Portland, Ore. (July 16, 2020) —The National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) has appointed April W. Armstrong, MD, MPH, of Los Angeles California the new Medical Board Chair. Dr. Armstrong succeeds outgoing Medical Board Chair, Dr. Abby Van Voorhees.
Establishing her relationship with the NPF in 2013, Dr. Armstrong served two terms in the past and was a current member of the medical board when appointed Chair. In her new role, Dr. Armstrong will work closely with NPF Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, Stacie Bell PhD to drive the Foundation’s medical agenda and will represent the medical board on the Board of Directors.
Selected for her extensive experience in psoriasis clinical care and research, and strong leadership skills, Dr. Armstrong has a history of excellence working with the NPF. She formed the NPF COVID-19 Task Force, is a medical advisor for the EmPPOWER study, leads a Corrona Psoriasis Registry site, served on the Psoriasis Prevention Initiative steering committee, led the NPF niche manuscript effort, is the first author on the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board Treatment targets for plaque psoriasis recommendations, and is involved in the Cure Consensus Initiative.
Additionally, Dr. Armstrong contributes to the Journal of Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis as a senior editor, leads the Citizen Pscientist validation effort, and is faculty on many NPF medical programs.
Dr. Armstrong is associate dean of clinical research at Keck School of Medicine at USC. She also serves as director of clinical research for the Southern California Clinical and Translational Research Institute (SC CTSI). In the Department of Dermatology at USC, she serves as Vice Chair, Director of Clinical Trials and Outcomes Research, and Director of the Psoriasis Program. Dr. Armstrong was recently elected to be a member of the American Academy of Dermatology board and currently serves as an editorial board member of JAMA Dermatology.
With an interest in the appropriate use of systemic agents, comparative effectiveness research, technology-enabled healthcare delivery, and comorbidities associated with inflammatory skin diseases, Dr. Armstrong has conducted studies examining how new therapies impact patients’ disease states, quality of life, and their access to medical care. She is also examining how technology-enabled healthcare delivery can be applied to manage patients with chronic dermatological diseases. A federally funded investigator with extensive clinical trial experience, Dr. Armstrong has led or collaborated on over 120 studies and authored over 250 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Dr. Armstrong obtained her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed dermatology residency at the Harvard Dermatology Residency Program. She also obtained a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health. Prior to joining faculty at the University of Southern California, Dr. Armstrong served as Vice Chair, Director of Clinical Research, and Director of the Psoriasis Program at dermatology departments at the University of California Davis and later at the University of Colorado.
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