Kristen Kelly, founding director

With a unique collaboration between basic and translational skin scientists, this group will develop the next generation of medications and technologies for treatment of dermatologic disease and advance skin disease diagnosis and monitoring.

UC Irvine’s Interdisciplinary Skin Science Program is one of only six National Institutes of Health-funded Skin Disease Research Core Centers nationwide and, of those, one of only three that also have NIH grants to train future leaders in the field. Its researchers are focused on a range of dermatologic issues, including cancer, inflammatory disorders like psoriasis and eczema, genetic skin disease, cell development and repair, gynecologic skin disease, alopecia (hair loss), and pigmentary disorders like vitiligo and melasma. The program is also known for its work advancing state-of-the-art, noninvasive microscopic imaging.

Now in the Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building, seven skin science researchers – with room for one additional future hire – occupy space on the third floor, which is a big step forward for the program, according to founding director Dr. Kristen Kelly, UC Irvine professor and chair of dermatology. The new home base not only brings the skin researchers together but offers important opportunities to collaborate with other groups on the premises. Says Kelly: “It’s really a testament to UC Irvine’s commitment to progress. The impact is going to be better science, which is going to lead to better treatments for patients. I count on seeing significant advances coming from the researchers in this building.”

Click here or visit https://bit.ly/skin-science to view the full article in the Fall 2025 issue of UC Irvine Magazine, “Forging a Brilliant Future.”