Newswise — (New York, NY – December 13, 2021) - One of the top researchers worldwide studying itch and inflammatory skin conditions, Brian S. Kim, MD, MTR, FAAD, will join Mount Sinai Health System as Director of the newly established Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation and Sensation. Dr. Kim will also be Vice Chair of Research of the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Site Chair of Dermatology at Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside, effective Saturday, January 1, 2022.
Dr. Kim will work collaboratively with Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, Waldman Professor and System Chair of Dermatology; Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, Director of the Precision Immunology Institute; and Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Director of The Friedman Brain Institute. Dr. Kim will hold joint appointments in Dermatology and the two institutes.
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Kim, a world-renowned superstar physician-scientist who made paradigm-shifting discoveries linking sensory neurons, inflammatory pathways, and itch. Dr. Kim's complementary expertise synergizes with our department's excellence in translational research and will help transform research on skin diseases, aiming to bring more drugs to patients with itch and skin inflammation. The new neuroinflammation center that Brian will lead will bridge clinical and scientific excellence across dermatology, immunology, and neuroscience, taking advantage of our departmental and institutional collaborative spirit and vision to advance scientific excellence and patient care,” said Dr. Guttman-Yassky.
Dr. Kim’s research is rooted in understanding the regulatory mechanisms that control neuroimmune interactions at the skin barrier surface and examining how immune responses interface with the sensory nervous system to regulate inflammation, sensation, and immunity. At Mount Sinai, he will work alongside Dr. Guttman-Yassky to elevate the Department of Dermatology’s research profile by expanding federally funded research and clinical trials and recruiting high-caliber research faculty and physician-scientists.
The Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation and Sensation will advance multidisciplinary research, bringing together skin biology, immunology, and neuroscience. By leveraging its influential scientific advances, coupled with outstanding clinical expertise, the state-of-the-art Research Center will provide world-class clinical care for patients with chronic itch and other sensory disorders. The ultimate goal is to bring therapeutic innovations through fundamental new science and cutting-edge clinical trials towards highly unmet sensory and neuroinflammatory disorders.
“The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has emerged as one of the most innovative and technology-driven medical schools in the country. Emma Guttman-Yassky is a world-renowned leader in translational skin immunology and has revolutionized treatments for atopic dermatitis and other skin diseases. Dr. Guttman-Yassky’s leadership and vision alongwith Drs. Merad and Nesler’s extraordinary immunology and neuroscience institutions afford a unique opportunity to take skin biology, neuroimmunology, and sensory disorders research to new heights,” said Dr. Kim. “The transformative proposition to assist in establishing the Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation and Sensation presents a truly unique opportunity to take advantage of the prescient vision intrinsic to Icahn Mount Sinai.”
With many groundbreaking publications in journals like Cell, Nature, and Science on his resumé, Dr. Kim will help position the Department of Dermatology among the very top in the United States and will foster multidisciplinary research, high-impact grants, and publications that will help grow the department and its already strong reputation.
“Dr. Kim’s dedication to his continued research on itch and inflammatory skin conditions will not only advance innovative studies for skin diseases but also provide solutions for skin conditions that will aid patients across the country,” said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of Icahn Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs of Mount Sinai Health System. “With the collaboration of Dr. Kim and Dr. Guttman-Yassky in research and patient care, the Department of Dermatology at Icahn Mount Sinai can continue to grow as a leading center throughout our health sytem and the country.”
The Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai is dedicated to delivering superior, comprehensive dermatologic care and advancing the science of dermatology through research and education.
Dr. Kim is currently the Co-Director, Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders, and Associate Professor of Medicine, Anesthesiology, and Pathology and Immunology, at Washington University School of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, in St. Louis. He also earned his MD at Washington University School of Medicine. He was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholar from 2004-2006 at the National Institutes of Health in the laboratory of Stephen I. Katz, MD, PhD. He also completed a Master in Translational Research at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also did his dermatology residency and a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of David Artis. Most recently, Dr. Kim received the American Skin Association Research Achievement Award in Discovery in 2020 and the American Dermatological Association Young Leadership Award in 2019. He is also the inaugural recipient of the Stephen I. Katz Memorial Award from the Society for Investigative Dermatology.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai advances medicine and health through unrivaled education and translational research and discovery to deliver care that is the safest, highest-quality, most accessible and equitable, and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 415 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of the top 20 U.S. hospitals and is top in the nation by specialty: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital is ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” among the country’s best in four out of 10 pediatric specialties. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools," aligned with a U.S. News & World Report "Honor Roll" Hospital, and No. 14 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding. Newsweek’s “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals” ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and in the top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside in the top 20 globally.
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