2026 Award and Grant Recipients
Below are brief biographies for American Skin Association's 2026 awardees. Among the information included is the title of the grant, the name of the sponsoring institution and the focus of the grant recipient's research. These grants are made possible by support from individuals, corporations and foundations. ASA appreciates the generosity of our supporters.
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Benjamin Nanes, MD, PhD
2026 ASA Sun Pharma Investigative Scientist Award
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Topic: Spatial regulation of keratinocyte signaling and transcription during wound healingDr. Nanes grew up in Atlanta and received his BA in chemistry from Washington University in St Louis. He then joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at Emory University, where he received his MD and PhD in cell biology. His graduate research, with Dr. Andrew Kowalczyk, focused on the mechanisms regulating cell adhesion in blood vessels. Dr. Nanes completed an internship in Internal Medicine and residency in Dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, as well as postdoctoral research training in systems biology with Dr. Gaudenz Danuser. In 2023, Dr. Nanes joined the faculty at UT Southwestern as Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology and the Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics. His laboratory studies the molecular basis of skin architecture and epidermal remodeling during skin development, wound healing, and cancer, with a particular focus on the role of the keratin intermediate filament cytoskeleton as a signaling organizer. Dr. Nanes practices general dermatology and has an interest in inherited disorders affecting structural components of the epidermis.
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Scott Stratman, MD, MPH, CWSP, FAAD
2026 ASA Sun Pharma Investigative Scientist Award
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Topic: Characterizing Inflammatory Bowel Disease–Associated Pyoderma Gangrenosum: Identifying Biomarkers and Key Pathophysiologic Drivers of DiseaseScott Stratman, MD, MPH, CWSP, is a board-certified dermatologist and Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he serves as Director of Wound Healing. He earned his medical and public health degrees at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, completed a wound-healing research fellowship at the University of Miami, and trained in dermatology at Mount Sinai, where he served as chief resident. He is a Certified Wound Specialist Physician through the American Board of Wound Management.
Dr. Stratman’s clinical and research interests center on wound healing, pyoderma gangrenosum, and inflammatory skin disorders. His work spans chronic ulcerative disease, hidradenitis suppurativa–associated wounds, and therapeutic approaches to inflammatory dermatoses. His current research aims to characterize inflammatory bowel disease–associated pyoderma gangrenosum and identify clinical features associated with disease course and treatment outcomes. By connecting clinical wound care with translational research, he seeks to advance understanding of how inflammation impairs skin repair and develop more personalized treatment strategies for patients with complex wounds.
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Nicholas Theodosakis, MD, PhD
2026 ASA Calder Investigative Scientist Award in Vitiligo
Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Dermatology
Topic: Targeting melanosomal proteinopathy in melanophage formation and chronic dermal hyperpigmentationNicholas Theodosakis, MD, PhD is an Instructor in Dermatology at Harvard Medical School and a board-certified dermatologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Theodosakis attended the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with Distinction. He then completed his MD and his PhD degree at the Yale School of Medicine, where he received the Medical Scientist Training Program Alumni Graduation Award, as well as multiple young investigator awards from the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, the American Skin Association, the Dermatology Foundation, and the NCI, and co-authored over 20 original publications. Dr. Theodosakis then completed a combined dermatology residency and research fellowship at the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Program. Dr. Theodosakis' research and clinical interests focus on disorders of pigmentation, pigment cell biology, and the unique therapeutic needs of patients of color.
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Nicholas Heitman, MD, PhD
2026 ASA Blueprint Medicines Investigative Scientist Award in Systemic Mastocytosis
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Topic: Generation of a spatially resolved single-cell atlas of the cutaneous mast cell niche in mastocytosisNicholas Heitman, MD, PhD is a dermatologist-scientist and Instructor of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, he received his undergraduate degree in Microbiology with Honors at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and his MD and PhD degrees from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He completed his PhD work in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Rendl studying stem cell-niche interactions during hair follicle morphogenesis and the hair cycle. He then completed a research-track residency in dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His current research interests are in elucidating the signals originating from the dermal microenvironment or “niche” to promote and drive the pathology of skin disease.
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Nathan Archer, PhD
2026 ASA Sanofi Investigative Scientist Award in Atopic Dermatitis
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Topic: Restoring the Lipid Barrier to Overcome Staphylococcus aureus Colonization in Atopic DermatitisNathan K. Archer, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, completed his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and underwent postdoctoral fellowship training in dermatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His research program focuses on cutaneous host defense mechanisms, skin barrier function, and the cellular and molecular pathways underlying inflammatory skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis, with a particular emphasis on Staphylococcus aureus colonization and infection. His research interests also include how barrier defects, dysbiosis, and epidermal-immune cross-talk drive cutaneous inflammation and systemic disease with the long-term goal to develop novel host-directed therapeutic approaches to skin infections and inflammatory skin diseases.
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Andrew Sawaya, DOC, MS
2026 ASA Sanofi Investigative Scientist Award in Hidradenitis Suppurativa
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Topic: The HS Memory-ome: Targeting Epigenetic Priming to Prevent Disease RecurrenceDr. Andrew Sawaya is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in the Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery. He completed his PhD research in the laboratory of Marjana Tomic-Canic, investigating the mechanisms by which statins promote wound healing. He subsequently completed postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the laboratory of Maria Morasso, where he continued to investigate wound healing and chronic wound pathogenesis. His current research focuses on the role of epigenetic mechanisms in inflammatory skin diseases, including hidradenitis suppurativa, as well as the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying skin repair and chronic wound healing. His work aims to uncover novel therapeutic targets and advance treatment strategies for patients with inflammatory skin diseases and impaired wound healing.
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Helen He, MD
2026 ASA Research Scholar Award in Anti-Obesity Drugs for Dermatology
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Topic: Comprehensive tape-strip and blood profiling of patients treated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for obesityHelen He, MD is an Assistant Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She received her BS in Biological Engineering from MIT and her MD degree from Mount Sinai, during which she completed a research fellowship in the Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases under the mentorship of Dr. Emma Guttman-Yassky. She completed her dermatology residency at Mount Sinai, where her final year was funded by a T32 NIH research training grant. Her research applies translational “-omics” approaches to elucidating the pathogenesis of inflammatory skin diseases and skin aging. She is currently studying the differential molecular mechanisms that underly skin aging in atopic dermatitis versus healthy individuals. She has a clinical interest in medical dermatology, particularly atopic dermatitis and other chronic immune-mediated conditions, and cosmetic.
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Lingchen Fu, PhD
2026 ASA Johnson & Johnson Research Grant in Psoriasis
Arizona State University
Topic: Epidermal SerpinB3 Drives Dermal Immune Activation Through CXCL13 in PsoriasisDr. Lingchen Fu is an Assistant Research Professor at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology and Molecular Pathology from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying psoriasis and related inflammatory skin disorders, particularly inflammatory signaling pathways, immune dysregulation, and keratinocyte function. Through her research, Dr. Fu aims to identify novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers to improve the diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis and advance personalized approaches to disease management.
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Nabiha Yusuf, PhD, MSPH
2026 ASA Johnson & Johnson Research Grant in Psoriasis
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Topic: Role of lambda 5 in development of psoriasiform dermatitisDr. Nabiha Yusuf is a Professor of Dermatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She earned advanced degrees in microbiology, immunology, and epidemiology, followed by postdoctoral training at UAB. She conducts translational research at the intersection of immunology, precision medicine, and epidemiology. Her research focuses on immune responses in inflammatory skin diseases and skin cancer, particularly the roles of Toll-like receptors, TREM-1 signaling, interferons, immune repertoires, and RNA binding proteins. A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Yusuf has mentored medical students, postdoctoral trainees, and junior investigators across medicine, public health, and biomedical sciences.
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Anna Cristina (Cristy) Garza-Mayers, MD, PhD
2026 ASA Mulvaney Family Foundation Research Grant in Vitiligo
Seattle Children's Hospital
Topic: Treatment Underutilization in Pediatric Vitiligo: A mixed-methods studyDr. Garza-Mayers is a board-certified pediatric dermatologist at Seattle Children's Hospital and an assistant professor of pediatrics with an affiliate appointment in dermatology at the University of Washington. She completed a pediatrics intern year at Massachusetts General Hospital, residency in the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Training Program, and fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.
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Jesse Veenstra, MD, PhD, MS
2026 ASA CeraVe Research Grant in Melanoma and Skin Cancer
Henry Ford Health System
Topic: ANGPTL4 as a Regulator of Keratinocyte State and Stromal Signaling in Early cSCCJesse Veenstra, MD, PhD, MS, is a board-certified dermatologist and physician-scientist at Henry Ford Health and an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University. He also serves as Director of the Henry Ford Cutaneous Oncology Biobank. He earned his medical and doctoral degrees from Wayne State University, where his research focused on tumor immunology and cancer biology. His research integrates molecular biology, spatial pathology, and computational approaches to investigate the mechanisms underlying skin cancer development and progression. His work has focused on distinguishing biologically distinct forms of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and developing tools to improve diagnosis and guide treatment decisions. His American Skin Association-funded research investigates how ANGPTL4 influences communication between epidermal cells and surrounding tissue during early skin cancer development, with the long-term goal of identifying new opportunities for cancer prevention and treatment.
Recipients list by year:
2025 | 2024 |2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012
