Department of Dermatology

Research

The Clinical and Translational Research Program functions under the mission of investigating an inclusive range of diseases, from common cancers to rare orphan diseases.

Research

The Clinical and Translational Research Program functions under the mission of investigating an inclusive range of diseases, from common cancers to rare orphan diseases.

About Our Team

The Clinical and Translational Research Program (CTRP) comprises a multi-disciplinary research group focused on hypothesis-driven work on a wide variety of dermatologic diseases. Clinicians, epidemiologists, post-doctoral researchers, medical students, undergraduate students, and administrators make up this unique team, which gathers its strength from this rich network of experts working in an exciting and exceedingly collaborative environment.

The CTRP functions under the mission of investigating an inclusive range of diseases, from common cancers to rare orphan diseases, in an effort to measurably expand our understanding, as well as to move discoveries from the conceptual world into clinical practice.

Current Trials

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Brown Dermatology in the News

Recent News
Milwaukee Independent

Abrar Qureshi: Finding a 'Street of Happiness' Among the Faded Ruins of Hope in Za'Atari

Medical Mission to Jordan: After more than a decade of Civil War in Syria, and continuing conflicts like the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine that further displaced millions of civilians, understanding the long-term conditions that war refugees face remains relevant. But as public attention fades, such topics do not capture headlines today, even as the impact continues to be felt here in Milwaukee.
CNN Health

White wine raises melanoma risk, study says

Alcohol has been linked to several different cancers, some more strongly than others. Now a study adds a new type of cancer to the list, and it’s an unexpected one: Brown University researchers say that drinking, even in moderate amounts, is associated with higher rates of melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Journal of the American Medical Association

Visual Inspection and the US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation on Skin Cancer Screening

In this issue of JAMA, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) provides recommendations for screening for skin cancer. Based on assessment of the available evidence in 2016, the USPSTF concludes that “the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of visual skin examination by a clinician to screen for skin cancer in adults.”1 Thus, skin cancer screening is classified with an I statement, ie, insufficient evidence, the same statement grade and determination made by the USPSTF 7 years ago in its 2009 recommendation.2 However, “insufficient evidence of benefit” is different from “evidence of no benefit”: the public, physicians, and the popular press should avoid this misinterpretation. For the scientific community, the I designation should not be viewed as an indictment but rather an invitation to the public health, medical, and scientific communities to galvanize and to work together in executing well-designed but feasible studies so future recommendations can be of greater public health benefit.
CBS News

Could orange juice, grapefruit raise skin cancer risk?

People who enjoy a glass of orange juice or some fresh grapefruit in the morning may face a slightly increased risk of melanoma -- the least common but most deadly form of skin cancer.

That's the finding from a study of more than 100,000 U.S. adults followed for about 25 years. Researchers discovered that those who regularly consumed orange juice or whole grapefruit had a higher risk of developing melanoma, compared to people who avoided those foods.

Research Team

Dermatoepidemiology Division

This unit, based at the Providence VA Medical Center, conducts epidemiologic research on cutaneous malignancies and dysplasias, including melanoma, other skin cancers, and skin cancer precursors. Funding is provided by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veteran's Affairs, and private foundations. Interested residents are encouraged to participate in the activities of the unit.

Recent Publications

Cobb, C. B. C., Caravaglio, J. V., Qureshi, A. A., & Robinson-Bostom, L. (2022). Concominant bullous pemphigoid and cutaneous Crohn disease. J Cutan Pathol, 49(6), 579-583. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35094410

Dai, J., Li, T. Y., Cho, E., Qureshi, A. A., & Li, W. Q. (2022). Hair color and risk of keratinocyte carcinoma in US women and men. J Am Acad Dermatol, 86(1), 234-237. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33716057

Drucker, A. M., Li, W. Q., Cho, E., Li, T., Besdine, R., Qureshi, A. A., & Linos, E. (2021). Shingles and pneumonia and risk of cutaneous basal and squamous cell carcinoma. J Am Acad Dermatol, 85(2), 492-495. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30092319

Farland, L. V., Degnan, W. J., Harris, H. R., Han, J., Cho, E., VoPham, T., . . . Missmer, S. A. (2021). Recreational and residential sun exposure and risk of endometriosis: a prospective cohort study. Hum Reprod, 36(1), 199-210. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33432329

George, E. A., Baranwal, N., Kang, J. H., Qureshi, A. A., Drucker, A. M., & Cho, E. (2021). Photosensitizing Medications and Skin Cancer: A Comprehensive Review. Cancers (Basel), 13(10). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34066301

George, E. A., Castelo-Soccio, L., Putterman, E., Kuhn, H., Wambier, C., Qureshi, A., & Cho, E. (2021). Influence of climate factors on pediatric alopecia areata flares in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sci Rep, 11(1), 21034. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34702837

Ghanian, S., Rhee, J., Cho, E., & Walker, J. (2021). Odds of Merkel cell carcinoma metastases associated with primary anatomic site and laterality. Arch Dermatol Res, 313(10), 873-877. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33599821

Ghanian, S., Zakka, F. R., Shu, N., Robinson-Bostom, L., Weinstock, M., Vezeridis, M., & Walker, J. (2021). Paracicatricial melanocytes as a sign of melanoma. J Cutan Pathol, 48(7), 911-914. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33547832

Graff, R. E., Wilson, K. M., Sanchez, A., Chang, S. L., McDermott, D. F., Choueiri, T. K., . . . Preston, M. A. (2022). Obesity in Relation to Renal Cell Carcinoma Incidence and Survival in Three Prospective Studies. Eur Urol, 82(3), 247-251. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35715363

Harris, H. R., Korkes, K. M. N., Li, T., Kvaskoff, M., Cho, E., Carvalho, L. F., . . . Missmer, S. A. (2022). Endometriosis, Psoriasis, and Psoriatic Arthritis: A Prospective Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol, 191(6), 1050-1060. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35029650

He, Y., Liu, H., Luo, S., Amos, C. I., Lee, J. E., Yang, K., . . . Wei, Q. (2021). Genetic variants of EML1 and HIST1H4E in myeloid cell-related pathway genes independently predict cutaneous melanoma-specific survival. Am J Cancer Res, 11(6), 3252-3262. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34249459

Huang, M., Lyu, C., Li, X., Qureshi, A. A., Han, J., & Li, M. (2021). Identifying Susceptibility Loci for Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using a Fast Sequence Kernel Association Test. Front Genet, 12, 657499. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34040636

Jeong, G. H., Grosso, G., Aune, D., Stubbs, B., Koyanagi, A., Cho, E., . . . Shin, J. I. L. (2021). Reply to Yi M et al. Adv Nutr, 12(4), 1595-1596. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34327525

Li, Y., Li, W. Q., Li, T., Qureshi, A. A., & Cho, E. (2022). Eye color and the risk of skin cancer. Cancer Causes Control, 33(1), 109-116. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34687387

Li, Y., Liao, L. M., Sinha, R., Zheng, T., Vance, T. M., Qureshi, A. A., & Cho, E. (2022). Fish intake and risk of melanoma in the NIH-AARP diet and health study. Cancer Causes Control, 33(7), 921-928. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35676377

Lim, R. K., Castelo-Soccio, L., Putterman, E., Qureshi, A. A., & Cho, E. (2022). Predictors of Vitamin D Insufficiency in Children and Adolescents With Alopecia Areata. Cureus, 14(3), e22934. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35399430

Melough, M. M., Sakaki, J., Liao, L. M., Sinha, R., Cho, E., & Chun, O. K. (2021). Association between Citrus Consumption and Melanoma Risk in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Nutr Cancer, 73(9), 1613-1620. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32791010

Mirza, M. A., Jung, S. J., Sun, W., Qureshi, A. A., & Cho, E. (2021). Association of depression and alopecia areata in women: A prospective study. J Dermatol, 48(8), 1296-1298. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34128269

Morra, D. E., Cho, E., Li, T., Camargo, C. A., Jr., Qureshi, A. A., & Drucker, A. M. (2021). Smoking and risk of adult-onset atopic dermatitis in US women. J Am Acad Dermatol, 84(2), 561-563. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32711091

Okoro, U., Chau, T. Q., Kawaoka, J., Wong, V., & Qureshi, A. A. (2021). Skin of Color in Preclinical Medical Education: A Cross-Institutional Comparison and A Call to Action. Cutis, 108(4), 204-209. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34847000

Sakaki, J. R., Melough, M. M., Roberts, M. B., Eaton, C. B., Shadyab, A. H., Qureshi, A. A., . . . Cho, E. (2021). Citrus Consumption and the Risk of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer in the Women's Health Initiative. Cancers (Basel), 13(9). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33946526

Tajalli, M., Li, T., Drucker, A. M., Qureshi, A. A., & Cho, E. (2021). A description of treatment patterns of psoriasis by medical providers and disease severity in US women. J Psoriasis Psoriatic Arthritis, 6(1), 45-51. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33738385

Wu, W. H., Geng, H., Cho, E., Eliassen, A. H., Drucker, A. M., Li, T. Y., . . . Li, W. Q. (2022). Reproductive and hormonal factors and risk of incident rosacea among US White women. J Am Acad Dermatol, 87(1), 138-140. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34274412

Yang, K., Li, X., Zeleznik, O. A., Eliassen, A. H., Clish, C. B., Cho, E., . . . Nan, H. (2022). Higher susceptibility to sunburn is associated with decreased plasma glutamine and increased plasma glutamate levels among US women: An analysis of the Nurses' Health Study I and II. J Am Acad Dermatol, 86(1), 169-172. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33444667

Yen, H., Yen, H., Drucker, A. M., Han, J., Li, W. Q., Li, T., . . . Cho, E. (2022a). Cox-2-Hemmer: Keine praventive Wirkung gegen Hautkrebs. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges, 20(2), 157-168. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35146873

Yen, H., Yen, H., Drucker, A. M., Han, J., Li, W. Q., Li, T., . . . Cho, E. (2022b). COX-2 inhibitors show no preventive effect in the development of skin cancer. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges, 20(2), 157-166. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35088518 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/ddg.14649?download=true