2019 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.

Steven Feldman, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Dermatology, Pathology, Social Sciences & Health Policy and Molecular Medicine & Translational Science at the Wake Forest School of Medicine

Dr. Feldman is a Professor of Dermatology, Pathology, Social Sciences & Health Policy and Molecular Medicine & Translational Science at the Wake Forest School of Medicine. Additionally, he leads the Center for Dermatology Research, a health services research center whose mission is to improve the care of patients with skin disease. Dr. Feldman’s chief clinical interest is psoriasis, and his passion is to help guide how patients with psoriasis are treated.

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.

Lawrence Green, M.D. Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at George Washington University School of Medicine

Dr. Green serves as an associate professor of dermatology at George Washington University School of Medicine, is in private practice in dermatology and skin surgery in Rockville, Md. and is a diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology. Dr. Green is being honored for his outstanding achievements in improving psoriatic disease clinical practice and the lasting impact he has had in improving the quality of life of psoriatic disease patients and their families.

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. 

Veronica Richardson, MSN, CRNP, ANP-BC Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine – Department of Medical Dermatology

Ms. Richardson is being honored as an allied health professional whose outstanding achievements in improving psoriatic disease clinical practice and the lasting impact she has had in improving the quality of life of psoriatic disease patients and their families.

The NPF Health Professional Volunteer 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.

David Kessler M.D. Massapequa Dermatology PLLC

Dr. Kessler is founder of Massapequa Dermatology PLLC and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Kessler has a special interest in psoriasis and is known for his caring and dedication to his patients. Honored as the 2018 Medical Chairman for the Team NPF Cycle in the Hamptons, Dr. Kessler is being recognized for exemplifying NPF’s mission of improving the life of people with psoriatic disease through exceptional contributions to key initiatives of the NPF.

The Outstanding Scientific Achievement award recognizes outstanding scientific achievement in psoriatic disease research, taking into consideration independence of thought, originality, significance of discovery, and impact on his/her area of research.

Dr. Elder is the Kirk D. Wuepper Professor of Molecular Genetic Dermatology and Director of the Training Program in Cell and Molecular Dermatology at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Elder received his MD and his PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, from Yale University. Dr. Elder completed an Internal Medicine Internship and a Dermatology Residency and Fellowship at the University of Washington. He is board-certified in Dermatology. Following his residency, Dr. Elder completed a Senior Research Fellowship at the University of Michigan. In addition to his clinical duties, Dr. Elder directs a large and active research laboratory at the University of Michigan.

The Outstanding New Investigator award recognizes outstanding scientific achievement in psoriatic disease research, taking into consideration independence of thought, originality, significance of discovery, and impact on his/her area of research in a new or early career investigator.

Dr. Lourdes Perez-Chada completed medical school at Austral University in Buenos Aires, Argentina and residency in dermatology at the University of Buenos Aires.

She received her Master of Medical Sciences in Clinical Investigation at Harvard Medical School. She is the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Clinical Research Fellow at the Department of Dermatology of Brigham and Women’s Hospital under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Merola and is the Outcome Measures Research Fellow for the International Dermatology Outcome Measures (IDEOM). She is an active member of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA), the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) and the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Clinics Multicenter Advancement Network (PPACMAN) as well as a Senior Editor of the Journal of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. Her current research focuses on (i) understanding the relationship between sleep disturbance and psoriatic disease (ii) advancing the assessment of psoriatic disease by developing novel patient-relevant outcome measures; and (iii) facilitating the detection of psoriatic arthritis. She has received an ‘Early Career Research Grant’ from the National Psoriasis Foundation and an ‘Investigator Initiated Research Grant’ from Pfizer.