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International Psoriasis Council

Advancing Knowledge. Improving Care.

Mehdi Rashighi Headshot

Mehdi

Rashighi

,

MD

Vitiligo Clinic and Research Center
Worcester
,
Massachusetts
,
United States
Dr. Mehdi Rashighi is a physician-scientist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Chan Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. He earned his MD from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran. In 2011, Dr. Rashighi joined Dr. John Harris’s vitiligo research laboratory at UMass Chan Medical School, where he utilized basic and translational research approaches to uncover a critical immune pathway involved in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. This discovery led to the successful off-label use of JAK inhibitors for vitiligo and subsequently informed the design and implementation of clinical trials for these therapies.

Dr. Rashighi established the Connective Tissue Disease Clinic and Research Center following his dermatology residency at UMass. Through this initiative, he advances translational and clinical research to deepen understanding of autoimmune processes in inflammatory skin diseases, emphasizing developing innovative, targeted treatments.
Last Updated:
01/30/2025

What's New

Remembering Dr. Craig Leonardi

The International Psoriasis Council (IPC) remembers Dr. Craig Leonardi, founding member and former President, whose research shaped modern psoriasis treatment.

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Look Beyond My Skin: World Psoriasis Day 2026

World Psoriasis Day, observed each year on October 29, was launched by the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA) in 2004 to give a voice to the more than 125 million people worldwide living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. To mark this year’s observance, IPC joined the Latin American Society of Psoriasis and Dermoimmunology (SOLAPSO) and the Skin Inflammation and Psoriasis International Network (SPIN) to create a video series around the theme “Look Beyond My Skin,” featuring voices from all three organizations. Missed the videos on social media? Watch the full series on the IPC YouTube channel.

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Thursday, October 29, 2026

Introducing Take Two with IPC: Expert Talks in Two Minutes

Take Two with IPC gives a longer presentation a second life in two minutes. Each video takes an expert talk IPC has already published (a Take Ten recording or a symposium presentation) and condenses the clinical substance. The series launched this month alongside the World Psoriasis Day campaign with four videos on pediatric psoriasis: Psoriasis Look-Alikes and Anti-TNF-α Induced Skin Eruptions with IPC Board Member Amy Paller, MS, MD; Conventional Therapies with IPC Councilor Mona El-Kalioby, MBBCh, MSc, MD; and Phototherapy in Pediatric Psoriasis with Fernando Valenzuela, MD. New Take Two videos will be featured each month, drawn from the Take Ten with IPC library and recordings from IPC symposia, with a link to the full presentation for each.

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Thursday, October 29, 2026

Videos Now Available from the Eczema and Psoriasis Research Incubator

Select presentations from the Eczema and Psoriasis Research Incubator: Cross-Disciplinary Innovation Forum, hosted by the International Eczema Council (IEC) and International Psoriasis Council (IPC) at the 55th Annual European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) Meeting, are now available. Topics include disease endotypes, atopic dermatitis-psoriasis overlap, cardiovascular risk in psoriasis, and genetic susceptibility.

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Monday, October 26, 2026

Sex Differences in Psoriasis

In this Take Ten with IPC video, Juul van den Reek and PhD candidate Liana Barenbrug discuss sex differences in psoriasis, why these distinctions matter, what current research tells us, and which areas should be prioritized in future psoriasis research.

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Thursday, October 1, 2026