ADVENT Series on Atopic Dermatitis and Prurigo Nodularis

Professor, Vice Chair of Research, and Site Chair of Mount Sinai West, Icahn School of Medicine, NY, US

Brian Kim, MD, MTR, received his medical degree from the University of Washington, was a HHMI-NIH Scholar, and completed residency in dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a Master of Translational Research (MTR). The Kim Lab focuses on mechanisms that underlie skin inflammation and the sensation of itch as a fundamental, broad, model paradigm of neuroimmunology.  

He has over 150 peer-reviewed publications, multiple NIH grants, designed pivotal clinical trials that led to novel FDA-approved treatments, and is an inventor of itch-centered technologies. He holds a patent for the use of JAK inhibitors for chronic itch. He is on the editorial board for Cell Reports Medicine and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, section editor for Journal of Immunology and on the board of reviewing editors for eLife. He is an investigator and Director of the Allen Discovery Center for Neuroimmune Interactions at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, a Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group advised program of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

Eric Simpson, MD, MCR, practices medical dermatology with special interests in chronic inflammatory skin diseases and skin cancer. He is actively involved in clinical research and is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health and industry partners to study new approaches to chronic skin disease treatment and prevention. 

His collaborations are global in scope, and he has been invited to present his research and approach to patient care at international conferences in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. He has published over 290 scientific articles in several high-impact peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet.  

He supports patient advocacy and improving research quality by serving as Co-Chair of the Harmonizing Outcome Measures in Eczema (HOME) – a volunteer group of patients, providers, and other stakeholders whose mission is to improve the quality of eczema research to better suit the needs of patients and policy-makers. He is also serving as Chair of the NEA Research Advisory Committee.

Katrina Abuabara, MD, MA, MSCE is an Associate Professor of Dermatology at the University of California San Francisco. She also holds a secondary appointment in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California Berkeley’s School of Public Health, and a joint appointment in the new UCSF-UC Berkeley Computational Precision Health Graduate Group.

After earning a master's degree in sociology from Stanford University, Dr. Abuabara earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She also earned a master of science degree in clinical epidemiology from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed her dermatology residency as well as a postdoctoral research fellowship in dermatoepidemiology.

Her research examines how environmental and sociocultural factors interact with biological factors to influence chronic inflammatory conditions. She has studied atopic dermatitis disease course and comorbidities, the role of the skin barrier in inflammation and aging, and the impact of environmental microbes and soil biodiversity on allergic diseases. 

Dr. Abuabara is a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association, Society for Investigative Dermatology and International Eczema Council.

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.

Dr. Lawrence Eichenfield is chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, as well as vice chair of the Department of Dermatology and a professor of dermatology and pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Dr. Eichenfield earned his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, was a pediatric resident and chief resident at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and completed dermatology training at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He is board certified in pediatrics, dermatology and pediatric dermatology.