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International Psoriasis Council

Advancing Knowledge. Improving Care.

Joseph

Merola

,

MD, MMSc

Chair of Dermatology
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas
,
Texas
,
United States
Councilor Since: August 1, 2019
IPC Councilor
Dr. Joseph F. Merola is Chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern), where he is Professor of Dermatology, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology, and Professor in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health. He holds a Distinguished Chair in Dermatology. Board-certified in dermatology, internal medicine, and rheumatology, Dr. Merola is one of a small number of physicians nationally whose training spans these three disciplines, shaping his career at the intersection of inflammatory skin disease, systemic autoimmune disease, and musculoskeletal medicine.

Dr. Merola is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist with expertise in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, connective tissue diseases (including cutaneous lupus and dermatomyositis), atopic dermatitis, and complex medical dermatology. His work has focused on improving care for patients whose diseases bridge dermatology, rheumatology, and immunology, with contributions in multidisciplinary care models, clinical trial design, therapeutic development, outcome measures, epidemiology, guidelines, and patient-centered definitions of disease activity, remission, and treatment response.

Before joining UT Southwestern as Chair in 2023, Dr. Merola was Vice Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology and the Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. There, he served as Vice Chair for Clinical Trials and Innovation, Founding Director of the Clinical Unit for Research Innovation and Trials, Director of the Center for Skin and Related Musculoskeletal Diseases, and Associate Program Director of the Harvard Combined Internal Medicine-Dermatology Residency Training Program.

Dr. Merola earned his medical degree from the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine and his Master of Medical Sciences degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed internship training in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Dermatology residency at NYU Medical Center, where he served as chief resident, followed by Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Merola is a proud International Psoriasis Council (IPC) Councilor. He has held numerous national and international leadership roles across dermatology, rheumatology, and inflammatory disease. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and is the Founding President of the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Clinics Multicenter Advancement Network Consortium. He serves on the Scientific and Medical Boards of the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), the Board of the International Dermatology Outcome Measures Group, the Board of the American Skin Association (ASA), and the Medical and Scientific Board of the Lupus Foundation of America. He serves as the President of the Rheumatologic Dermatology Society, Co-President of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA), and as a Councilor for the International Eczema Council (IEC). He is the Past President of the Medical Dermatology Society. He has also served on multiple guideline committees, including for the AAD and the American College of Rheumatology.

Dr. Merola has authored more than 450 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The Lancet, Nature Medicine, JAMA Dermatology, and the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD). He has received numerous awards recognizing his contributions to research, education, mentorship, clinical care, and leadership, including the NPF’s Outstanding Educator Award, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Distinguished Clinician Award, the Mass General Brigham Pillar Award in Research Leadership, and the ASA Lifetime Achievement Award for Research Leadership. He was named one of Boston’s Top Doctors annually for nearly a decade and was honored at the NPF’s Commit to a Cure Gala in Dallas in 2024. In 2026, he was elected to the Association of American Physicians.
Last Updated:
09/21/2026

Areas of Interest

Outcome measures, outcomes research, psoriatic arthritis, pharmacoepidemiology / safety, epidemiology, and clinical trials.

Languages Spoken

English, French

Involvement with Other Organization(s)

Serves on the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) medical board; involved in NPF’s strategic planning.

What's New

Psoriasis: An Expert Global Perspective Is Now Available for Pre-Order

IPC Board Member and Treasurer Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, is the editor of a new textbook, Psoriasis: An Expert Global Perspective, now available for preorder from Elsevier. He worked with associate editors IPC President Bruce Strober, MD, PhD; IPC Vice President/President-Elect Claudia de la Cruz, MD; and IPC Chief Medical Officer Peter van de Kerkhof, MD, PhD. Nearly 50 authors from 20 countries contributed 30 chapters covering psoriasis from its earliest descriptions through genetics, immunology, and current therapies, with clinical images of psoriasis across diverse skin tones. All royalties support IPC.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY

Thursday, September 10, 2026

New Video Resource: Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA)

In this video, IPC Councilor Rodrigo Garcia Salinas, MD, a rheumatologist from Argentina, explains how to recognize psoriatic arthritis early, including why joint pain, how long a patient has had psoriasis, and family history can matter more than skin severity alone. He also reviews how imaging helps catch early disease and how to choose treatment based on each patient’s joint, spine, and skin involvement.

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Friday, September 25, 2026

Take Ten Video: Bridging Psoriasis and Metabolic Comorbidities

IPC President Bruce Strober reviews the link between psoriasis and metabolic disease, drawing on findings from IPC’s recent paper in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD). He translates this growing body of evidence into five concrete priorities from the 2025 IPC Think Tank for improving cardiometabolic screening and care.

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Wednesday, September 9, 2026