Dermatology Innovation Forum 2025

Biography

Dr. Akkad is the Head of Translational Research at Absci, a data-first generative AI drug creation company that combines AI with scalable wet lab technologies to create better biologics for patients, faster. He is a biochemist by training and received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the IGSN in Bochum. After his additional training as a clinical laboratory geneticist, he joined Bayer AG as a drug hunter covering the value chain from early target ID to pre-clinical candidate stage. During this time, he spent 4 years at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard building up and leveraging the Precision Cardiology Laboratory initiative for high-resolution single sequencing to broaden the understanding of underlying disease mechanisms and to facilitate the development of new therapeutic interventions. In his current role he is amongst others ensuring that the differentiated antibody drug candidates which are created using Absci’s de novo AI model transition successfully towards the clinic.

Biography

Dr. Christopher Bunick is an Associate Professor of Dermatology and Translational Biomedicine at Yale University School of Medicine. Clinically, he specializes in general medical dermatology and dermatologic surgery. He also performs unique dermatologic research studying the three-dimensional structures of skin-related proteins using x-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. Dr. Bunick received his B.S. at Vanderbilt University, and his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. His PhD research studied the three-dimensional structures of calcium-binding proteins and proteins involved in DNA repair processes (e.g. the skin disease xeroderma pigmentosum). He completed medical internship, dermatology residency, and a dermatology research fellowship (mentored by Nobel Laureate Dr. Thomas A. Steitz) at the Yale University School of Medicine. He performs lab research with the goal of better understanding the structure-function relationship of proteins involved in normal and diseased skin and dermatologic therapeutics. His work emphasizes translation of biochemical and structural research findings into clinically meaningful and practice-changing discoveries. His work to date has advanced the field’s understanding of: (i) the molecular mechanisms of the human skin barrier; (ii) assembly mechanisms of intermediate filaments, like keratin and vimentin, leading to patents for new cytoskeleton-targeted therapeutics; (iii) the biochemical basis for antibiotic activity and resistance in Cutibacterium acnes and acne vulgaris; (iv) the structure-function relationships of anti-IL23 psoriasis biologics and how that impacts clinical efficacy; (v) the structure-function relationships of multiple dermatologic therapeutics, including atopic dermatitis biologics, Janus kinase inhibitors, PDE4 inhibitors, and more. Chris’ research has pioneered a new focus in dermatology on fundamental biochemistry and structural biology, particularly around connecting the atomic resolution mechanisms of action of a therapeutic to its clinical performance and safety. Complementing his basic science research, Chris has and continues to lead multiple dermatology clinical trials at the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation.

Biography

My passion is skin, but my interests are boundless. My deep fascination with skin stems from its ability to reflect both systemic disorders and external concerns. The study of skin is a multidisciplinary field, encompassing medicine, biology, chemistry, psychology, sociology, and more. Currently, it’s exciting to see how digital innovations like AI, GenerativeAI, IoT, and Big Data are revolutionizing the skin industry. This industry, which includes dermatology, aesthetics, and skincare, faces challenges such as limited access to care and widespread misinformation. While digital technologies will never replace the expertise of medical professionals, and despite existing implementation hurdles, they offer promising solutions to these issues by enhancing care accessibility and providing accurate, data-driven insights.
Co-founder of the Skin & Digital Summit. The Vision of the Skin & Digital Summit is to create and facilitate a comprehensive conversation about what advances in digital technology & artificial intelligence can bring to the skin business at large (dermatology, aesthetics, skincare).

Biography

Allison FitzGerald is a seasoned leader with 30 years of experience across a variety of industries, including health and fitness, medical education, the environment and technology. She has a Bachelor of Arts with a minor in Economics, a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics, as well as a Project Management Professional (PMP) designation. Allison is passionate about learning and change, and leverages this passion, along with her leadership skills, to guide organizations through change, opportunity, and disruption.
In her role, she leads the organization’s Global Research on the Impact of Dermatological Diseases (GRIDD) project which has produced the novel Patient-Reported Impact of Dermatological Diseases (PRIDD) measure. She is a thought leader in the arena of generating patient experience data and insights using patient-led measures. Allison has close family and friends who live with challenging skin conditions and therefore has unique first-hand experience in supporting skin patients. With her love of discovery and commitment to improving the quality of the human condition, she is an enthusiastic contributor to evolving the patient role across the ecosystem.

Biography

Dr. Girardi is the endowed Evans Professor and Vice Chair of Faculty Development & Scientific Innovation for the Department of Dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Girardi’s NIH-funded research program of over 20 years has significantly advanced our understanding of cutaneous lymphoma, cutaneous immunology, and cutaneous carcinogenesis. His work, featured in journals such as Science, Nature, Nature Immunology, Nature Genetics, Nature Biomaterials, and PNAS, has resulted in hundreds of papers with over 11,300 total citations. The holder of seven biomedical patents, plus four more pending, Dr. Girardi is dedicated to translating scientific discoveries into tangible applications. His global impact is evident in leadership roles on the Research Leadership Council for Advancing Innovation in Dermatology, the United States Cutaneous Lymphoma Consortium, and the International Society of Cutaneous Lymphoma. Dr. Girardi’s influence extends beyond research to mentorship, where he has guided over 50 pre-doctoral and post-doctoral research fellows, many of whom have become academic leaders in dermatology. His mentees have received prestigious awards and include two Howard Hughes Fellowship recipients and five Yale School of Medicine Thesis Award recipients. Dr. Girardi’s commitment to innovation and mentorship is further reflected in his active involvement with the Yale Dermatology’s Faculty Mentorship Committee where he advises junior faculty on career development and early career awards, and his role as Co-Director of Yale Dermatology’s NIH grant in physician-scientist training. With a diverse educational background including graduating magna cum laude from Brown University with a dual degree in Biology and Computer Science and the Honors Thesis Award along an MD from the Yale School of Medicine, and many awards such as a two-time recipient of a Yale Blavatnik Award in Innovation and induction into to the American Association of Professors and the American Society for Clinical Investigation, Dr. Girardi is a foremost leader in dermatological research, innovation, and mentorship.

Biography

Pippa Harman is the co-founder and CEO of Renude. She is a formulation chemist with over 15 years experience within skincare. Starting in R&D for large corporations like Reckitt Benckiser and Boots before moving into the startup space, joining Beauty Pie as the fourth employee to lead on the skincare product development. After a decade of friends regularly asking for skincare advice, she saw the gap in the market to launch a personalized recommendation service, teaming up with co-founder/CTO and data scientist Catherine Nisson to leverage AI to solve the problem. Pippa is a regular industry speaker, judge and panelist discussing the topics of skincare, innovation and AI.

Biography

Dr. Jankicevic is a globally recognized thought leader in dermatology and medical aesthetics, specializing in drug and device development. She has spearheaded clinical development strategy and implementation across a wide range of sectors, including Contract Research Organizations (CROs), pharmaceutical/biotech companies, medical device firms, and cosmetic companies. Throughout her career, Dr. Jankicevic has driven the strategy and execution of over 350 clinical studies across more than 30 indications. She has led global, cross-functional teams in securing regulatory approvals, launching products, and executing innovative lifecycle management programs.

As an authority in dermatology clinical development, Dr. Jankicevic continues to bring success to companies by advising on optimal scientific, medical, and regulatory strategies leading to global commercial success in bringing innovative therapeutic solutions to the market for both common and rare skin diseases, as well as aesthetic disorders. She is also dedicated to mentoring and coaching physicians and scientists to build a new generation of true experts in the field of drug and medical device development.

Dr. Jankicevic holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and a Master of Medical Sciences degree from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. She is board-certified in Dermatology and Venereology from the same university. Additionally, she is a Certified Clinical Research Professional and a journalist. Dr. Jankicevic is a sought-after speaker, educator, and the author of more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed and trade clinical research outlets.

Biography

Dr. Lilit Garibyan is a board-certified, practicing dermatologist and Associate Professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and Physician-Scientist at Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has expertise in cutting edge translational research in areas of device development, dermatology, cutaneous neurobiology, adipose tissue, and immunology. She has spent 20+ years at Harvard Medical School, where she has taught and trained students, residents and fellows in dermatology, laser and energy-based devices, and problem-based innovation. Her research focuses on innovative biomedical translational discoveries aimed at identifying unmet medical needs and working with multidisciplinary teams to develop novel treatments for those needs. Dr. Garibyan is an inventor on >20 pending and granted patents, has published over 60 original, peer-reviewed publications and has obtained over $5.4 million grant funding from Department of Defense and NIH for her innovative research. She is the inventor of a platform cooling technology with various therapeutic applications, that has led to three, venture-backed, start-up companies. She is the scientific co-founder of two of those companies.

Dr. Garibyan co-founded and directed an international initiative (“Magic Wand Initiative and Virtual Magic Wand Program”) which engages and educates clinicians to become leaders in problem-based innovation. Her program has trained >120 clinicians world-wide on how to identify and articulate unmet needs from clinical care and form multidisciplinary teams to develop solutions/

Dr. Garibyan was elected to the 2024 Fellows class at the National Academy of Inventors which is the highest distinction afforded exclusively to inventors. Dr. Garibyan received her B.S. summa cum laude from University of California Los Angeles, her M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and her Ph.D. from Harvard University in Experimental Pathology/Immunology.

Biography

Dr. Howard L. Kaufman is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Ankyra Therapeutics. He is a leading authority on intratumoral immunotherapy. In his academic career he led pivotal studies of Talimogene laherparepvec in melanoma and avelumab in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma resulting in regulatory approvals. Dr. Kaufman was born in Chicago, Illinois and received his MD degree from Loyola University, completed a residency in General Surgery at Boston University and fellowship training in Tumor Immunology and Surgical Oncology at the National Cancer Institute. His academic positions included Division Chief of Surgical Oncology and Associate Director of the Cancer Center at Columbia University, Associate Dean and Cancer Center Director at Rush University, and he was a tenured professor at Rutgers University and and Associate Director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. In 2016 he joined the biotechnology community and has served as Chief Medical Officer at Replimune, Head of Research and Development at Immuneering prior to leading Ankyra. He also maintains an academic appointment as Lecturer at Harvard Medical School and sees skin cancer patients at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Kaufman has published over 600 peer-reviewed scientific papers, books, review articles and abstracts. He is a member of numerous professional societies and served as President of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. He received numerous awards including the Humanitarian Award from the Melanoma Research Foundation.

Biography

Dr. Ko is Chief of Medical Dermatology at Stanford and spearheads the dermatology department’s efforts around digital health, quality and value-based care. He is active in a number of leadership roles within Stanford Medicine including as an Associate Chief Quality Officer and physician lead of Patient Experience and Ambulatory Access Transformation. His passion for innovating on models of care delivery drives his clinical and research efforts around layering advances in artificial intelligence on remote care capabilities to enhance access, quality and value of dermatologic care.

Biography

Vincent joined Feldan in 2014 and has since been at the forefront of the company’s growth through various positions. He has played a role in establishing key business development deals and research partnerships, positioning Feldan as a leader in intracellular delivery and therapeutic development. Vincent has also been integral to the company’s financial strategy, contributing significantly to the success of Feldan’s Series A and B financing rounds. He also actively contributes to grant applications, has led the efforts in the incorporation of Feldan’s Australian subsidiary, in addition to overseeing its financial and operational performance.

Dr. Ménard holds an MSc and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and an MBA in Finance from Université Laval (Quebec City), and is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst).

Biography

Dr. Leachman is a physician-scientist and a dermatologist using basic science research and state-of-the-art technology to combat skin cancer. Her clinical interests include skin cancers, especially melanoma, pigmentary disorders that result from abnormalities of melanocytes such as vitiligo, and genetic disorders that involve the skin such as pachyonychia congenita, Cowden syndrome, and other cutaneous cancer syndromes. Dr. Leachman’s research interest is in the prevention, early detection and chemoprevention of melanoma, with an emphasis on novel early detection technologies and strategies. She is currently continuing to fight the “War on Melanoma” in Oregon where she is performing a statewide public health experiment to determine if melanoma education can decrease mortality and cost of the disease.

Biography

Dr. Vijendra Nalamothu obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of the Sciences’ Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, studying under Dr. Joseph Schwartz and Dr. Rod Wigent. Before founding Tergus Pharma, he held the position of Global Head of Dermatology R&D at Promius Pharma, where he led the development of specialty branded dermatological products from conception to market launch.
Dr. Nalamothu’s career also includes a stint at Sanofi-aventis’ Worldwide Dermatology (Dermik), where he headed the Early Compound Assessment group. His expertise spans novel dosage form design, topical drug product development, and clinical trials across multiple countries. His interests include novel dosage form design and development of topical drug products, developing new disease models in animals, designing proof of concept studies in humans, animal toxicology studies, human clinical trials, process scale-up and manufacturing.
In 2012, Dr. Nalamothu established Tergus Pharma, a Dermatology Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO). Under his leadership, Tergus Pharma grew significantly, culminating in the construction and FDA approval of a 100,000 square foot commercial manufacturing facility in 2022. In 2024, he successfully merged Tergus Pharma with MedPharm and stepped down to pursue new ventures.
Throughout his career, Dr. Nalamothu has contributed to numerous publications, secured patents for his inventions, and frequently presents at international conferences. In 2024, North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper, appointed Vijendra as the Member of the Board of Directors to North Carolina Board of Science, Technology & Innovation. His unique blend of scientific knowledge and practical experience in R&D has made him a sought-after speaker and member of various pharmaceutical research groups.

Biography

Dr. Papier is an Associate Professor of Dermatology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and a founder of VisualDx and CEO. A dermatologist, Art has a particular interest in clinical reasoning and how to design information technology for use at the point of care. In line with this passion, he has led the development of VisualDx, an electronic record integrated decision tool and mobile app that incorporates AI for skin rashes and lesions. Art is also passionate about the engagement of people in their medical decisions, in consumer health, and developing tools to educate and empower patients in their homes and on their mobile devices. The focus of his work is to assist medical decisions by professionals and people alike, with AI augmenting human intelligence.

Biography

Dr. Raff is a physician-scientist and board-certified dermatologist at the forefront of AI-driven drug discovery. As Vice President, Head of Translational Medicine at Montai Therapeutics, he leverages AI to decode untapped chemistry and develop breakthrough medicines for chronic diseases. Dr. Raff previously served as Vice President of Clinical Development at EQRx and Director of Translational Medicine at LEO Pharma. He is an Instructor at Harvard Medical School and maintains a clinical dermatology practice at Beth Israel Lahey Health. He received his MD/PhD at the University of Southern California, completed his dermatology residency at Harvard, and his post-doctoral fellowship as an NIH-funded T32 fellow under R. Rox Anderson MD at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine. Dr. Raff is a member of the AID Research Leadership Council, was a founding member of the AID Education Committee, and previously served as AID Education Committee Chair, Virtual Magic Wand Co-Chair, and Director of the Hacking Dermatology Initiative.

Biography

Dr. Snyder is the Head of Research and Development at Generate Biomedicines, a biotechnology company that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and protein engineering to create novel medicines. Prior to joining Generate in 2022, Dr. Snyder was a Principal at the biotech incubator Two River, following her role as Associate Vice President and Head of Translational Oncology at Merck. She previously was Translational Medicine Lead at Adaptive Biotechnologies, and started her career as faculty and federally-funded Principal Investigator at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Snyder is a Cancer Steering Committee (CSC) Biomedical Co-Chair for the Executive Committee of the FNIH and co-leads the SITC Biomarker Working Group. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at NYU and Bellevue Hospitals, Section Editor for the Journal for the Immunotherapy of Cancer, and was a member of the board of Navigating Cancer. Dr. Snyder received her medical degree and internal medicine training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Hospital, followed by medical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

Biography

Dr. Vasilakos is CEO of TLR Biosciences, a start-up biotech company focused on cancer immunotherapy, using toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists for systemic and cutaneous malignancies. Additionally, he consults for Pharma Latch, an Irish company specializing in intradermal microneedle delivery devices for the vaccine.

With over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, he has developed immunotherapies for cancer and chronic viral diseases, as well as vaccine adjuvants. His career spans roles in research, business development, and executive leadership, particularly in companies focused on out-licensing to large pharma. He has extensive experience in developing IND packages and business development strategies, including securing academic and government collaborations through MTAs.

Additionally, Dr. Vasilakos worked with drug delivery companies, gaining expertise in intradermal microneedle devices, transdermal drug delivery, and inhalation delivery systems for biologics. His primary focus in drug delivery was business development, but I also contributed technically to microneedle drug delivery projects.

Biography

Dr. Wongvibulsin is a 3rd year dermatology resident in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Medical Scientist Training/MD-PhD Program, where she conducted research in computational medicine as part of the Hopkins Individualized Health Initiative.

She is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Skin of Color Society Early Career Innovation Award and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) F30 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, and has been recognized as a distinguished scholar through the Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Program as well as the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Her current research interests include precision dermatology, augmented intelligence (AuI), and digital health. She is an active member of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) AuI Committee’s Standards Workgroup and the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) Enterprise Imaging Committee. She is especially passionate about educating both patients and dermatologists on AuI, including the potential benefits as well as the challenges and risks of these technologies.

Biography

Dr. Xu is currently the CEO and cofounder of Sibel Health – a commercial stage award-winning medical technology company spun out of the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics of Northwestern University. He also holds the position as the Ruth K. Freinkel MD Professor at Northwestern University and Medical Director of the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics at Northwestern University. He received his undergraduate degree in bioengineering from Rice University summa cum laude. He completed his medical training at Harvard Medical School with special honors as a Soros Fellow, and a Masters in Health Policy and Finance with Merit from The London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar. Dr. Xu has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and listed as an inventor on 20 pending and granted patents. His work has been funded from the NIH, DoD, FDA, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He has developed numerous digital health technologies applied broadly across numerous clinical indications. His publications have appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, Science, Nature, and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, garnering from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. As an MIT 35 Under 35 honoree, his technologies have garnered six FDA-clearances, and launched in 20 countries across 6 continents. He is a board member of Advancing Innovation in Dermatology, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the development of new solutions in the field of dermatology.

Biography

Dr. Honari is a dermatologist at Stanford University and a former Stanford Biodesign Faculty Fellow. She specializes in eczema and is involved in clinical care and research in this field. Her work focuses on improving access to specialized eczema care through digital health solutions, particularly by integrating innovative diagnostic tools into remote care platforms. She is especially interested in leveraging human-centered artificial intelligence, telemedicine, and mobile health applications to deliver efficient, reliable, and accessible specialty care. She strives to complement traditional dermatological practices with emerging technologies to enhance and innovate remote patient care across diverse settings

Biography

Dr. Little is Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Yale School of Medicine and Director of the Yale Vulvar Dermatology Clinic. She is a board-certified dermatologist and immunologist specializing in the study and care of patients with autoimmune skin diseases that disproportionately affect women, with a primary research focus on cutaneous lupus and lichen sclerosus.
Cutaneous lupus is a disfiguring autoimmune skin disease, which may occur alone or in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Dr. Little’s research interests involve understanding T cells in cutaneous lupus disease pathogenesis. In Dr. Little’s post-doctoral and early faculty work, she performed human translational and mouse studies to identify tissue-adaptation and effector pathways activated in pathogenic T cells. She is continuing these investigations with the goal of developing novel therapeutics. She also has a developing research program studying similar pathways in lichen sclerosus, an autoimmune skin disease that most commonly affects female anogenital skin, causing scarring and predisposing to cancer development.
Dr. Little’s research aims to advance science in women’s health dermatology. Her research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIAMS), Dermatology Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale, and Robert E. Leet and Clara Guthrie Patterson Trust. Her scientific work has been published in high-impact scientific journals, including PNAS, Journal of Experimental Medicine, Nature Medicine, and JAMA Dermatology. She is a member of the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease, the Women’s Dermatologic Society, and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. Dr. Little completed her undergraduate education at Amherst College and then received her MD and PhD in immunobiology at Yale University. She completed residency in dermatology followed by post-doctoral research under the mentorship of Joseph Craft, MD, at Yale University, where she now sees patients and performs translational research in the Department of Dermatology.

Biography

Dr. Mirza serves as Chief Resident in the Department of Dermatology at Brown University Health, where she has emerged as a global leader in integrating artificial intelligence into clinical care. She obtained her bachelor’s degree at Harvard College, her master’s at Cambridge University, and her medical degree at Yale, where she was an NIH TL1 Awardee. Her research, published in leading journals including The New England Journal of Medicine’s NEJM AI, JAMA Surgery, and Nature’s npj Digital Medicine, has helped improve informed consent processes and healthcare accessibility for over 40,000 patients annually. As a member of the OpenAI Trusted Partners program, Dr Mirza’s work on AI-assisted voice reconstruction for patients with head and neck cancers has been covered by The Associated Press, NBC Nightly News, and The New York Times, among others. Her contributions have been recognized at the White House, and she has delivered invited lectures for the National Institutes of Health and the United Nations General Assembly. In 2025, she was appointed Chair of the American Academy of Dermatology’s Resident and Fellows Committee. Her clinical interests encompass cutaneous oncology, dermatologic surgery, and Mohs micrographic techniques.

Biography

Dr. Toulmin is a 2nd year dermatology resident at the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Program. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry as an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She then spent two years performing translational research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases studying immune correlates of protection in HIV patients and HIV vaccine recipients. She received her medical degree and PhD in immunology from the University of Pennsylvania, where her thesis work focused on antigen presentation and viral immunity in the context of respiratory infections such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2, for which she received an NIH F30 award. Her career interests include complex medical dermatology and inflammatory skin diseases and translational research and discovery in these areas. During residency she is pursuing a specialized training track with dedicated time to perform translational and clinical trials research, where she will be focusing on therapeutics for hidradenitis suppurativa.

Biography

Dr. Vesely is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Yale School of Medicine who specializes in inflammatory skin diseases, cancer immune resistance and skin toxicity from cancer immunotherapy. He now leads a translational research lab focused on harnessing immune regulation for the treatment of cancer and autoimmunity. He earned his MD and PhD in Immunology at Washington University in St. Louis, where he trained under Robert Schreiber PhD, identifying antigen-specificity as a key mechanism of cancer immunoediting (Nature). He completed his dermatology residency at Yale School of Medicine and post-doctoral fellowship with Lieping Chen MD, PhD, studying immune inhibitory receptor agonism as a novel therapeutic strategy to treat autoimmunity (Science Translational Medicine). Combining single cell spatial proteomics and transcriptomics on human samples with mouse models, Dr. Vesely’s research program aims to delineate the pathogenesis of inflammatory skin diseases, such as cutaneous lupus and lichen planus and design novel therapeutic strategies to translate these findings through investigator-initiated clinical trials. Clinically, he focuses on treating patients with complex medical dermatological diseases including cutaneous lupus, lichen planus and cutaneous immune related adverse events (iRAEs) to cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Vesely’s research has been supported by a Physician-Scientist Career Development Award from the Dermatology Foundation, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS, K08), Colton Center for Autoimmunity, National Eczema Association, and Melanoma Research Alliance.

Biography

Dr. Beddingfield is a physician-scientist and biotech entrepreneur. He is currently CEO and Board Director of Rubedo Life Sciences. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Sagesse Bio and as a director of Cytrellis Biosystems. Previously he was an Executive Partner at Apollo Health Ventures, a longevity and age-related disease fund. He served as CEO and director of Kira Pharmaceuticals developing biologics for immunology, inflammation, and rare diseases from 2020 to 2023. He was founder, president, chief executive and member of the board of directors of Sienna Biopharmaceuticals Inc. and took the company public in 2017. Previously he served as Chief Medical Officer of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, acquired by Allergan in 2015. He has led the development and approvals of global leading brands in medical dermatology, aesthetics, neurology, metabolic, and other therapeutic areas. These brands include Botox, Juvederm, Voluma, Kybella, Latisse, Aczone, and Tazorac.

Since completing his training, Frederick has maintained a clinical and teaching practice at UCLA. He is a board-certified dermatologist and emergency medicine physician and fellowship trained in dermatologic surgery and cutaneous oncology. Frederick completed his medical degree with honors at UNC Chapel Hill, his residency and fellowship training at UCLA, and his PhD in Policy Analysis Research at RAND. He serves on the medical advisory board of the Children’s Skin Disease Foundation and Camp Wonder. He is co-founder of the Dermatology Summit and Dermatology Innovation Forum conferences, and a Board Trustee of Advancing Innovation in Dermatology.

Biography

William Ju, MD, FAAD is a board-certified dermatologist and has over 20 years of biopharmaceutical experience in a wide variety of therapeutic areas, including dermatology. He is president and a co-founding trustee of Advancing Innovation in Dermatology, Inc. Dr. Ju has been president and chief executive officer of Follica, Inc. and chief operating officer at PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTCT). In addition, he has held executive positions at Pharmacia Corporation/Pfizer, Inc. Merck & Co., Inc., and Hoffmann La Roche, Inc. in a broad range of product development and leadership functions. Dr. Ju served as project leader for SUTENT®, introduced CANCIDAS® into humans, and was part of the product development teams for CRIXIVAN® and TRANSLARNA™.

Dr. Ju began his pharmaceutical career at Hoffmann-La Roche where he was a clinical leader for the development of dermatology compounds. Before entering industry, Dr. Ju was a senior staff fellow in basic research in the Laboratory of Cellular Oncology under Douglas Lowy, M.D. and was affiliated with the Dermatology Branch at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. He obtained his M.D. with Alpha Omega Alpha honors at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his A.B. with Phi Beta Kappa honors at Princeton University.

Biography

Seth Orlow, MD, PhD has over 25 years of experience in medicine, science, and finance. As a faculty member at New York University, Dr. Orlow rose to become Chair of its leading dermatology department. He serves as a Senior Advisor with Pharus Advisors, focused on strategic transactional/investment banking advisory services in the dermatology and personal care sectors. In 1995 he co-founded Anaderm, a dermatologic discovery company backed by Pfizer and OSI Pharmaceuticals. He participated in the sale of Anaderm to Pfizer in 2002. From 2001-2010, he rose from Advisor to Partner with Easton Capital Partners, a venture capital firm focused on healthcare and consumer products. At Easton, he was involved in the sourcing, diligence, funding, oversight and exit of investments in many healthcare companies such as Acorda, Conor Medsystems, Protez, Salmedix and Transave. Dr. Orlow has licensed technologies to companies ranging from Pfizer to SkinMedica. An author of over 200 medical/scientific publications, he is an internationally sought-after speaker and thought leader. A graduate of Harvard in Biochemical Sciences and with an MD-PhD in Molecular Pharmacology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dr. Orlow trained in Pediatrics and Dermatology at Mt. Sinai and Yale.

Biography

Kristen B. Slaoui, PhD has been the Chief Corporate Development Officer at Galderma, the world’s largest independent global dermatology company, since 2020. Since joining Galderma, she oversaw several significant transactions including the acquisition of Alastin Skincare in 2021, adding to Galderma’s premium portfolio. Prior to this role, she spent 20 years with GSK, first in the research labs, where her work in pulmonary disease resulted in the discovery of the long-acting muscarinic receptor antagonist in the approved medicines Anoro™ Ellipta™, Incruse™ Ellipta™, and Trelegy™ Ellipta™. She holds multiple patents, has authored more than 40 original peer-reviewed publications, and she has had ongoing roles as a peer reviewer for a dozen established medical journals. She joined GSK’s Business Development team in 2006 and held various roles of increasing seniority, and executed more than $30 billion worth of deals and acquisitions, including the $3.6 billion acquisition of Stiefel Laboratories in 2009 (where she subsequently served as VP and Head of Business Development & Licensing), participating in the $20+ billion three-part transaction with Novartis in 2015, and the $5.1 bn acquisition of Tesaro in 2018, with transactions covering the pharma R&D, commercial, emerging markets, specialty pharma and consumer spaces.

Dr. Slaoui earned Bachelor’s degrees in both Biology and Classical Studies from Gettysburg College. She earned her PhD in Physiology from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and completed an NIH Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.

Biography

Qing Yu Christina Weng is a physician-scientist, entrepreneur, and biotech executive. She is the Chief Medical Officer of Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a biotech developing innovative treatments for hair loss by targeting stem cell metabolism. Prior to Pelage, Christina led business development and strategy at Kira Pharmaceuticals, a global company developing complement therapeutics. Christina co-founded Mymiel, a high-performance clean skincare line, where she served as Chief Strategy Officer. As faculty at Harvard Medical School and attending dermatologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital, she specializes in melanoma and pigmentary disorders. She is on the Board of Directors for the Dermatology Innovation Forum and the Dermatology Summit. She is on the Advisory Board for Immunis, a regenerative medicine company developing secretomes for age-related dysfunction.

Christina attended the California Institute of Technology, where she received her bachelor’s degrees in Biology and English with honors. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Medical School, where she received her medical degree and was a fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She completed dermatology residency at the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Training Program with advanced clinical training at the MGH Laser & Cosmetics Center. Her postdoctoral bench research was at the Cutaneous Biology Research Center of MGH. Her clinical research has led to new guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology for drug monitoring. She has received research grants and awards from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, American Skin Association, American Dermatological Association, and National Institutes of Health. She holds multiple patents.