis and Skin Immunology. Her extensive research work includes conducting several global clinical trials in phases II and III, focusing on conditions such as psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, atopic dermatitis, and urticaria. Moreover, she is a prolific author with numerous articles on psoriasis and atopic dermatitis published in Pubmed.
Dr. Strober earned both his medical and his doctorate degrees from Columbia University in New York, New York. He subsequently completed his residency in dermatology in the Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine in New York, New York. He is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology and a Fellow in the American Academy of Dermatology.
Dr. Strober is Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine. He is currently the editor in Chief of the Journal of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis, Vice President and President-elect on the Board of the International Psoriasis Council and Scientific Co-Director of the CorEvitas Psoriasis Registry.
His primary clinical focus is the treatment of difficult-to-treat inflammatory diseases of the skin, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and hidradenitis suppurativa.
Prof. Adam Reich is the head of the Department of Dermatology, University of Rzeszow, Poland, Director of the Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Regional Consultant for Dermatology and Venereology of Subcarpatian Voivodship, Secretary General of the Polish Dermatological Society, and the Vice-Chairman of the “Youth Forum” Section of the Polish Dermatological Society.
He is also a Chief-Editor of “Forum Dermatologicum”, and Section Editor for Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (Section: Itch/Psychology), Dermatology and Therapy (Section: Pruritus), Biomed Research International. He is an author or co-author of more than 300 scientific papers and book chapters. He is also a member of a number of international scientific societies (EADV, IFSI, ESDR, ISD, ESDAP, AKP Juckreiz). His major scientific interest is focused on pruritus, especially measurement of itch, psychodermatology, psoriasis and autoimmune connective tissue disorders.
Dr Oseme Etomi is a Consultant Rheumatologist and Obstetric Physician in South East London and works across 2 NHS trusts including Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich.
Within the field of Obstetric Medicine, her main interest is looking after women with inflammatory diseases and immunosuppression in pregnancy. She runs a weekly inflammatory rheumatic disease and a weekly inflammatory bowel disease clinic in pregnancy, alongside her Rheumatology practice.
Oseme has published abstracts and papers on Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease in pregnancy. In 2018 she was awarded the best oral presentation at the international Society of Obstetric Medicine for her work in this field. She was also instrumental in setting up the British Society of Rheumatology Specialist Interest Group in Pregnancy in 2019. She sits on the advisory board for the Biologics in Rheumatoid arthritis Pregnancy (BiRAP) group and is on the committee for the development of British Society of Dermatology guidelines for the use of Biologics in Pregnancy. Oseme was one of the organisers of the highly successful 12th Rheumapreg Symposium in September 2023 in London.
Her other interests include work on diversity, inclusion and wellbeing. She is the lead for trainee wellbeing in O&G at GSTT. A role she is extremely passionate about.
Siew Eng Choon is a senior consultant dermatologist at Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Bahru, Malaysia and an Associate Professor at Clinical School Johor Bahru, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University, Malaysia. She is a foundation member of the Asian Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, an active member of the Malaysian Society of Dermatology, and a member of the Malaysian Medical Association. Dr. Choon is a Malaysian Skin Foundation trustee and chairs the research committee. She is a key project team leader for the Core Outcome Measures for Pustular Psoriasis and Associated Systemic Symptoms (COMPPASS) and a member of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences – Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions of Drugs (CIOMS-SCAR) expert working group. Her research interests include chronic inflammatory skin diseases, namely atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, particularly pustular psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and cutaneous adverse drug reactions. Dr. Choon is a Board Member of the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) and an advisor of the Psoriasis Association of Johor, Malaysia. She is currently an associate editor of Experimental Dermatology.
Ulrich Mrowietz is Professor of Dermatology and founder of the Psoriasis Center at the Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany. His main research areas in psoriasis include management strategies, drug development, and basic research. The Psoriasis Center is part of the Comprehensive Center for Inflammation Medicine (CCIM) at the Kiel Campus.
Professor Mrowietz is author or co-author of more than 400 peer-reviewed publications listed in the Medline database and numerous other publications in the field. His h-Index is over 67. In addition, he is author of chapters in numerous psoriasis textbooks, including Braun-Falco’s Dermatology and Venerology.
From 2004 to 2019, Professor Mrowietz was Editor-in-Chief of Archives of Dermatological Research. He is a former member of the Executive Board of the German Dermatological Society, a councillor of the International Psoriasis Council, a member of the scientific advisory board of the German Psoriasis Association, a member of the Clusters of Excellence “Inflammation at Interfaces” and “Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation”, and of numerous dermatological societies. Professor Mrowietz was President of the 6th World Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Conference in July 2021 in Stockholm, Sweden, and is vice-president of the 7th in 2024.
Ingvar was diagnosed with psoriasis when he was 23 and has had both ups and downs with the disease since then. During difficult times, he could depend on the valuable support of Spoex volunteers. When his psoriasis had improved and he was invited to join Spoex’ Board a few years later, Ingvar thus gladly accepted the invitation. Between 2014 and 2018, Ingvar was the organization’s Chairman. Being able to give something back to society and helping others is something he sees as a privilege. Professionally, Ingvar works as an IT technical solutions specialist.
Kathleen chairs the IFPA Task Force on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), working on global psoriasis advocacy with the World Health Organization and United Nations agencies. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and serves as ex-officio to the United States’ National Psoriasis Foundation Board of Directors. Kathleen holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration / Nonprofit Management from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
Dr. Mark Lebwohl is Dean for Clinical Therapeutics and Chairman Emeritus of the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is a past President of the American Academy of Dermatology and Chairman Emeritus of the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation. He has published over 700 peer-reviewed articles and is editor of Treatment of Skin Disease which is now in its 6th edition and is published in English, Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish. He is the founding editor of Psoriasis Forum and of the Journal of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. He is editor of the Dermatology Section of Scientific American Medicine, and co-Editor-in-Chief of Skin, the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine.
Professor MD Mohammad Samiul Huq is a 1980 medical graduate from Mymensingh Medical College, Bangladesh. He completed a diploma in Dermatological Science and a Master’s in Dermatology, from the college of medicine under the University of Wales, Cardiff, UK. He then obtained his master’s in Public Health from North South University. Professor Huq has many national and international publications. He is the founder and president of the psoriasis awareness club Bangladesh, affiliated with the International Federation of Psoriasis Association and SPIN network. He is the chief coordinator of the psoriasis guideline committee in Bangladesh. Under his supervision, Psoriasis Awareness Club started as a one-stop psoriasis treatment and research centre, a unique centre of excellence for psoriasis patients. Psoriasis skilled development program for primary care personnel started under his guidance. He is nominated councillor of International Psoriasis council. His field of interest is how to improve the quality of life of psoriasis patients.
PD Dr. Rachel Sommer and her research group investigate the health of people with inflammatory skin diseases, taking into account physical, psychological and social aspects. People-centered health care as demanded by the World Health Organization is the focus of her research.
Here, one research area is the development and validation of measurements to characterise subjective burdens such as sexual impairments and perceived stigmatisation, patient needs and treatment outcomes such as well-being and quality of life.
Her research group conducts epidemiological, clinical and healthcare services studies in which these measurements are used nationally and internationally.
Another focus is the development and evaluation of interventions aiming to strengthen people-centred care and the (mental) health and well-being of people with visible chronic skin diseases.
Since September 2016, PD Dr. Rachel Sommer has been working as a researcher at the Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and the Nursing Professions (IVDP) at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). In 2015, she completed her PhD at the Department for Medical Psychology at the UKE on the quality of life in rare pediatric diseases. In 2021, she completed her habilitation (assistant professorship) in health services research. At the IVDP, she leads the research group "People-Centered Health Care".
Prof. Dr. Jörg Christoph Prinz, MD, is affiliated with the Department of Dermatology and Allergy at the University Hospital of Ludwig-Maximilian-University in Munich, Germany. Graduating with a medical degree from the University of Innsbruck in 1983, he pursued further training in internal medicine at the University clinics of Freiburg before embarking on five years of basic immunology research as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Immunology of the LMU in Munich.
In 1990, Prof. Prinz joined the Department for Dermatology and Allergy at the Ludwig-Maximilian-University, where he established the Research Group for Immunopathology. He obtained specialist qualifications in dermatology and venerology in 1995 and in allergology in 1996, eventually ascending to the position of Full Professor of Dermatology and Venerology in 2001.
Prof. Prinz's clinical and research interests predominantly center around psoriasis. Notably, he administered the first biologic therapy with antibodies against T-cells in psoriasis in 1991. His subsequent experimental research has focused on unraveling the T-cell mediated immunopathogenesis of psoriasis and identifying the target cells and autoantigens of the pathogenic psoriatic autoimmune response.
Among his seminal contributions is the discovery that psoriasis is underpinned by an autoimmune response of CD8+ T cells against melanocytes, substantiated by clonal T cell expansions. Prof. Prinz's work elucidated the role of the main psoriasis risk gene, HLA-C*06:02, in autoantigen presentation and proposed the potential influence of environmental antigens in sustaining the autoimmune response.
In addition to his research endeavors, Prof. Prinz established a psoriasis outpatient clinic and actively participated in numerous clinical trials of psoriasis therapy with biologics. His overarching objective has always been to furnish psoriasis patients with safe and effective therapies tailored to their individual circumstances.
Furthermore, Prof. Prinz has had the privilege of serving as the Scientific Chairman and President of the "2nd World Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Conference," organized by IFPA in 2009 in Stockholm.
In 1990, Prof. Prinz joined the Department for Dermatology and Allergy at the Ludwig-Maximilian-University, where he established the Research Group for Immunopathology. He obtained specialist qualifications in dermatology and venerology in 1995 and in allergology in 1996, eventually ascending to the position of Full Professor of Dermatology and Venerology in 2001.
Prof. Prinz's clinical and research interests predominantly center around psoriasis. Notably, he administered the first biologic therapy with antibodies against T-cells in psoriasis in 1991. His subsequent experimental research has focused on unraveling the T-cell mediated immunopathogenesis of psoriasis and identifying the target cells and autoantigens of the pathogenic psoriatic autoimmune response.
Among his seminal contributions is the discovery that psoriasis is underpinned by an autoimmune response of CD8+ T cells against melanocytes, substantiated by clonal T cell expansions. Prof. Prinz's work elucidated the role of the main psoriasis risk gene, HLA-C*06:02, in autoantigen presentation and proposed the potential influence of environmental antigens in sustaining the autoimmune response.
In addition to his research endeavors, Prof. Prinz established a psoriasis outpatient clinic and actively participated in numerous clinical trials of psoriasis therapy with biologics. His overarching objective has always been to furnish psoriasis patients with safe and effective therapies tailored to their individual circumstances.
Furthermore, Prof. Prinz has had the privilege of serving as the Scientific Chairman and President of the "2nd World Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Conference," organized by IFPA in 2009 in Stockholm.
Vinod Chandran MBBS, MD, DM, PhD, FRCPC, a rheumatologist, is a clinician-scientist at the Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, and an Associate Professor of Medicine & Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. He is an expert in psoriatic arthritis and directs the Psoriatic Disease Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute. His translational research program is focused on developing biomarker-based diagnostic and prognostic tools for psoriatic arthritis, with support by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Psoriasis Foundation, the Arthritis Society, and the Krembil Foundation. He has published more than 200 papers. He is a member of the board of directors of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis and co-chairs its research committee.
Jo Lambert is a senior full professor in dermatology and venereology, and chairing the Department of Dermatology at Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. She is current chair of the EADV Task Force Psoriasis, EADV Scientific Programme Committee member and Councilor at the International Psoriasis Council. In the 2010s she served as associate editor and editorial assistant for the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, section psoriasis and pigmentation, and is now associate Editor of J European Academy Dermatology Venerology. She specialises in the fields of immune dermatoses and pigment cell research. Her research interests lie in the improvement of care in immune-mediated inflammatory skin disorders : from advanced models of topical drug delivery to personalised dosing of biologicals. She founded the DermPlus approach, an example of a value-based integrated practice unit for immune-mediated chronic skin diseases. She has 270 publications, 5842 sum of times cited, and an H-index of 43.
Prof. Augustin is a professor for dermatology. He has chairs for health economics and for dermatology at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf since 2004. Since 2010, he is founding director of the German Center and Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing (IVDP). Prof. Augustin is also a founding director of the Hamburg Institute for Health Economics (HCHE), the largest center in this discipline in Germany. His research focus are: health services research, health economics, epidemiology and clinical research. Main indications are psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, allergies, chronic wounds and skin cancer. He has authored more than 60 medical books and over 1000 scientific and medical papers. On a national and international level he is involved in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis networks, the German skin cancer assembly and several WHO projects. Prof. Augustin is a senior consultant to the German Ministry of Health, to the Federal Joint Committee (GBA), a number of statutory health insurancer and pharmaceutical companies. As a dermatologist and allergologist, he holds more than two decades of clinical experience and is also still active in his own clinic.
Dr. Claudia de la Cruz is a dermatologist in Santiago, Chile. Dr. de la Cruz is the Founder and Director of Clínica Dermacross since 2010 in Santiago. She has served on the Board of Directors of the International Psoriasis Council since 2017 and is a regional coordinator for Latin America for the Global Psoriasis Atlas project. Her focus has been on working for psoriasis in her country through the Chilean Society of Dermatology at the beginning of her career, and then for Latin America, where she has led the IPC Latin American working group together with Ricardo Romiti from Brazil. As regional coordinator for Latin America for the Global Psoriasis Atlas, she has focused on collecting information on the incidence of psoriasis in Latin America, helping to build a net of experts throughout the region. She has helped raise awareness and improve access to treatment in the region, evaluating the different barriers to access in Latin America and other underserved areas in the world. She has also worked in education at the IPC, first on the International Fellowship program, which helps train new leaders in the psoriasis field. In 2023, she received the Eikon Gold Award 2023 in health sustainability for her work in psoriasis in Chile. She is currently chair of the IPC Masterclass Steering Committee and the Secretary of IPC.
Medical Doctor (UBA) Professor at University Buenos Aires, Argentina Past President of SOARPSO (Sociedad Argentina de Psoriasis) Co-Chair ECHO Psoriasis Project and ECHO Atopic Dermatitis Project Argentina Magister in Psoriasis (SOLAPSO) Clinical Research Investigator at IREP (Instituo de Rehabilitación Psicofísica) Counselor and Regional coordinator at the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) Consultant at AEPSO (Asocición Civil para el Enfermo de Psoriasis).
Prof. El-Sayed is Professor of Dermatology and Venereology at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. She is a board member of the International psoriasis council. Prof. El-Sayed is the Head of the Egyptian Board of Dermatology and involved in the ministry of health combined committee for Biologic therapy for psoriasis patients together with her fellow rheumatologists. She has lectured widely at international meetings. She is a member of multiple national and international dermatology societies and has organized many congresses. She is a member of the Ethical committee of Faculty of Medicine Ain Shams University She has several national and international publications and is involved in several clinical trials.
Carl Goodyear PhD, Assistant Vice Principal (Strategy & Resources), Professor of Translational Immunology & Director for Innovation, Engagement & Enterprise in the School of Infection & Immunity, University of Glasgow. Carl's research is currently focused on understanding immunopathogenesis of disease (i.e., Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Osteoarthritis & Multiple Myeloma) and translating this knowledge into viable therapeutic agents for patients. He leads a Translational Immunology programme that provides the critical interface between clinical and basic science, with a specific focus on precision medicine. In parallel, he is also the Director of the GLAZgo Discovery Centre and the Glasgow-Lilly Centre, strategic collaborations between the University of Glasgow and AstraZeneca, and Eli-Lilly respectively. Both of which are aimed at driving innovative academic/industry research. Carl has published widely in the areas of immunobiology and rheumatology. He is a Chair/Deputy Chair or member of various Research Advisory committees & grant review Panels.
Wendy Hall, PhD, RNutr, is a Professor of Nutritional Sciences within the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London. Wendy’s research utilises clinical trials and observational study designs to investigate cardiometabolic disease risk and related conditions such as inflammatory skin disorders (e.g. psoriasis), as well as sleep-diet interactions and their impact on health outcomes. Ongoing projects include a Mediterranean dietary intervention in people living with psoriasis; and investigations into associations between diet/lifestyle and psoriasis severity/incidence using the UK Biobank database and The APPLE cross-sectional study (NCT05448352, ClinicalTrials.gov). Wendy is a Trustee and Honorary Programmes Officer for the Nutrition Society (UK & Ireland). She is deputy editor for British Journal of Nutrition, section editor for European Journal of Nutrition, and sits on the editorial board for the Nutrition Bulletin. Wendy has authored >100 peer-reviewed publications and was awarded the Nutrition Society’s Silver Medal in 2016.
Leah M. Howard, J.D. President and CEO Leah M. Howard, J.D., is the President and CEO of the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF). She is a lawyer and patient rights advocate leading the largest psoriatic disease support and research nonprofit organization in the world. NPF represents more than 8 million individuals in the U.S. who live with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis with the shared vision of creating a world free from the burdens of psoriatic disease. Howard has lived with psoriasis since her early twenties and has more than two decades of experience working with national health and disability organizations, local governments, and leading health care and research institutions. She believes that solving today’s health care challenges begins with talking individuals living with chronic diseases, like psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Over the last decade, Howard has empowered people with psoriatic disease to share their challenges with policymakers at the state and federal level, as well as with regulators, and health agency management. This led to a number of improvements for the community including more than 40 new state laws improving access to treatment. Howard has positioned NPF as a leading voice in efforts to measure value and reflect patient preferences in health outcomes. She has also piloted efforts to engage non-traditional patient advocacy partners including health insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, and employers – beginning with the launch of the NPF Payer Roundtable series in 2016. Under Howard’s leadership, NPF has prioritized serving all segments of the community. Today, NPF connects with over 2.75 million individuals each year through its highly accessible website. Howard has a bachelor of arts degree in government and international relations from the University of Notre Dame and a law degree from George Mason University School of Law. Howard is based at NPF headquarters in Alexandria, VA.
Anushka recently joined Mayo Clinic Florida as a Senior Associate Consultant in Rheumatology, and is passionate about translating her clinical and research expertise in chronic pain to achieve novel evidence-based treatment approaches resulting in improved patient care. Her aim is to develop a comprehensive multi-modal quantitative pain assessment profile, including data from wearable devices and neuroimaging, which will inform and aid the delivery of individualised treatments for a range of patients living with chronic pain. During her DPhil, at the University of Oxford, she established an observational cohort study of patients with knee osteoarthritis incorporating neuroimaging, quantitative sensory testing and questionnaire-based assessment. Her post-doctoral fellowship enabled her to extend this work to include additional patient cohorts and objective measures of sleep and physical activity, such as actigraphy.
Prof dr Peter CM van de Kerkhof started his training in Dermatology and his research on psoriasis in 1979 at the department of dermatology of the Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen the Netherlands. From 1991 until 2018 he was the chairman of that department .Under his guidance there was an active program on psoriasis and non-melanoma skin cancer . His research contributions were focused on the pathogenesis and treatment of psoriasis. The transition from the symptomless skin to the psoriatic lesion were studied over the years, concluding that various aspects of innate immunity are fundamental to the disease. He has been a principal investigator in many clinical trials. Furthermore, he has worked in international consortia on the positioning of innovative treatments in psoriasis. His contributions to International Dermatology : 1994 - 1998 Secretary Treasurer European Society for Dermatological Research 1997 - Founding member European Dermatology Forum 1998 - 1999 President European Society for Dermatological Research 2001 - 2002 Secretary General European Dermatology Forum 2002 - 2003 President European Dermatology Forum 2003 - 2009 Member of the Scientific Committee of the Foundation René Tourraine 2011 – 2013 President International Psoriasis Council 2009 - 2013 Board member European Academy for Dermatology and Venereology 2006 – 2018 Board of Directors International Psoriasis Council, Past President 2014 - 2018 Board member UEMS section Dermatology 2010- Advisory board international federation of psoriasis associations 2014- Chair of the scientific board of Dutch burn wound foundation He has published over 800 papers in peer reviewed journals . Currently he is a senior Professor of the Radboud University and Chief Medical Officer of the International Psoriasis Council.
Dr. Mehta is a Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine, and an adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania where he serves as the Director of Inflammatory Risk within Cardiovascular Medicine. He is an expert in general cardiology, lipidology, and cardiovascular imaging. Dr. Mehta trained at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases where he also completed a Master’s degree in biostatistics and a post-doctoral program in human translational studies of lipoprotein pathways. His group was the first to demonstrate the presence of dysfunctional HDL in psoriasis, and Dr. Mehta subsequently moved to the National Institutes of Health as the Inaugural recipient of the Lasker Clinical Scholar Award where he served as Section Chief of Inflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases at the NHLBI. He was Director of Cardiovascular Imaging at the NHLBI, and the founding Director and Principal Investigator of the largest cohort study studying psoriasis and cardiometabolic diseases. During that time, he also completed several randomized trials in humans on the impact of biologic therapy on vascular diseases. In 2018, he was awarded an NIH Director's Award for demonstrating that high-risk coronary plaque in humans was improved following treatment of their inflammatory disease, opening up a new path to mitigating risk in populations with chronic inflammation. Dr. Mehta has chaired multiple working groups and guideline groups to establish a standard of care for cardiovascular risk reduction in patients with chronic inflammation. Dr. Mehta was inducted into the American Society of Clinical Investigation in 2018 and received two lifetime achievement awards for his work in cardiovascular risk reduction in inflammation in 2020 (International Federation of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis) and 2023 (National Psoriasis Foundation). He serves as the cardiovascular editor for the Journal of Translational Medicine, as a board member of the ASPC and is active within the American Heart Association and American College of Physicians as a Fellow and educator.
Joseph F. Merola, MD, MMSc is Chair of Dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX; he is Professor of Dermatology, Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology and Professor at the Peter O’Donnell Jr School of Public Health. He holds the Mary Kay Distinguished Chair in Dermatology. Dr. Merola is board-certified in Dermatology, Internal Medicine, and Rheumatology. Prior to taking his Chair position in 2023, Dr. Merola was a Vice Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology and Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston. He served as the Vice Chair for Clinical Trials and Innovation, the Founding Director of the Clinical Unit for Research Innovation and Trials (CUReIT), Director of the Center for Skin and Related Musculoskeletal Diseases and the Associate Program Director for the Harvard Combined Internal Medicine-Dermatology Residency Training Program at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Merola earned his medical degree at the New York University School of Medicine and his Masters of Medical Sciences degree at Harvard Medical School. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, followed by a residency in Dermatology at the New York University Medical Center, where he was chief resident. He continued with a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Rheumatology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Merola was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Dermatology, is the Founding President of the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Clinics Multicenter Advancement Network Consortium (PPACMAN), is on the Scientific and Medical Boards of the National Psoriasis Foundation, Board of the International Dermatology Outcome Measures Group and president-elect of GRAPPA (Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis), the Board of the American Skin Association, on the Medical and Scientific Board of the Lupus Foundation of America. He is also the recent past president of the Medical Dermatology Society and is president-elect of the Rheumatology-Dermatology Society. He is a councilor for the International Eczema Council as well as the International Psoriasis Council. He has served on multiple committees including the AAD Guidelines Committee. He was named one of Boston’s Top Doctors every year for nearly a decade and is an international expert in inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, namely Psoriasis / Psoriatic Arthritis and Connective Tissue Disease including Lupus and Dermatomyositis. Dr. Merola has published over 340 peer-reviewed publications and received numerous awards including the NPF’s Outstanding Educator Award, the Winter Clinical Educator of the Year Award, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Distinguished Clinician Award, the Mass General Brigham Pillar Award in Research Leadership, among many other research, mentorship and leadership awards. He will be honored in 2024 at the National Psoriasis Foundation’s Commit to a Cure Gala in Dallas, TX.
Dr. Ogdie is Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology in the Perelman School of Medicine. She is also Director of the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Director of the Penn Psoriatic Arthritis and Spondyloarthritis Program. The mission of her research program is to improve outcomes in psoriatic arthritis by accelerating diagnosis, increasing the focus on meaningful, patient-centered outcomes, and developing and advancing methods for precision medicine.
Jens-M. Schröder was born in 1949 and graduated in chemistry. He received his diploma in chemistry in 1976. 1980 he finished his Doctoral thesis in Organic Chemistry on constituents of Hagenia abyssinica, an Ethiopian anthelmintic drug. In 1979 Dr. Schröder joined the Dpt. of Dermatology at Kiel University to study on a grant of the German Research Foundation (DFG) in Prof. Enno Christophers group the role of neutrophils in psoriasis. In 1981 he became a research assistant and focused his research on neutrophil chemotaxis and chemotactic factors in lesional psoriatic scales. 1984 he discovered in psoriatic scale extracts a novel chemotactic peptide, which he originally named ANAP, and later on, it was renamed NAP, Interleukin 8, or CXCL-8. With the discovery of IL-8 and other novel chemotactic cytokines, later termed “chemokines”, he focused on its role in cutaneous inflammation. With his work on the role of neutrophil-chemotactic cytokines in psoriasis he “habilitated” 1990 in Experimental Dermatology and became “Privatdozent” at the Medical Faculty of the Kiel University. The high number of exciting findings on novel cytokines allowed him to apply for a DFG grant for a “Clinical Research Unit” on cutaneous inflammation, which has been approved in 1991. In 1994 Dr. Schröder was appointed as a professor for the Biochemistry of Inflammation and became head of the Clinical Research Unit “Cutaneous inflammation” until his retirement in 2015. After the discovery of the first human inducible peptide antibiotic beta-defensin-2 in 1997, again from psoriatic scales, and the discovery of several other antimicrobial peptides from human skin, he recognized these host defense peptides as effectors of an epithelial defense system. As a founding member and speaker, Dr. Schröder created the interdisciplinary Collaborative Research Center (SFB 617) “Mechanism of Epithelial Defense”, which was approved by the DFG in 2002. 2007 he was co-founder of the Excellence Initiative “Inflammation at Interfaces” at the Kiel University and acted on the steering committee until 2011. As vice-co-chair in 2009 and as co-chair in 2011, he organized two Gordon Research Conferences on “Antimicrobial Peptides”. 2008 he received the prestigious high-risk “Reinhart-Koselleck”-grant of the DFG to investigate “resistance-avoiding antimicrobial principles of healthy human skin” and discovered ”Cationic Intrinsically Disordered Antimicrobial Peptides, CIDAMPs” as natural disinfectants of healthy skin. His scientific foci were on the role of neutrophils and eosinophils in cutaneous inflammation, mediators of inflammation, and the role of epithelial peptide antibiotics in epithelial defense and its regulation. He discovered or co-discovered several important molecules or their function, among them the chemokines IL-8, Gro-alpha, RANTES, Eotaxin, the antimicrobial peptides hBD-2, hBD-3, RNase-7, Psoriasin, CIDAMPs like hornerin and filaggrin-2, the protease-inhibitors elafin, SPINK-9, SPINK-6, and others. He contributed to the understanding of the role of ß-defensins as factors linking innate and adaptive immunity as well as understanding the role of cathelicidin in the psoriasis pathogenesis. Most of his discoveries originate from biochemical analyses of lesional psoriatic scales or stratum corneum. Dr. Schröder published more than 413 original articles (orcid.org/0000-0003-0682-6359) and has been a member of the editorial or review board of several well-established journals. He received several prestigious national and international scientific awards and became a 2016 honorary member of the European Society of Dermatological Research ESDR. Dr. Schröder is an elected member of the German National Academy of Science “LEOPOLDINA”.
Philipp Sewerin is an associate professor and Senio Consult in the Department of Rheumatology at the University Hospital of Ruhr University Bochum in Herne, Germany. In addition, he leads a working group on imaging in rheumatic diseases in the Hiller Research Unit for Rheumatology at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf, Germany. He studied medicine at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and was awarded a PhD in 2013 for a thesis entitled “Effects of the prostaglandin analogue iloprost on proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal progenitor cells”. Dr Sewerin’s principal research interests are in the field of biomarkers and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other rheumatic diseases. He is a Principal Investigator or Sub-Investigator for phase 2–4 clinical trials on good clinical practice and is the musculoskeletal MRI expert for the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the ultrasound expert (particularly arthrosonography) at the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR). Dr Sewerin has published widely on imaging in RA and is also a reviewer for numerous peer-reviewed journals, including BMC, Arthritis & Rheumatology, and Arthritis Research & Therapy, as well as being a member of the Editorial Board of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
Specialist in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology Consultant Professor at the University Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires Dedicated Staff at the Rheumatology Unit at the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, where he served as Head from 2000 to 2010 Magister in Clinical Effectiveness from the University of Buenos Aires Former President of PANLAR (Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology) [2018-2020] Former President of the Argentine Society of Rheumatology [2016-2018] Author of over 190 published papers indexed in PubMed on rheumatic diseases with special interest in Psoriatic Arthritis and Spondyloarthritis. Awarded Master of PANLAR, of the Argentine Society of Rheumatology and of American College of Rheumatology in 2023 Member of GRAPPA.
Mona Ståhle is Professor at Dermatology and Venereology Unit, Department of Medicine at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Mona Ståhle received her MD from the University of Lund. She became a specialist in Dermatology and Venerology at the Karolinska Hospital in 1984 and completed her PhD at the Karolinska Institutet in 1989. Between 1989 and 1991, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the Washington University, St Louis, USA where she studied molecular biology focusing on matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) in skin. After returning to KI, she continued and expanded on this research in her own laboratory and during this time she started a company within Karolinska development aiming to develop treatment for chronic wounds. The project is now with the Promore Pharma company registered on the stock market in 2017 and the clinical trial program is continued. In 1999 she became professor of Dermatology and chair at the Dermatology Unit, Dpt of Medicine. For the past 20 years the focus has been on immunogenetics and epidemiology of Psoriasis, building a research platform for translational studies at Karolinska, Stockholm. Patient cohorts are followed in local registries and biobank material is used for research. Publications Web of Science 295 original publications H-index 56.
Dr Alison Wright is a medical statistician and Research Fellow at the University of Manchester (United Kingdom), working on the Global Psoriasis Atlas project. Her main research area in psoriasis includes conducting epidemiological studies to provide estimates of the incidence and prevalence of psoriasis to improve our global understanding of the epidemiology of psoriasis. These studies are facilitated using electronic health records or through skin disease field surveys. In December 2023, the GPA team completed the first-ever cross-sectional point prevalence study of skin disease in the Eastern Cape in South Africa where Alison led on the survey methodology, data cleaning, and statistical analysis. She is also passionate about understanding the comorbidity burden in people with psoriasis and identifying pathways for earlier intervention.
