Patient and physician stories

A dermatologist and oncologist worked together to give Mike Murphy relief from a rare cancer after years of intense pain. (Mike Murphy, patient; Lindsay Strowd, MD; Zanetta Lamar, MD)

Richard visited his dermatologist for a cyst and left with a lung cancer diagnosis. (Richard Danzer, patient; Brittany Smirnov, DO, FAAD)

Born with lamellar ichthyosis, Abby lives a normal live while advocating for herself and others. (Abby Evans, patient; Bonnie S. Epstein, MD, FAAD)

A dermatologist and hematologist/oncologist keep a patient’s cancer in remission. (Victoria Perez, patient; Lindsay Ackerman, MD, FAAD; Craig B. Reeder, MD)

A dermatologist and her staff helps veteran Jack Cooper manage ongoing skin challenges, including Agent Orange exposure, which resulted from his service in Vietnam. (Jack Cooper, patient; Cyndi Yag-Howard, MD, FAAD)

JoAnne dealt with persistent skin issues for 40 years before a visit to the dermatologist changed her life. (JoAnne, patient; Kathryn Schwarzenberger, MD, FAAD)

When Boston newscaster Phil Lipof had a life-threatening drug reaction, a cross-specialty team raced to save his life. (Phil Lipof, patient; Steven Chen, MD)

Eight-year-old Marissa has Sturge-Weber syndrome, which makes her prone to seizures and other complications. (Marissa Terrell, patient; David Goldberg, MD, JD)

A dermatologist and a hematologist work together to treat a mysterious illness. (Arna Shefrin, patient; Bernice Kwong, MD, FAAD)

Dermatologists volunteer to treat nearly 1,000 patients each year. (David Harker, MD; Amit Pandya, MD)

Using teledermatology, a dermatologist diagnosed and removed a patient’s melanoma in one day. (Donna Randall, patient; Kari Lyn Martin, MD)

A father, daughter, and grandson share a rare genetic condition — and the same thoughtful dermatologic care. (Buff Farrow, patient; Loretta Davis, MD)

A dermatologist worked with another physician to treat a tricky case of leprosy. (Keith Hamilton, MD; Carrie Kovarik, MD)

After gaining confidence at Camp Discovery, a young man works to help others with skin disease. (Jonathan Gionfriddo, patient; Karen Wiss, MD)

A rheumatology-dermatology clinic improves coordination, patient care and physician education. (Adey Berhanu, MD, RhMSUS; Alison Ehrlich, MD)

After years of pain following swimming or showering, Josie finds relief. (Josie Lopez, patient; Jean Pierre Galliani, MD; Naomi Johansen, MD)

A patient seeking relief for chronic itching is diagnosed with hepatitis C. (Louella Shelton, patient; Carrie Davis, MD)

A rare genetic condition greatly increases risk of skin cancers. (Aimee Milota, patient; Sima Torabian, MD)

After 17 months of painful blisters, Becky recovers and thrives. (Becky Strong, patient; Andrzej Dlugosz, MD)

How access to dermatology is improving for Medicaid patients in western Washington. (Roy Colven, MD)

A dermatologist discovers deep bruising during a routine skin cancer exam. (John Ahern, patient; David M. Paul, MD; Lindsay S. Ackerman, MD)

Medical, surgical, and radiation oncology, dermatology, and other specialties collaborate to improve melanoma treatment. (Mark R. Albertini, MD, oncologist; Gloria Xu, MD, PhD)

Cyrina found relief after years of severe, chronic abscesses and blisters. (Cyrina Anthony, patient; Haley B. Naik, MD, MHSc)

A pediatric oncologist and dermatologist team up to treat pediatric transplant patients’ side effects. (Jennifer Huang, MD; Jennifer Whangbo, MD, PhD)

A dermatology clinic significantly decreases its wait times. (Benjamin F. Chong, MD, MSCS; Joseph Chang, MD, MBA, FACOG)

A dermatologist works with other specialties to provide comprehensive care for alopecia areata. (Deirdre Nero, patient; Stacy Chimento, MD)

A dermatologist and patient create a community for others living with chronic cancer. (Susan Thornton, patient; Stuart R. Lessin, MD)

A dermatologist established a monthly dermatology clinic to provide care for patients in the underserved Mississippi Delta. (Carolyn Newhof, patient; Robert T. Brodell, MD)

Specialists work together to coordinate care for patients with eczema at a multidisciplinary clinic. (Hrayr Attarian, MD, Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH)

A patient with atypical lymphocytosis was believed to have leukemia, but was spared a chemotherapy regimen when a dermatologist diagnosed her with drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome. (Sarah Shark, patient; Steven Daveluy, MD)

A woman with Crohn’s disease had a bowel resection resulting in an ulcer. A dermatologist diagnosed it as pyoderma gangrenosum and coordinated with a gastroenterologist to treat the condition. (Jennifer Sariego, patient; Misha Rosenbach, MD)

A dermatology clinic’s new walk-in appointment schedule helps an area resident receive timely care for a persistent rash. (Kate Gleason, patient; Abby Van Voorhees, MD)

A dermatologist uses teledermatology to see more patients at a clinic that cares for an underserved population. (Cory Simpson, MD, PhD)

A program connecting primary care physicians with dermatologic best practices helps identify a patient’s ‘ugly duckling’ lesion leading to a critical excision. (Daniel Fessler, patient; Robert Pierce, MD, MSPH, FAAFP)

A pediatric team and a dermatologist determine the mysterious cause of an infant who was failing to thrive. (Hassan Galadari, MD)

Two dermatologists work together to help a patient and her children access the treatments they need to treat a rare auto-immune disorder. (Virginia Maxwell, patient; Jessica Burgy, MD)

‘dream team’ led by dermatology—which included several specialties—helped a patient recover from two battles with angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. (Ralph Cousins, patient; Alan Menter, MD)

A dermatologist and a plastic surgeon work together to identify the source of a patient’s persistent ulcer— and craft a treatment plan to recovery. (Makeba Garner, patient, Alex Ortega, MD)