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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 4, 2024

CONTACT:
Kathleen Reichert
American Skin Association
917-538-5731
kathleen@americanskin.org

American Skin Association Announces
New Board Member
Joseph F. Merola, MD, MMSc, FAAD, FACR

April 4, 2024, New York, NY – American Skin Association (ASA) announced today that Joseph F. Merola, MD, MMSc, FAAD, FACR, will join its Board of Directors. Dr. Merola is Professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX and also Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology. He holds the Mary Kay Inc. Distinguished Chair in Dermatology and is Professor at the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health. Dr. Merola is uniquely triple board-certified in Dermatology, Internal Medicine, and Rheumatology. Previously, he was Vice Chair of Dermatology and Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology and Department of Medicine, Division Rheumatology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

We are proud to announce the addition of Dr. Joseph Merola to ASA’s Board of Directors. Dr. Merola’s long history of leadership and multidisciplinary expertise in advancing the unmet needs of patients will be a tremendous asset to our team,” said Howard P. Milstein, Chairman of ASA.

“Dr. Merola is a wonderful addition to our Board of Directors! His active commitment to promoting education and public awareness of the latest research in dermatology will be of immense value as we continue to work towards our vital mission and provide hope to those suffering from skin diseases,” said Dr. David Norris, President of ASA.

Dr. Merola is the Founding President and Chair of the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Clinics Multicenter Advancement Network (PPACMAN) of North America, recent past President of the Medical Dermatology Society (MDS), Treasurer and board member of the International Dermatology Outcome Measures Group (IDEOM), and President-Elect of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) and the Rheumatology Dermatology Society. He was recently elected to the Board of the American Academy of Dermatology. He is a member of the medical and scientific boards of the National Psoriasis Foundation and the Lupus Foundation of America.

At Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dr. Merola founded the Clinical Unit for Research Innovation and Trials (CUReIT) and served for over a decade as the 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.

An international expert in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis; connective tissue diseases, including lupus and dermatomyositis; and complex medical dermatology, including atopic dermatitis requiring systemic therapy, Dr. Merola had been named one of Boston’s Top Doctors for nearly a decade. He has published over 330 peer-reviewed publications and received numerous research, mentorship and leadership awards, including the National Psoriasis Foundation’s Outstanding Educator Award, the Winter Clinical Educator of the Year Award, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Distinguished Clinician Award, and the Mass General Brigham Pillars of Excellence Award in Research Leadership.

ABOUT AMERICAN SKIN ASSOCIATION

A unique collaboration of patients, families, advocates, physicians and scientists, ASA has evolved over nearly four decades as a leading force in efforts to defeat melanoma, skin cancer and other skin diseases. Established as a 501(c)(3) organization to serve the now more than 100 million Americans — one-third of the U.S. population — afflicted with skin disorders, the organization’s mission remains to: advance research, champion skin health — particularly among children, and drive public awareness about skin disease. For more information, visit americanskin.org.

American Skin Association has earned Candid’s 2023 Seal of Platinum Transparency and Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator.