Itch and Inflammation in Two Distinct Diseases: Prurigo Nodularis and Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

Martin Metz, MD, earned his medical degree from Humboldt University Berlin in Germany. He completed an internship and a residency in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Mainz in Germany, as well as a research fellowship in the university’s Mast Cell Research Group. He also completed a research fellowship in the Department of Pathology at Stanford University in the United States. His research efforts over the years have been focused on pruritus and the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and management of urticaria.

He is the author or co-author of more than 220 peer-reviewed publications, appearing in such highly regarded journals as the Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Science, and The Journal of Clinical Investigation, as well as the author or coauthor of 22 book chapters. He serves as vice president of the Board of Directors of the German Pollen Information Service Foundation (PID). He is a professor in the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at Charité – Universitätsmedizin in Berlin, where he is also head of translational research and deputy head of clinical trials at Charité’s Institute of Allergology. In addition, he is head of preclinical research of mast cell–mediated diseases at the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP) – Allergology and Immunology in Berlin.

Associate Professor and Dermatology Director at the UCSF Centre for Itch and Neurosensory Disorders at the University of California in San Francisco, California, US

Sarina Elmariah, MD, PhD, is a board-certified dermatologist and developmental neuroscientist. She is also Associate Professor and Dermatology Director at the UCSF Centre for Itch and Neurosensory Disorders at the University of California in San Francisco. Her research interests lie in general dermatology, skin cancer detection and treatment, chronic itching disorders, allergic skin reactions and wound healing, and aims to promote innovation and discovery in the neuroimmune cutaneous areas and improve how we characterize, diagnose and manage common skin disorders. 

She has published numerous articles and abstracts in dermatology and neuroscience journals, including the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and the Journal of Neuroscience. Additionally, she has authored many online publications and a book chapter and is a reviewer for many top-tier dermatology and scientific journals. She has also received numerous awards, including the Saul Winegrad Award for her outstanding graduate thesis, and the Balduin Lucke Memorial Prize for superior research in Medicine and Biology, the Dermatology Foundation Physician-Scientist Career Development Award, and the American Academy of Dermatology 2018 Young Investigator Award.