BALTIMORE, September 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. GladwinMD, announced today that Shawn KwatraMD will become the next director of the department of dermatology at UMSOM and head of the dermatology department at University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), following an extensive national search. Dr. Kwatra, who will assume his new role in early 2024, will serve as Endowed Professor and Joseph W. Burnett Chair in Dermatology.
Dr Kwatra joins UMSOM from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he served as founding director of the Johns Hopkins Itch Center. He is an internationally recognized dermatologist and clinical leader in research on skin of color, as well as chronic inflammatory skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis, prurigo nodularis, and chronic pruritus of unknown origin. He also has expertise in the management of cutaneous adverse events associated with immunotherapy.
“We are delighted to have recruited such an exceptional and highly accomplished international leader in dermatology to be our new Department Director,” said Dean Gladwinwho is also vice president of medical affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimoreand Professor Emeritus John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers.
“I want to thank Dr. Jason Rose for his exceptional service as interim dean. I am confident that Dr. Kwatra has the leadership skills and vision to lead the UMMC Dermatology Department and Clinical Service through its expansion to a higher level of excellence.
In his new position, Dr. Kwatra will provide visionary and strategic leadership for the expansion of clinical practice through Faculty Physicians, Inc. (FPI), with the goal of expanding outpatient services in collaboration with hospitals and medical offices of UMMC and UMMS.
He will continue to enhance the department’s research initiatives by recruiting new physician scientists and establishing collaborations with other programs and institutes within UMSOM.
“I am pleased to welcome such a renowned clinician, researcher and leader in the field of inflammatory skin diseases,” said Bert W. O’MalleyMD, President and CEO of University of Maryland Medical Center.
“I am particularly excited about Dr. Kwatra’s commitment to discovery and innovation around unmet healthcare needs. I look forward to working with him in the years to come to further strengthen our dermatology program to serve more people with complex skin conditions across the state.” and the region.”
Zaineb H. MakhzoumiMD, MPH, assistant professor, section chief of dermatologic surgery and oncology and director of clinical services of the Department of Dermatology added: “I am delighted that Dr. Kwatra will join our department and lead us as our next chair.”
“Having known Dr. Kwatra personally and professionally for nearly a decade, I can confidently say that he has both the vision and knowledge to take our department to an even higher level of clinical excellence and recognition, both locally and nationally. a leader and visionary in our field and I look forward to expanding our department even further under his leadership. I would also like to thank Dr. Jason Rose for his exceptional leadership and dedication to our department over the past year while serving as Interim Chair.
Dr. Kwatra will continue to enhance the educational experience for UMMC dermatology residents and UMSOM medical students, and will work to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels of the department, including faculty, staff and trainees.
Dr. Kwatra is an NIH-funded investigator whose research focuses on precision medicine-based techniques to discover new patient endotypes, design and direct phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials, and study racial disparities in the pathogenesis of inflammatory skin diseases.
Dr. Kwatra leads both a basic science laboratory and clinical trials unit and has published over 200 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, JAMA Dermatology , the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology and the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. His research is supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the Dermatology Foundation, the Skin of Color Society, and the Society for Investigative Dermatology.
“It is an honor to be the next chair of dermatology at such a prestigious medical school,” Kwatra said. “I am delighted to work alongside Dean Gladwina visionary and dynamic leader to strengthen the clinical footprint of the Department of Dermatology throughout the state of Marylandenhance educational programs and develop a thriving research enterprise.
Dr. Kwatra has served on the Board of Directors of the Skin of Color Society and currently serves as National Secretary/Treasurer. He is a member of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of the National Eczema Association. He was also inducted into the Johns Hopkins Distinguished Teaching Society for his bedside teaching and mentoring of medical students, residents, and fellows.
He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his medical degree from Wake Forest University Medicine School. He completed a residency in dermatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
About
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was established in 1807 as the first public medical school in United States. It continues today to be one of the fastest growing leading biomedical research companies in the world – with 46 academic departments, centers, institutes and programs, and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a two-time winner of the award Albert E. Lasker Medical Research Awards. With an operating budget of more than $1.3 billionthe School of Medicine works in close collaboration with the University of Maryland Medical center and medical system to provide research-intensive, academic and clinical care to nearly 2 million patients annually. The School of Medicine has nearly 600 million dollars in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments ranked among all medical schools nationwide in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 students, interns, residents and fellows. The Combined School of Medicine and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of more than 6 billion dollars and an economic impact of nearly 20 billion dollars on the state and local community. The School of Medicine, which ranks first 8th highestamong public medical schools in research productivity (as profiled by the Association of American Medical Colleges), it is an innovator in translational medicine, with 606 active patents and 52 start-ups. In the last US News and World Report ranking of the best medical schools, published in 2021, the UM School of Medicine is ranked #9 among the 92 public medical schools in the United States and in the top 15% (#27) of the 192 public and private American medical schools. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu
Published on behalf of Newswise, an online knowledge-based news resource at www.newswise.com
SOURCE University of Maryland School of Medicine
