NEW YORK, July 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- American Skin Association has announced the names of the four Research Scholar Awards.  Clinton Enos, MD of Eastern Virginia Medical School has received the Arcutis Biotherapeutics Research Scholar Award for Psoriasis; Joy Wan, MD of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine received the ASA Research Scholar Award for Atopic Dermatitis; and Patrick Brunner, MD of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Kingsley Essien, PhD from the UMass Chan School of Medicine were each honored with the Calder Research Scholar Award for Vitiligo and Pigment Cell Disorders.  Nicholas Gulati, MD, PhD of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is continuing his research with the prestigious Daneen and Charles Stiefel Investigative Scientist Award for Melanoma Research. This funding aims to support emerging leaders in dermatology, who are focused on understanding melanoma better, in hopes of finding a cure.

In addition, one research grant and nine medical student grants — made possible through the generosity of individuals, foundations, and corporations — were also announced.

For thirty-six years, ASA and its affiliates have funded over $50 million in grants that have advanced its vital mission to serve the more than 100 million Americans afflicted with skin disorders.  ASA's primary goal is to enhance treatments and continue working towards cures for melanoma, vitiligo, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and other skin diseases.

"These grants support cutting-edge dermatological research that is crucial in advancing ASA's goal of defeating skin cancers like melanoma. Dermatological research remains one of the most underfunded areas of medicine even though skin is our largest and perhaps most exposed organ. ASA's support will improve the chances of finding long sought-after cures and bringing hope to the millions suffering from devastating skin cancer and other skin diseases," said Howard P. Milstein, Chairman of ASA.

ASA's grant program is run by its Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), comprised of leading scientists and physicians who volunteer their time to oversee the annual grant process. Through their leadership, ASA's grant program has supported the work of over 300 investigators, ranging from talented researchers in the early phases of their careers to recognized leaders in the field of dermatology.

"ASA's Medical Advisory Committee is excited to announce the 2023 awards. Never have advances in basic research led so quickly to new treatment approaches. New treatments for vitiligo, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, melanoma, and other types of skin cancer are just around the corner, fueled by important funding contributions by the ASA," said ASA President and MAC Co-Chair, Dr. David A. Norris.

ASA provides significant research awards to established investigators and medical students studying melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, and other skin diseases. Through these grants, ASA has promoted the early careers of many gifted young investigators and has had a profound influence both on dermatology research and clinical care of dermatologic disease. Over the years, ASA-funded researchers have had an extensive impact on the understanding of melanoma by improving our insight into the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. With an exclusive focus on skin disease research, ASA has helped open new frontiers in skin science by producing results that will change how we understand and treat these diseases.

The following are the recipients of the 2023 Investigative Scientist Award, Research Scholar Awards, Research Grant, and Medical Student Grants:

2023 ASA Daneen & Charles Stiefel Investigative Scientist Award for Melanoma Research
Nicholas Gulati, MD, PhD
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Project Title: Use of Topical Diphencyprone to Improve Efficacy of Checkpoint Inhibition in Melanoma Patients

2023 ASA Arcutis Biotherapeutics Research Scholar Award for Psoriasis
Clinton Enos, MD
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Project Title: Assessment of Statin and Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events Among Patients with Psoriasis

2023 ASA Research Scholar Award for Atopic Dermatitis
Joy Wan, MD
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Project Title: Integrating Patient-reported Outcomes into Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis Care

2023 ASA Calder Research Scholar Award for Vitiligo/Pigment Cell Disorders
Patrick Brunner MD
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Project Title: Molecular Mapping of Vitiligo vs. HMF to Better Understand T-cell Mediated Depigmentation

2023 ASA Calder Research Scholar Award for Vitiligo/Pigment Cell Disorders
Kingsley Essien, PhD
UMASS Chan School of Medicine
Project Title:  Targeting PD1/PDL1 Signaling to Inhibit CD8+ T-cells in a Novel Autologous Ex Vivo Model of Vitiligo

2023 ASA LEO Pharma Research Grant for Atopic Dermatitis
Theodora Karagounis, MD
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Project Title: Effect of Staphylococcus Aureus Gastrointestinal Colonization on Gut Microbiome in Atopic Dermatitis

2023 ASA La Roche-Posay Medical Student Grant Targeting Melanoma and Skin Cancer
Ronan Talty
Yale University School of Medicine
Project Title:  Targeting Lipid Droplet Synthesis to Augment Melanoma Immunotherapy Responses

2023 ASA David Mandelbaum Medical Student Grant Targeting Skin Cancer and Melanoma 
Katherine Awh
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Project Title: A Pilot of a Microdevice for In Situ Candidate Drug Screening in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

2023 ASA David Mandelbaum Medical Student Grant Targeting Skin Cancer and Melanoma 
Annika Deitermann
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Project Title:  Pleomorphic Dermal Sarcoma (PDS):  A Deeper Look

2023 ASA David Mandelbaum Medical Student Grant Targeting Skin Cancer and Melanoma
Christopher Fay
UMASS Chan School of Medicine
Project Title:  Nationwide Analysis of Free Sunscreen Dispenser Usage

2023 ASA David Mandelbaum Medical Student Grant Targeting Skin Cancer and Melanoma
Victoria Jimenez
University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine
Project Title:  Posttranscriptional Regulation of Melanoma 

2023 ASA David Mandelbaum Medical Student Grant Targeting Skin Cancer and Melanoma 
Yue Zhang
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Project Title:  Identification of Novel Therapeutic Targets in Cutaneous Gamma Delta T-cell Lymphomas

2023 ASA John Ong Teh Hee Medical School Grant in Melanoma
Patrick McMullan
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Project Title:  High-throughput, Multiplex Iimmunofluorescence Microscopy for the Iimmunophenotyping of CTCL

2023 ASA Mulvaney Family Medical Student Grant in Vitiligo/Pigment Cell Disorders
Nicole Mastacouris
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
Project Title:  Healthcare Utilization Among Vitiligo Patients in the US According to Age, Sex, and Race

2023 ASA Medical Student Grant in Vitiligo/Pigment Cell Disorders
Eden David
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Project Title:  Elucidating Differential Immune Dysregulation and JAK/STAT Signaling in Vitiligo

ABOUT AMERICAN SKIN ASSOCIATION
ASA is a unique collaboration of patients, families, advocates, physicians, and scientists, and has evolved over thirty-six years into a leading force in efforts to defeat melanoma, skin cancer, and important inflammatory and genetic skin diseases. Established 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. ASA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information, visit americanskin.org.

American Skin Association has earned Candid's 2023 Seal of Platinum Transparency.

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SOURCE American Skin Association