UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND DERMATOLOGY

Shawn Kwatra, MD is the Joseph W. Burnett Endowed Professor and Chairman of Dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Kwatra is a world leader in dermatology and has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles. He was recently the lead author and principal investigator of a global phase 3 clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Kwatra is a global clinical expert in the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases, such as eczema and psoriasis, receives referrals for patients all around the world, and also runs a clinical trials unit and research laboratory.

Educated at Duke University and trained at the Wake Forest and Johns Hopkins schools of medicine, Kwatra decided on dermatology as a specialty because the skin is not only the body’s largest organ, but also a lens into a patient’s overall health. “There is so much diversity within dermatology that in a single clinic day, I can detect skin cancer, treat a patient with severe eczema, and help diagnose a newborn’s birthmark,” he says. “You never know what you’ll see, but there is always a wide spectrum of cases and the ability to build long-term, trusting relationships with patients.”

Board-certified physicians within the University of Maryland Department of Dermatology are experts in their field—involved in research and teaching in addition to clinical care. They treat patients of all ages for the full range of skin concerns, from complex conditions (such as hidradenitis suppurativa) and cancerous lesions to general and cosmetic dermatology.

Given that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetime— and the fact that when treated early, it is almost always curable—the department now offers priority appointments for skin cancer screening.