So Many Psoriasis Treatments: Considerations for Choosing a Specific Biologic Therapy

Dr. Song is the director of clinical research at Frontier Dermatology Partners. He is also a clinical instructor at the University of Washington and Silver Falls Dermatology. He specializes in inflammatory skin diseases, including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and hidradenitis suppurativa. Dr. Song is a regular contributor to the dermatology literature and speaks across the country as a key opinion leader.

Chelsea is a first-year medical student at Rosalind Franklin University who is fascinated by skin health and eager to build a career as a dermatologist. Her passion for medicine is rooted in her love for learning and endless curiosity about how the human body works. She believes her academic success comes from her inability to merely accept information that is presented to her without thinking through why that information makes sense. Chelsea loves solving puzzles and figuring out creative solutions to problems, which is what drives her interest in research. During her undergraduate studies, she spent two years working in a developmental neurobiology lab, where she was taught how to think critically about research design and come to my own conclusions about the validity and interpretation of results presented in research articles. She spent the next three years working in two different clinical research departments, where she helped refine study protocols by giving feedback about logistical issues and practicality when it came to actually implementing protocols.

Chelsea's interest in skin started from her experiences dealing with various skin pathologies of her own for years, with the most frustrating of them being dyshidrotic eczema. After seeing many different physicians and doing reading of my own, I was fascinated by how many different factors could contribute to its development. As she begins to learn more about this organ system, she has grown even more excited and certain that this is the field she wants to dedicate her career to. She is eager for more opportunities to learn about skin health.

Dr. Hawkes is a board-certified dermatologist in the greater Sacramento area. He completed his medical school and residency at the University of Utah. During medical school, he completed a fellowship in translational immunology in the NIH-HHMI Research Scholars Program. He also received a Master’s Degree in Clinical Investigation from Rockefeller University, where he was Chief Clinical Scholar and Principal and sub-Investigator on multiple human research protocols in the Laboratory for Investigative Dermatology. He has held academic appointments in the Departments of Dermatology at the University of Utah, University of California-Davis, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Dr. Hawkes is a current Councilor in the International Psoriasis Council and serves on the NPF Medical Board and Scientific Advisory Committee. He also serves as the official delegate of the AAD as a member of the international guidelines and workgroup committee for urticaria. His research has been funded by the NIH, NSF, NPF, and Dermatology Foundation, and he is the recipient of several teaching awards including NPF Outstanding Educator in Psoriatic Disease and Exceptional Teacher of the Year in the Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai. His primary clinical and research interests include novel immune therapies for inflammatory conditions like psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, HS, alopecia areata, vitiligo, and urticaria.