About

Vision

The Gelfand Clinical Research Lab dedicates its efforts to the vision of a healthier and happier life for people living with skin diseases.

Mission

The mission of the Gelfand Clinical Research Lab is to conduct robust and rigorous research to advance the care of dermatological disorders and enhance the understanding of disease pathogenesis.   

Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE

Joel M. Gelfand MD MSCE is the James J. Leyden Professor of Clinical Investigation and Professor of Dermatology and Epidemiology (with tenure) at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. He is also Director of the Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center and Senior Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in psoriasis, clinical epidemiology, drug safety, and clinical trials. Dr. Gelfand is the author of over 330 scientific publications, editorials, reviews, and text book chapters (cited over 35,000 times, H index 94) which appear in journals such as JAMA, BMJ, European Heart Journal, Annals of Rheumatic Disease, JAMA Dermatology, JAAD, and the JID. He is a past Associate Editor of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, past Editorial Board Member of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, and is currently Deputy Editor of Clinical Research and Epidemiology for the Journal Investigative Dermatology.

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, National Psoriasis Foundation’s (NPF) inaugural award for scientific achievement, the American Dermatoepidemiology Network’s Founders award, the American Academy of Dermatology’s Presidential Citation for psoriasis research, and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the American Dermatological Association. He Co-Chaired the NPF’s COVID-19 task force, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the International Psoriasis Council (where he serves as Treasurer) and the Board of Directors for the Medical Dermatology Society. He has served in a number of other important leadership roles including Medical Director (Founding) Dermatology Clinical Studies Unit (2003-2023) and inaugural Vice Chair for Clinical Research (2016-2017) where he lead the effort to expand clinical trials and clinical research in a manner which is ethical, scientific, inclusive, and addressed the unmet needs of patients suffering from severe dermatological disease.  He is a co-author of the AAD-NPF joint guidelines of care for psoriasis. 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 over $30 million in grant support from NIH, FDA, PCORI, the National Psoriasis Foundation, the Dermatology Foundation, the American Skin Association, and numerous pharmaceutical companies to support his independent research program.

Dr. Gelfand is a dedicated mentor with over 20 MD and PhDs having spent at least one full year under his mentorship, 12 of whom have received a Master’s degree in clinical epidemiology. Over 30% of dermatologists receiving K23 awards from NIAMS over the last decade have been trainees in the Gelfand lab. His trainees have received numerous grants from the NIH (F32, T32, K23, R01, and a Lasker Award) and have established independent research careers at PENN, Harvard, UCSF, NIH, Emory, Hopkins, and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Dr. Gelfand’s research redefined psoriasis, a condition affecting 125 million people worldwide, as a systemic inflammatory disease that enhances the risk of cardiovascular events and premature mortality resulting in changes in standard of care guidelines internationally. 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.