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Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE
2011 Award of Excellence
Recipient of
the Marjorie A. Bowman New Investigator Research Award
Joel M. Gelfand, M.D., MSCE, Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology, is the winner of this year’s Marjorie A. Bowman New Investigator Research Award. Dr. Gelfand’s discoveries have fundamentally changed the perception of psoriasis. Although psoriasis has long been regarded as primarily a skin disease, Dr. Gelfand has demonstrated that it is in fact a disease caused by a systemic inflammatory pathway that not only has profound effects on the skin but also on the cardiovascular system. His research has shown that patients with psoriasis have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality which has already resulted in a change of the standard of clinical care for these patients. His work has fostered interest and a greater understanding in the fields of dermatology and immunology that the pathophysiology of skin disease can also impact other organ systems. This crucial understanding will have a dramatic impact on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with psoriasis, and potentially those with other disease processes as well. Dr. Gelfand is a standard bearer in this age of translational research and team science.