Harvard Dermatology Fall 2018 Alumni Newsletter

Harvard Dermatology

Alumni News News for graduates and friends of the Harvard Combined Dermatology Program | Fall 2018

Inside: Alum Spotlight - Page 2 | resident updates - Page 3 | upcoming events - Page 4

Meet the New Harvard Dermatology First Year Residents! mathematics. He later attended Duke University School of Medicine, where he discovered his interest in medical dermatology, leading him to apply to the combined Internal Medicine-Dermatology training program. In his free time, he enjoys playing and watching tennis, running, and studying astronomy.

Daniel Yanes was born and raised in Centerville, OH, a suburb of Dayton. He studied Biology and Global Public Health at The Ohio State University, and stayed in Columbus to complete medical school at The Ohio State University. He hopes to be a clinician-educator some day, and is interested in pediatric and adult inpatient dermatology and dermatopathology. In his free time, he enjoys indoor cycling, playing tennis, spending time with friends and family, and cheering on the Buckeyes.

Jennifer Yeh grew up in Los Angeles, CA. She majored in Chemical & Biological Engineering at MIT, then attended Harvard Medical School for the combined MD/PhD program. Her thesis work focused Left to Right: Daniel, Janelle, Nicholas, Nicole, on molecular modulators of the oncogenic transcription factor STAT3 with Dr. David Frank. Jennifer is Zachary, Daniel, Jennifer,Cristina,Ehsan.

Daniel O’Connor grew up in Northern Virginia and attended college at the University of Virginia interested in basic and translational research, where he studied neuroscience and chemistry. He went to medical school at the University of particularly in melanoma, oncodermatology, and Pennsylvania. While at Penn he conducted research in teledermatology, medical education, and cutaneous toxicities of chemotherapy. In her free time, mobile technology. He enjoys playing guitar, weightlifting, and running. she enjoys exploring new restaurants, baking, photography, and running.

Janelle Nassim was born and raised in Southern Indiana, just outside Louisville, KY. She grew up as a competitive swimmer, and went on to compete for four years as an NCAA Division I athlete Cristina Garza-Mayers is from Houston, Texas. She at Florida Atlantic University. After graduating with her degree in biological sciences, she continued went to Washington University in St. Louis and her education in Boca Raton by attending medical school at FAU. Janelle is interested in medical majored in Biology. She attended Harvard Medical dermatology, accessibility and inclusion, preventive medicine, nutrition and wellness, and quality School as a part of the MD/PhD program and improvement. She enjoys all things active, including cycling, running, and barre and boot camp completed a PhD in Microbiology. She is interested in classes. She and her fiancé, Eric, who is completing his residency at Baylor, love exploring Boston pediatric dermatology. In her free time, she enjoys and Houston, especially the food scenes. She has a Ragdoll cat named Pishi. baking, running, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Nicholas Theodosakis Growing up in an Air Force family, Nick moved around a lot as a kid before finally graduating from high school in Newport News, VA. He went to college at the University of Virginia, where he studied chemistry, psychology, and history, followed by a gap year doing esophageal cancer research in Tokyo, Japan. Nick then entered the MD/PhD program at the Yale School of Medicine, where he did his PhD research on targeted therapy in melanoma with Dr. Marcus Bosenberg, as well as a one year post-doc studying genetic skin disorders with Dr. Keith Choate. In his spare time, Nick enjoys weightlifting, cooking, fencing, and travel.

Nicole Gunasekera is from Dayton, Ohio. She went to Vanderbilt University where she majored in Public Health. She attended Harvard Medical School and Harvard Business School as part of the MD/MBA program. She is interested in skin of color and quality and systems improvement. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, hiking, and traveling.

Zachary Holcomb grew up in the mountains of southwestern Virginia. He went to college near home at the University of Virginia's College at Wise, where he studied chemistry, physics, and

Ehsan Azimi is from Tehran, Iran. He studied medicine at Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Given his interest in neuroscience and dermatology, he joined Dr. Ahmad Reza Dehbour’s lab in the department of pharmacology to study itch. He then joined Dr. Ethan Lerner’s lab at MGH as a postdoc and focused on the role of Mas-related GPCRs (Mrgprs) in itch and inflammation. His work has led to identification of Mrgpr antagonists that are under investigation for treating itch, allergic reactions, and inflammation. He enjoys apartment gardening, cooking, hiking, running, skiing, music, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Alum Spotlight:

Dr. Alex Stratigos Can you share some of your fondest memories from your Harvard Derm residency training? When I arrived in Boston in 1992, I worked as a clinical fellow at Deaconess Dermatology with J. Dover and D. Johnson, an incredibly inspiring team, who conveyed to me their enthusiasm and love for Dermatology. While studying the prevalence of skin disorders at the Homeless Shelter Project, I met with E. Gonzalez who inspired me with his compassion and dedication to patient care especially for those less fortunate. After a year of medical internship at MGH, I joined the Harvard Residency Program (1994-98) in what would be the most amazing training experience. C. Otley, my chief resident, was instrumental in helping me adjust to the high demands of residency. I recall Tuesday Grand Rounds at MGH where the legends of our specialty, T. Fitzpatrick, S. Moschella, and H. Baden, were holding lively discussion on complex cases inspiring us with their intellectual vitality and wisdom. In clinics, I was fortunate to be trained by gifted educators and outstanding clinicians, such as A. Sober, M. Mihm, C. Taylor, S. Gellis, R. Stern, H. Haynes, J. Kvedar, R. Anderson and many others. I feel enormous pride for having been their disciple and I try to live up to their example every day. Dick Johnson has always been an exceptional mentor and a wonderful friend, whom I consider part of my family. S. Olbricht initiated my interest in skin cancer and, along with K. Bowers, helped me write up my first published case report on nodular hidradenoma. Working in PLC under the guidance of A. Sober and M. Mihm gave me valuable insights in organizing the care for melanoma patients. There were some stressful times too but there was huge camaraderie and support by my fellow residents (Hensin, Tri, Peter, Leslie, Kay, Michael, and Sylvia). Teaming up with Sylvia Wright as chief residents in our 3 rd year was an outstanding experience that gave us the opportunity to exercise our problem-solving skills while improving certain aspects of the training program. I carry fond memories from social occasions too, from the VP evenings at DJ ’s house and Thanksgiving dinners at Peter’s and Hensin’s, to the movie nights-out with Dick and the Latino dancing lessons at Villa Victoria with Ernesto.

What has been your career path since leaving Harvard? After completing an outstanding fellowship in lasers/photobiology at the Wellman/BIDMC with R. Anderson, K. Arndt and J. Dover, I returned to Athens (1998), where I joined the faculty of Dermatology-Venereology at the National University of Athens-Greece and became Full Professor in 2012. I feel privileged to have worked for 20 consecutive years at “A. Sygros” Hospital, an institution devoted to the care of patients with skin/venereal diseases and home of the country’s largest residency program in Dermatology. I eventually became Program Director of the Hospital which was the perfect setting to establish a strong residency curriculum and convey the values of excellence in clinical care and teaching I learned at Harvard. Currently, I am running the Center for Melanoma and Skin Cancer, which was set up in 2003 and has evolved into a prominent referral center in Greece and internationally.

Keeping the link with Harvard has been important to me and in 2007, I established the “John Stratigos” scholarship which provided the opportunity for four Greek dermatologists to join Harvard’s International Training Program under Ernesto’s leadership (2007-2010).

What factors helped you end up where you are today?

Training at Harvard Dermatology has profoundly influenced me as a physician and an individual. It not only provided me with the skills and knowledge to become a competent dermatologist but also had a great impact in my role as an academic leader and mentor at my home institution. My focus in cutaneous oncology as a field of expertise was also a decisive factor. It allowed me to channel my interest in research towards melanoma and to collaborate with clinical groups in Europe at a time of profound changes in the management of melanoma and skin cancer. My father John Stratigos, a prominent Greek dermatologist and Professor, was instrumental in my early career decisions. I was fortunate to work closely with him, after my return to Athens, and exchange experiences in our clinical practice before he passed away in 2006.

Tell us more about your leadership and academic pursuits.

Since 2000, I have been actively involved in several European and national Societies and have served in leading positions of the EADV (European Academy of Dermatology-Venereology), where I was recently elected in the position of President-Elect, and the EADO (European Association of Dermato-Oncology) where I serve as Vice President. Working for these Societies has been a tremendous source of gratification as I take part in this unique project of European integration and exchange. I have also maintained active collaborations with colleagues in the USA, and particularly with Hensin Tsao, whose brilliant ideas and enthusiasm has helped us produce several joint publications on melanoma genetics. I dedicate a large proportion of my work in fostering basic and clinical research at my department and in identifying opportunities for our residents and young colleagues to find their niche and build their careers.

Alum Spotlight:

Dr. Alex Stratigos Tells us more about your family and personal interests My wife Natassa and I have been together for almost 25 years and she has been a wonderful companion and partner in life. Natassa is an MBA graduate from Boston College and now works part time in a family hotel business. Our son John, 20, born in Boston, is now completing a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedicine at Queen Mary University in London and is on route to studying Medicine, while Aristomenis, 18, is studying economics at the National University of Athens-Greece. I am grateful to my family for their love and support and for making sure I keep abreast with the joys of family life, beyond the increasing demands of my work. In my free time, I like reading history books, traveling and spending time in the magnificent Greek outdoors, always wearing a hat and sunscreen!

Resident Updates Congratulations to Johanna Song, who matched to fellowship in Pediatric Dermatology at University of California, San Francisco for 2019-2020

Support from the Thomas B. Fitzpatrick Fund for Education has allowed Saami Khalifian ('19) to travel to Los Angeles to work with screenwriter, Noah Gardner. Mr. Gardner is the son of famed anthropologist and documentary filmmaker Robert Gardner who was the Director of the Harvard University Film Study Center for over 40 years and great-nephew of Isabella Stewart Gardner (of the museum in Boston of the same name). Saami served as a medical consultant to a screenplay that Mr. Gardners group is working on, blending elements of medical anthropology and science fiction. Saami has participated in the development of several screenplays in his career, including the remake of “Darkman” which was purchased by Universal Studios last year. Saami plans to continue his work in medical consulting for non-fictional documentaries and fictional screenplays in the future with Mr. Gardner’s group in Los Angeles.

Blast from the Past!

Peter Lee, Tri Nguyen, Sylvia Wright, Michael Ming, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Hensin Tsao, Kay kane, Alex Stratigos

Congratulations to Priyanka Vedak ('19) on being selected to participate on the Dialogues in Dermatology editorial board.

Left: Saami Khalifian, Top Right: Priyanka Vedak, Bottom Right: Johanna Song

Several current residents at the Women’s Derm Society breakfast at the ASDS Conference with Dr. Suzanne Olbricht (‘83)

Girish Mohan, Neera Nathan, Samir Gupta, Suzanne Olbricht, Pooyan Rohani, Sherry Yu, Tiffany Sun

Resident Graduates 2018 - Where They are Now Daniel Bach Omar Badri Elizabeth Wallace Daniel Butler Avery LaChance Sarah Robinson Lauren Strazzula Ryan Trowbridge Chao Yang

University of California Los Angeles Mohs Fellowship, University of Massachusetts University of Colorado University of California San Francisco Brigham and Women’s Hospital Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship, Boston Children’s Hospital South Shore Skin Center University of Nebraska Medical Center Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Save-the-date!

AAD Harvard Dermatology Alumni reception Friday, March 1, 2019 in Washington d.c.

At the Marriott Marquis Independence Ballroom Salon H 7:30-10:30 p.m.

Become an Alumni Donor!

The generosity of our alumni is essential to fostering an environment of leadership and scholarly excellence for which our program is known. Your contributions will support the following programs and initiatives for Harvard Dermatology residents: - Clinical and Translational Research: resident research projects have ranged from the examination of quality-of-life in patients with PRP, to studying malpractice surrounding dermatologic procedures, to molecular investigations into CD30+ cutaneous lymphomas.

- Technology: technology innovations for medical education and clinical care can be used to enhance training experiences; resident projects to date include development of patient-education videos and developing clinical dermatology education smartphone apps.

- Community Service: resident involvement in the community ranges from participation in clinics for the underserved in Boston, to skin cancer screenings, to laser tattoo removal on former gang members, and to moderating public access television programs.

- Global Health: residents have traveled to India, Vietnam, Botswana, and Kenya to deliver dermatologic care around the world and implement lasting change.

Contributions can be made at: https://secure.massgeneral.org/dermatology-resident For contributions of $25,000 or more, please contact Dr. Jennifer Huang (Jennifer.Huang@childrens.harvard.edu) to discuss details of creating a named opportunity.

Contact us Email: info.hmsderm@partners.org | Phone: 617-726-5254 | http://www.hms.harvard.edu/dermatology/ Editors: Girish Mohan, Melissa Danesh, Ehsan Azimi