Bill Damsky, MD, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology and dermatopathology, is the recipient of the 2023 LEO Foundation Award in Region Americas. The $100,000 award recognizes Dr. Damsky’s research on cutaneous sarcoidosis and granuloma annulare (GA), both inflammatory skin conditions without FDA-approved treatments.
The owner of Denmark’s LEO Pharma, the LEO Foundation invests not only in international skin disease research, but also in uplifting early-career researchers.
Dr. Damsky’s lab studies the immune irregularities underpinning inflammatory skin diseases. He utilizes cutting-edge techniques, such as single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, RNA in situ hybridization, and proteomic profiling to analyze cutaneous granulomatous skin disease, including sarcoidosis and GA.
His research is intertwined with his clinical practice, especially as Director of the Yale Granulomatous Disorders Clinic.
“Our primary goal is to continue to provide optimal care for each patient seen in our specialty clinic, where we take an individualized approach to each patient’s diagnosis and their goals, and pairing these with the best treatment options. We also have several active clinical trials available to our patients, which are evaluating cutting-edge molecular therapies in sarcoidosis and GA,” he said.
Dr. Damsky anticipates that this award will bolster his current research efforts, with the goal of ultimately identifying FDA-approved therapies for sarcoidosis and GA.
“I am so grateful for the recognition of my group’s work by the LEO Foundation. The support associated with this award will help to accelerate progress as we strive to identify safe and effective therapy for our patients with these diseases.”
A formal award ceremony was held on May 10, 2023 at the International Societies for Investigative Dermatology Meeting in Tokyo, Japan.