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International Psoriasis Council

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Advancing Knowledge. Improving Care.

Catherine

Smith

,

MD

Professor of Dermatology and Therapeutics
Kings College London, and Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust
London
,
United Kingdom
Councilor Since: March 1, 2010
IPC Secretary
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Professor Catherine Smith is a Professor of Dermatology and Therapeutics and a Consultant Dermatologist at St. John’s Institute of Dermatology, Kings College London and Guys and St. Thomas’ Hospital. She directs the Skin Therapy Research Unit, the Skin Health theme at St John’s, and is also a lead clinician in national specialized services for adults with severe psoriasis. Her clinical and research interests focus on inflammatory skin disease and translational medicine, extending from biomarker discovery to interventional studies (phase II-IV), and involve major national and international collaboration. She also has a major interest in guideline development and implementation to bring research findings into clinical practice. She is a strong advocate for including the patient voice, working closely with UK and European patient partner organisations to integrate patients and the public in developing, delivering, and communicating research and high-quality clinical care.
Last Updated:
01/03/2025

Areas of Interest

Pharmacology, Risk Prediction, Therapeutics, Clinical Trials, and Guidelines

IPC Committees / Groups

Board Secretary, Emerging Infectious Diseases Task Force, Executive Committee, Guidelines Task Force, Governance Committee

Languages Spoken

English

Involvement with Other Organization(s)

Professor Smith has partnered with the United Kingdom’s patient organisation (Psoriasis Association) on several large project grants, is a coordinating patient representation on a European Union-funded biomarker programme of research in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis and is an expert for the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Recent publications

Featured

Blog

Announcing IPC’s New Leadership for 2025.

Welcome the newest leadership to the IPC Board of Directors! Meet incoming IPC President Bruce Strober, Vice…

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Blog

Focus on Psoriasis: A Report from the 33rd Annual European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress.

The 33rd Annual EADV Congress in Amsterdam featured updates on psoriasis care, including highlights from the IPC…

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Blog

Focus on Psoriasis: A Report from the 53rd Annual European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) Meeting.

This report from the 53rd Annual ESDR Meeting in Lisbon covers key presentations on psoriasis, including updates from…

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PDF

A Report from the 53rd Annual European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) Meeting.

The 53rd Annual European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) Meeting was held in Lisbon, Portugal, from…

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Blog

Getting to Know IPC's Board Member Catherine Smith: What Inspired Me to Specialize in Psoriasis.

Join Dr. Catherine Smith, Professor of Dermatology, clinician, and a key member of the International Psoriasis Council…

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Event

IPC & IEC Symposium: From Comparative Pathogenesis to Biomarker-guided Treatments in Psoriasis and Eczema.

EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR DERMATOLOGICAL RESEARCH ANNUAL MEETING (ESDR) | LISBON, PORTUGAL Program chairs: Johann…

September 4, 2024
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Blog

IPC 2023 Think Tank Meeting Report Published in JID Innovations.

Read key highlights from the 2023 International Psoriasis Council (IPC) Think Tank Meeting, summarizing the evolving…

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Video

Science and Practice of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM).

Dr. Catherine Smith discusses the science and practice, framework, and implementation of therapeutic drug monitoring…

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Blog

Psoriasis and the Pandemic: Lessons Learned from PsoProtect.

The spread of COVID-19 in early 2020 brought many concerns and questions about COVID-19 and psoriasis. To help address…

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Video

Biomarkers in the Long-term Management of Psoriasis.

Dr. Smith reviews how biomarkers can be used to identify patients at risk for severe disease and those who would…

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Blog

Focus on Psoriasis: A Report from the 2022 IPC Think Tank - Miami.

Under the title, What’s Next in Psoriasis? From Maintenance to Disease Modification, the 2022 IPC Think Tank…

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Blog

New board members.

Meet the three new key opinion leaders who have been elected to join our board.

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PDF

Focus on Psoriasis – A Report from the 2021 Hybrid Gene to Clinic Congress.

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Blog

2020 Virtual Think Tank Meeting Report.

Held virtually on December 11 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the 2020 IPC Think Tank convened more than 100…

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Blog

How to build a registry in record time: an interview with Catherine Smith and Satveer Mahil.

The registries, PsoProtect and PsoProtectMe, aim to help health care workers understand how the novel virus affects…

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PDF

Exome-wide Association Study Reveals Novel Psoriasis Susceptibility Locus at TNFSF15 and Rare Protective Alleles in…

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Page

Biopharmaceuticals and Biosimilars in Psoriasis: What the Dermatologist Needs to Know.

The entry of biosimilar forms of biopharmaceutical therapies for the treatment of psoriasis and other immune-mediated…

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What's New

When Your Patient with Psoriasis Is Diagnosed with Cancer

A patient doing well on an IL-17 inhibitor is diagnosed with cancer, and the oncologist wants the biologic stopped. It is a call most dermatologists have made without much to stand on: patients with cancer are excluded from psoriasis trials, so the entire evidence base is observational. A new IPC paper in JAAD Reviews takes a position anyway. Per the summary of product characteristics, active malignancy is not a contraindication to any biologic. IL-17 and IL-23p19 inhibitors are first-line, TNF inhibitors and deucravacitinib warrant caution, and cyclosporine is the one to avoid outright. The authors also warn that psoriasis severity is routinely underestimated once a patient is in oncology care: if they meet IPC’s criteria, they are a candidate for systemic therapy regardless of what else is on their problem list. “Too often, systemic psoriasis therapy is discontinued or never initiated in patients with cancer, even when the evidence supports safe and effective options,” says Paolo Gisondi, MD, IPC Councilor and lead author. The post includes the therapeutic options figure, designed as a reference for both specialties to work from, and a slide set for teaching and presentations.

READ NOW

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Apply Now: 2027 IPC International Fellowship Program

IPC is accepting applications for the 2027 International Fellowship Program, a 12-month opportunity for early-career dermatologists and researchers focused on psoriasis. Fellows are matched with IPC Board Members or Councilors for hands-on clinical or research experience, along with virtual mentoring, skills-development classes, and ongoing connections to IPC’s global network throughout the fellowship year. Applications are open until September 30, 2026.

APPLY NOW

Monday, August 31, 2026

IPC Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) Training Modules

Recognizing GPP in clinical practice can be a challenge, even for experienced dermatologists. IPC’s new five-part training series walks clinicians through the practical skills needed to diagnose and assess GPP with confidence: distinguishing it from plaque psoriasis and other mimicking conditions, and scoring its severity using tools such as the GPPGA and GPPASI. Each module pairs an expert-led video with a case-based exercise, and the series is built to be completed in sequence at your own pace. All five modules are free and open to everyone; watch the videos on your own or work through the assessments as you go. Score 80% or higher on each of the five assessments to earn a Certificate of Completion.

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Thursday, August 13, 2026

IPC Summary Slides: Psoriasis and Metabolic Health

IPC has released a set of summary slides distilling the key findings from its recent publication on psoriasis and metabolic health, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD). The paper outlines five priorities for improving cardiometabolic risk screening and care in patients with psoriasis. Designed for sharing, the slides give clinicians and colleagues an easy way to disseminate the findings.

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Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Paradoxical Psoriasis - María Julia Cura, MD

In this Take Ten with IPC video, IPC Junior Councilor Dr. María Julia Cura discusses paradoxical psoriasis, including its definition and pathogenesis, and reviews clinical case examples, key clinical features, histopathology, predictors of disease severity, and potential treatment options.

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Monday, August 3, 2026