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International Psoriasis Council

Advancing Knowledge. Improving Care.

Michel

Gilliet

,

MD

Professor and Chair, Department of Dermatology
University of Lausanne
Lausanne
,
Switzerland
Councilor Since: November 1, 2012
IPC Councilor
Dr. Michel Gilliet is the Head of the Dermatology Department at the University Hospital CHUV in Lausanne, Switzerland. He completed his dermatology training at the University of Zurich and received research training in immunology at the DNAX Research Institute in Palo Alto, California. In 2004, Dr. Gilliet was recruited by MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where he held clinical appointments in Dermatology and basic and translational science appointments in Melanoma Oncology and Immunology.

In 2010, Dr. Gilliet returned to Switzerland as a Full Professor and Head of the Dermatology Department in Lausanne. His research primarily focuses on immune responses in inflammatory skin diseases. His laboratory has notably uncovered mechanisms by which dendritic cells initiate and sustain skin inflammation by sensing DNA in complex with antimicrobial peptides. These groundbreaking studies have led to a paradigm shift in understanding how inflammation is regulated in injured skin and diseases such as psoriasis and lupus erythematosus. More recently, his lab has expanded its research to include the application of molecular omics technologies in clinical dermatology practice, providing a new framework for diagnosing and treating skin diseases.

Dr. Gilliet’s research has led to over 140 publications and garnered 30,000 citations, with his work regularly featured in prestigious journals such as Nature, Science, Nature Immunology, Nature Medicine, and Nature Communications.

Dr. Gilliet has served as President of the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) and is currently President of the Skin Science Foundation. He also serves on the Board of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV), where he chairs the Scientific Program. In recognition of his contributions to medical research, he received the Cloetta Prize, Switzerland’s most prestigious medical research award, in 2016. In 2023, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in Germany.
Last Updated:
07/10/2025

Languages Spoken

English, German

What's New

Global and Collaborative Research in Psoriasis: IPC Fellows Research Class #1 Recordings

Recordings from the IPC Fellows Research Class #1: Global and Collaborative Research in Psoriasis are now available. Program Chairs Peter van de Kerkhof, MD, PhD, and María Julia Cura, MD, led a faculty of international experts through sessions on unresolved questions in the era of effective psoriasis therapies, building global research collaborations, and connecting psoriasis research across disciplines. Watch to hear from Wolf Henning Boehncke, MD, MA, Christopher Griffiths, OBE, MD, FMedSci, and Georg Stingl, MD, as they share perspectives shaping the next generation of psoriasis research.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2026

New in the IPC Resource Library: Research Skills

The IPC Resource Library now includes a dedicated Research Skills category, bringing together videos, articles, and presentations focused on building stronger research capabilities in psoriasis. Browse the current collection to find resources on topics from collaborative research methods to career development for researchers at every stage.

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Thursday, July 13, 2026

New Take Tens on Psoriatic Arthritis

IPC Councilor Anna Lopez Ferrer, MD, PhD, reviews PURE-4, a four-item tool that helps dermatologists screen psoriasis patients for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) risk. She traces its evolution across three studies (2018–2026) into a validated predictor of early PsA.

IPC Councilor André Lucas Ribeiro, MD, reframes PsA as a slow transition from psoriasis, not a sudden event, opening the door to disease interception. He outlines the steps needed to get there, from harmonizing definitions to reducing inflammatory burden.

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Wednesday, July 8, 2026