2017 Medical Professional Award Winners

This award honors highly meritorious efforts by health professionals in the field of psoriatic disease education. The educator has been chosen for their significant, long-term national or international contributions to psoriatic disease education.

Joel M. Gelfand, M.D., MSCE, Professor of Dermatology and of Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania

Joel M. Gelfand is Professor of Dermatology and of Epidemiology (with tenure) at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a board certified dermatologist whose clinical work focuses on general dermatology and psoriasis. He has created a multi-disciplinary approach to the care of psoriasis patients at Penn through his recruitment and mentoring of a rheumatologist and cardiologist who now specialize in systemic complications of psoriasis.

Dr. Gelfand’s epidemiologic research focuses on the natural history of diseases associated with psoriasis and the effectiveness of psoriasis treatments. He has published extensively on the epidemiology of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, the impact of psoriasis on health related quality of life, and the risk of various co-morbidities such as obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, lymphoma, renal disease, dementia, major cardiovascular events, and mortality associated with psoriasis. Dr. Gelfand is the author of over 140 research articles, reviews, and text book chapters which have been cited over 13,000 times. He is Deputy Editor for the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Dr. Gelfand received his undergraduate training at Tufts University (Summa Cum Laude) and his medical degree from Harvard (Magna Cum Laude). He performed an internship in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and completed his residency in dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania. He received a Masters of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania as well. In 2011, he was the recipient of the prestigious American Skin Association Achievement Award for Psoriasis Research, and in 2014 delivered the Society for Investigative Dermatology’s Eugene M Farber lecture for his work advancing the science of psoriasis.

The Outstanding Physician-Clinician award recognizes a physician for outstanding achievements in improving psoriatic disease clinical practice and who has played a major or lasting role with national impact in improving the quality of life of patients and their families. The winner of this award is actively involved in the clinical care of patients with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis and has an outstanding track record of sharing their expertise with other health care professionals as documented by presentations and/or authorship of books, articles and reference materials.

Alexa Boer Kimball, M.D., MPH, Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School

Alexa Boer Kimball, M.D., MPH is the president and chief executive officer of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians, an academic multi-specialty group employing more than 1,200 full-time Harvard Medical School faculty members and 450 physicians in the community. She is also President of the Beth Israel Deaconess Care Organization Physician LLC, which maintains a membership of approximately 2500 physicians, and a Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Kimball is an international expert on psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa who has published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 100 Questions and Answers about Psoriasis, which has been translated into Spanish, Greek and Korean. In 2016 she was named Mentor of the Year by the Women’s Dermatologic Society and previously served on the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation.

Dr. Kimball received her undergraduate degree in molecular biology and public and international affairs from Princeton University, her medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine, and a master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She completed her internship in internal medicine at the former Beth Israel Hospital, a residency in dermatology at Stanford University Medical Center, and a clinical research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Prior to joining HMFP in 2016, Dr. Kimball was senior vice president of the Massachusetts General Physician Organization (MGPO), which employs physicians affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). She has also served as medical director of the MGPO and as vice chair of dermatology at MGH.

The NPF Health Professional of the Year award recognizes a health care professional who has promoted NPF’s mission of improving the life for people with psoriatic disease through exceptional contributions to key initiatives of the Foundation. The winner has been actively involved in the NPF at the affiliate, local or national level within the last five years, and has a history of contributions to NPF goals and objectives. 

Craig F. Teller, M.D., Clinical Instructor of Dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine and at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston

Craig F. Teller, M.D., is a native Houstonian and has been practicing dermatology since 1995. He is an honors graduate of the University of Texas at Houston Medical School. After an internship in internal medicine at UT Houston, he completed his dermatology residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Prior to establishing Bellaire Dermatology with Howard Gerber, MD, in 1997, he served as staff dermatologist at the Diagnostic Clinic of Houston.

Board certified by the American Board of Dermatology and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, Dr. Teller holds an academic appointment as Clinical Instructor of Dermatology in family medicine at Baylor College of Medicine as well as Clinical Instructor of Dermatology at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. He has given more than 100 presentations and lectures nationally on a variety of topics, including advanced cosmetic procedures, advanced psoriasis care, phlebology, laser treatments, and challenging skin conditions. He has also been recognized as a Top Doctor by his medical peers in several national publications, including Texas Monthly from 1999-2014. Dr. Teller is the author or co-author of articles published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, British Journal of Dermatology, Psoriasis Forum, EADV, and poster exhibits at national and international meetings.

The Outstanding Allied Health award recognizes an allied health professional for outstanding achievements in improving psoriatic disease clinical practice and who has played a major or lasting role with national impact in improving the quality of life of patients and their families. The winner is actively involved in the clinical care of patients with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis and is well-known nationally or internationally for exceptional clinical knowledge and expertise.

Lakshi Aldredge, MSN, ANP-BC, Chair of the Nurse Practitioner Society of the DNA

Ms. Lakshi Aldredge is a nurse practitioner who has practiced at the Portland VA Medical Center for the past 22 years, the last eight years in the medical Dermatology Service. She received her Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon and is board certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner.

She is the Past President of the national Dermatology Nurses’ Association and is the current Chair of the Nurse Practitioner Society of the DNA. She is a member of the medical Advisory Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) and is a member of the NPF’s Community Outreach Taskforce. She is on the Advisory board of Dermatology World, is an Associate Editor of Psoriasis Forum, the peer-reviewed journal of the National Psoriasis Foundation, as well as a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association. She received the Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Nursing in 2008 from the Portland VA Medical Center.