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International Psoriasis Council

Advancing Knowledge. Improving Care.

Philip

Mease

,

MD

Clinical Professor of Medicine
University of Washington
Seattle
,
Washington
,
United States
Dr. Philip Mease is the past president and founding organizer of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA), an international organization of over 1,000 rheumatology and dermatology researchers dedicated to research and education about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Dr. Mease received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Stanford University. He completed his internal medicine residency and rheumatology fellowship at the University of Washington. He cares for patients, directs the rheumatology research division at Swedish Medical Center, and is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Dr. Mease’s research interests have included psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), fibromyalgia (FM,) and osteoporosis. His work includes research on disease state, developing outcome measures, and determining the efficacy and safety of emerging therapies for these conditions. His seminal 2000 Lancet paper established the efficacy of anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy in PsA. He has authored over 350 journal articles, numerous abstracts, and book chapters. He is a prolific international speaker at academic congresses, grand rounds, and other educational activities for rheumatologists and dermatologists. He is considered a global key opinion leader, researcher, educator, and clinician regarding SpA, including ankylosing spondylitis (AS), non-radiographic spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA), and psoriatic arthritis. He reviews Arthritis & Rheumatology, Arthritis Care & Research, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, The Journal of Rheumatology, Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, and other rheumatology journals.
Last Updated:
05/03/2024

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.

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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.

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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