Board of Directors

Jonathan Barker, MD, is Professor of Medical Dermatology at St John’s Institute of Dermatology, King’s College London and honorary consultant dermatologist at Guy’s and St. Thomas’s Hospitals specializing in complex hospital based medical dermatology. He is senior consultant in the severe psoriasis service and co-director of the Skin Therapy Research Unit which conducts academic and commercially sponsored clinical studies and trials. Professor Barker is the current President of International Psoriasis Council having previously been a board member and chair of the scientific committee. He is a principal investigator in national and international consortia using genetic and multi-omic approaches to discover causal disease mechanisms, new drug targets and biomarkers of disease subtypes and outcomes to therapeutic interventions. These are being applied to important chronic skin diseases such as psoriasis, acne and eczema. Professor Barker has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers, authored and edited several books including the latest (9th) edition of Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology. Highly cited publications include those in the Lancet, Nature Genetics and New England Journal of Medicine. Professor Barker was head of department at the Institute of Dermatology 2002-2018 and course director of the Institute’s MSc Clinical Dermatology for overseas graduates. He is a past President of the European Dermatology Forum and the European Society for Dermatological Research. He is an honorary overseas member of several national dermatological associations including Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, and the USA.

Last Updated: Oct 04, 2018

Dr. Leonardi is clinical professor of dermatology at St. Louis University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., where he also has a private practice. He received his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine in Florida, and completed an internship in pediatrics and residency in dermatology at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Dr. Leonardi is certified by the American Board of Dermatology. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and a member of the Noah Worcester Dermatological Society. He is a past member of the medical board of the National Psoriasis Foundation. Dr. Leonardi has extensive experience using new biologics in the treatment of psoriasis. He has been a speaker at national, regional and state venues, and serves on the advisory boards of several pharmaceutical companies. He has been involved in more than 150 clinical trials and has published more than 150 original articles and abstracts.

Last Updated: May 08, 2012

Bruce E. Strober, MD, PhD, is a Clinical Professor at Yale University, Department of Dermatology. He received his medical and graduate degrees from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, NY, and completed his postgraduate training in dermatology at New York University in New York, NY. Dr. Strober is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology, a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, and a past member of the medical board of the National Psoriasis Foundation.  He is the Co-Scientific Director of the Corrona Psoriasis Registry and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. Dr. Strober has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters. He has also spoken extensively to both physician and patient audiences in the field of dermatology.

Last Updated: Sep 21, 2020

Christy brings over 25 years of non-profit management experience in the areas of program development, event management, public relations, marketing and communications, and fundraising. She has served in senior leadership positions with two national non-profit organizations and served as the Executive Director of a local non-profit. Prior to joining IPC, she served in various capacities with the National Psoriasis Foundation including Sr. Director of Education and Outreach where she was responsible for developing and managing education programs for patients and medical professionals and as Director of Corporate Relations where she raised support for the organization and worked closely with industry to develop outreach programs.  Christy joined the International Psoriasis Council in 2009 as a project manager, and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2016.  She brings to IPC a diverse set of skills, an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for improving the lives of those living with psoriasis.  She earned her Bachelor's in Business Administration from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon and currently resides in Santa Rosa, California.

Last Updated: Dec 28, 2004

Professor Bachelez is professor at the Department of Dermatology of the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris Saint-Louis University Hospital in Paris, France. Since 2004, Professor Bachelez has been full professor of clinical dermatology at the Université Paris-Diderot/Université de Paris, where he received his Ph.D. in Immunology in 1999. Professor Bachelez’s clinical and research activities focus on inflammatory skin diseases, mainly psoriasis and psoriasis-related diseases, but also hidradenitis suppurativa, lichen planus among others. He is conducting his basic and translational research at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM U1163), in the Laboratory of Genetics of Skin Diseases at the Imagine Institute for Human Genetic Diseases in Necker Hospital, Paris. His areas of scientific research include immunogenetics and molecular mechanisms of the aforementioned immune-mediated and inflammatory skin diseases. Professor Bachelez has received several scientific awards, including the Robert Degos award. He is a member of several national and international scientific societies, including the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology and the European Dermatology Forum (EDF). He is the past president of the French society for Dermatological Research and of the Group for Research on Psoriasis of the French Society for Dermatology. Internationally, he is a board member of the International Psoriasis Council, and is currently serving as General Secretary-Treasurer and President-Elect of the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR). Professor Bachelez has published more than 255 manuscripts in peer-reviews journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Lancet, and Arthritis and Rheumatism as leading author.

Last Updated: May 04, 2021

Claudia De la Cruz, MD, is a dermatologist in Santiago, Chile. She earned her d egree at Universidad De Chile and was an Assistant Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile between 2005 and 2013. 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 in 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 lead the IPC Latin American working group together with Ricardo Romiti from Brazil. In her role 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 through 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, that helps train new leaders in the psoriasis field, and currently as chair of the Masterclass Steering Committee.

Last Updated: Aug 28, 2020

Prof. El-Sayed is Professor of Dermatology and Venereology at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. She qualified in medicine in Cairo with honors and subsequently obtained two post-graduate degrees: MSc and MD. Her training has mostly been at her home University but does include a period of research in Glasgow, Scotland for two years. She has served as the administrative director of the department since 2000 and has numerous responsibilities including directorship of the dermatology training program. 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 very committed to improving the outcomes for patients with psoriasis in Egypt and has on numerous occasions lobbied the government to improve access to healthcare and medicine.

Last Updated: Jan 25, 2018

Joel M. Gelfand MD MSCE is Professor of Dermatology and Epidemiology (with tenure) at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. He is also Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Medical Director of the Dermatology Clinical Studies Unit, and Director of the Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center. He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in psoriasis, clinical epidemiology, drug safety, and clinical trials. Dr. Gelfand is the author of over 260 scientific publications, editorials, reviews, and text book chapters (cited over 18,000 times, H index 60) which appear in journals such as JAMA, BMJ, European Heart Journal, Annals of Rheumatic Disease, JAMA Dermatology, JAAD, and the JID. 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, NPF’s inaugural award for scientific achievement, and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. 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 grant support from NIH, FDA, PCORI, the Dermatology Foundation, the American Skin Association, the National Psoriasis Foundation, and numerous pharmaceutical companies to support his independent research program. 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.

Last Updated: Jan 21, 2020

Dr. Johann Gudjonsson, MD, PhD is a graduate of the University of Iceland Medical School. He completed his internship and dermatology residency training at the University of Michigan. In 2008, Dr. Gudjonsson joined the faculty of the University of Michigan Department of Dermatology. Dr. Gudjonsson sees general dermatology patients at the University of Michigan Taubman Center and directs the inpatient consultation service. Dr. Gudjonsson came to the U-M in 2003 as part of an innovative research residency training program. Building upon investigative dermatology training completed in Iceland, Dr. Gudjonsson has been performing basic immunological and genetic work on psoriasis at the U-M. Dr. Gudjonsson's primary research focus is basic immunological and genetic research on psoriasis, with projects directed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis. Dr. Gudjonsson is the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Emerging Scholar of the Taubman Medical Research Institute. He received the Young Investigator Award from the American Academy of Dermatology in 2007 and his work has earned several research awards, including awards from the American Skin Association, the Dermatology Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation and the NIH.

Last Updated: Jan 08, 2020

Mr Holland was a member of the Bush Administration until April 2006, serving as United States Executive Director of the World Bank. From 1993 to 1999, he served in various positions, including General Counsel and Chief Executive Officer of Triton Energy Ltd, a New York Stock Exchange listed exploration company that was sold to Amerada Hess. He is a former board member of NYSE listed Pier 1 Imports Inc., Massey Energy Inc. and Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. Mr Holland is currently a director of Primexx Operating Corporation, a privately owned oil and gas producer operating in the USA. From 1977 to 1994 he practiced law with the Texas law firm, Jackson Walker LLP, and is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Texas Law School. Mr. Holland is a member of IPC's Finance Committee.

Last Updated: Dec 29, 2014

Professor Iversen, an IPC councilor since 2009, and since 2017 board member of the IPC. He is professor in dermatology at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, where he also teaches dermato-venereology. He received his clinical education and obtained a doctoral degree from the same university. Professor Iversen's main research interests are psoriasis and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Most of his research activities are related to signal transduction and immunology. Professor Iversen has served as a guest researcher and has been a speaker at international conferences in Asia, Europe and the United States. He is the author or co-author of 240 articles and book chapters and the holder of two patents. He has served as a section editor for Acta Dermato-Venereologica and on the editorial board of Experimental Dermatology. His writings have appeared in several scientific journals including Nature Immunology, Nature Communications, PNAS, EMBO Journal and Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. In 2019 professor Iversen was the founder of the National Center for Autoimmune Diseases at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark.

Last Updated: May 21, 2021

Prof. Lluís Puig is Director of the Dermatology Department at Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (HSCSP) in Barcelona and Prof. of Dermatology at Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) Medical School. Prof. Puig received a medical degree (Hon) at the Medical Faculty of UAB and was a recipient of the Special Curricular Award upon graduating in 1982. In 1987 he completed his residency training in Dermatology at HSCSP Department of Dermatology and received the Spanish Board Certificate in Medical-Surgical Dermatology and Venereology. In 1991 he completed his PhD on pharmacologic modulation of lipid inflammatory mediators in psoriasis at UAB, and was recipient to the Special Award for doctoral theses during that year. Prof. Puig worked as a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Biomedical Research. His body of work includes nine research projects, on a wide variety of subjects related to the pathophysiology of psoriasis, experimental pharmacology and inmunohistopathology, among others. Over the past ten years, Prof. Puig has focused his clinical research on treatment of psoriasis with biological agents and has participated in 21 clinical trials to date. The results of his research have been presented at both national and international meetings, have been the subject of more than 250 papers, including review articles and continuous medical education papers, and 10 international book chapters. Prof. Puig is an Editorial Board Member of Piel, Actas Dermosifiliogrficas, Medicina Cutnea Latinoamericana, Medicina Clnica, among other journals. He served as a reviewer for a wide number of scientific publications including the Archives of Dermatology, the British Journal of Dermatology and the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and is a founding member of several working groups of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. He is a member of the EADV, AAD, ESDR, ASDP, ISDP, GRAPPA, and other societies. He is a board member of the International Psoriasis Council.

Last Updated: Jan 26, 2018

Ricardo Romiti, MD, PhD, is responsible for the Psoriasis Unit at the Department of Dermatology of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and works as clinical Professor of Dermatology also at the University of São Paulo. Having gained his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, where he also completed his residency in the Department of Dermatology, Professor Romiti undertook a Fellowship at the “Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität”, Munich, Germany. Professor Romiti has authored or co-authored numerous papers published in national and international dermatology journals and is the editor of five books with a focus on psoriasis. In addition, Professor Romiti is currently board director of the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) and responsible for the Psoriasis Department at the Brazilian Society of Dermatology.

Last Updated: Jan 25, 2018

Chris Griffiths qualified in Medicine from St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School, London. He trained in Dermatology at St Mary’s Hospital, London, and at the University of Michigan, USA. He was appointed to the Foundation Chair in Dermatology at the University of Manchester in 1994 and is an honorary consultant dermatologist at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. He founded the Manchester Dermatopharmacology Unit and Manchester Psoriasis Service in 1994. Chris is an NIHR Senior Investigator and Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He has published 650 Pubmed cited articles in scientific journals (h-index 94), and is Editor-in-Chief of Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology. Chris is a Past- President of the British Association of Dermatologists, is President-Elect of the European Society for Dermatological Research and a Past- President and co-founder of the International Psoriasis Council. He has long-standing research interests in all aspects of psoriasis and directs the British Association of Dermatologists Biologics and Immunomodulators Register (BADBIR) and the MRC Psoriasis Stratification to Optimise Relevant Therapy (PSORT) consortium. Chris is a recipient of the Sir Archibald Gray Medal for services to British Dermatology and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for services to dermatology, in the Queen’s 2018 New Year’s Honours.

Last Updated: Sep 05, 2019

Dr. Menter is Chairman of the Division of Dermatology and Director of the Dermatology Residency program for Baylor Scott & White, and Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, both in Dallas. After obtaining his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, Professor Menter completed his residency in dermatology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and thereafter fellowships at Guy's Hospital in London and St. John's Hospital for Diseases of the Skin in London, as well as the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dr. Menter is board-certified in dermatology. He is involved in multiple clinical, investigative and drug research studies, predominantly those relating to psoriasis. He currently has published 418 articles in major Dermatology and Medical Journals, in addition to 4 books and 6 chapters, as well as discovering the 1st gene for Psoriasis published in the journal “ Science ” in 1994 with Professor Anne Bowcock. In 1968, Dr. Menter represented the South Africa Rugby team, the Springboks, against France. In August 2004, he founded the International Psoriasis Council (IPC).

Last Updated: Feb 10, 2020