Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD

American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting

 in Orlando, Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, presented alongside a series of other leaders in dermatology to discuss the nuances of managing dermatologic diseases in patients with skin of color.

Chovatiya—known for his work as clinical associate professor of medicine at Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and as founder and director of the Center for Medical Dermatology + Immunology Research in Chicago—spoke with 

 about the biggest takeaways from his talk for other dermatologists to be aware of.

Differences in Atopic Dermatitis, Psoriasis in Skin of Color, with Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD

“The concept or idea of skin of color, which means a lot of different things to a lot of different folks, whether you're talking about skin tone,” Chovatiya said. “Whether you're talking about race, whether you're talking about ethnicity, whether you're talking about some combination of all those, has really been just a interesting and exciting area, because there's been a lot of focus in the last few years and in each of the disease states that I have been speaking on in AAD.”

Chovatiya noted that in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, a lot of very specific investigations into expanding clinicians’ understanding of what some of the differences are across diverse patient groups.

“In the case of atopic dermatitis, there's so many extrinsic factors that drive disease, it's probably a much larger reason why we sometimes may note and see different intrinsic changes probably driven a lot by the external environment,” Chovatiya explained. “...This could be anything about where you live, what the pollution looks like around you, what your diet's like, what the climate, temperature, humidity, and or various weather type, what maternal care was like before you were born, antibiotic use patterns, and essentially the entire exposome atopic dermatitis.”

Chovatiya also spoke on psoriasis and its appearance among diverse patient populations. He highlighted that psoriasis is a relatively homogeneous disease, in the sense that immunologically the condition works fairly similarly in every single patient. Consequently, therapeutic outcomes are similar across groups of patients.

“We know that from an actual phenotypic standpoint, we again reviewed a lot of different pictures, and a lot of the differences that we may expect to see based on background and skin tone largely manifest as different shades of erythema and oftentimes slightly different patterns of lichenification,” Chovatiya said. “And then finally, when thinking about what some of the burdens are for psoriasis, we do know that there is more diagnosis of psoriasis actually in those of White majority race groups than non-White as well.”

For additional information on this session, view the full video interview posted above. To learn more about topics covered at AAD, view our 

The quotes used in this interview summary were edited for clarity.

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This interview with Chovatiya highlights his portion of the ‘Skin of Color’ talk at the American Academy of Dermatology conference.

What to Look Forward to at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting 2025

American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) 2025 Annual Meeting

 editorial team interviewed 4 leading experts in the field of dermatology to describe the elements of AAD to which they are most looking forward.

The meeting is slated for March 7 - 11 in Orlando, Florida, and will feature a variety of sessions on different topics and covering various disease states such as 

, atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), and alopecia areata, as well as cosmetic and aesthetic dermatology discussions. It will also highlight late-breaking data and provide clinicians and health care professionals with the opportunity to network and meet others in the field.

The team spoke with Linda Stein Gold, MD, vice president of the American Academy of Dermatology and the head of the division of dermatology for the Henry Ford Health System, about her views on AAD 2025. We also interviewed Arash Mostaghimi, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of dermatology, the director of the inpatient dermatology consult service, and the co-director of the Complex Medical Dermatology Fellowship at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.

Additionally, the team interviewed Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of medicine at Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and the founder and director of the Center for Medical Dermatology + Immunology Research in Chicago. Lastly, we spoke with Brett King, MD, PhD, an associate professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine. All 4 of these speakers highlighted what they are most looking forward to at the conference.

 I'm looking forward to the AAD in general this year. I think it's a great location. When you look at the sessions, they're really full of the latest and the newest in research, whether that's atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, HS, vitiligo, or alopecia. I think there's so much going on, and I think it's going to be a really great meeting.

So, despite my academic roots, what I love at AAD is seeing my friends and colleagues from all different places and connecting with trainees, old residents, old medical students, and things along those lines. That's my guilty pleasure. But from a scientific standpoint and a symposium standpoint, it's amazing to look at the progress we've made with new medications across a number of disorders over the last few years, and I look forward to seeing what's coming down the pike to give us better care for our patients.

AAD is everything to everyone. It can be any number of exciting factors. For me, a lot of it stems from just the latest cuts of phase 1, 2, and 3 trials that we've been waiting excitedly to see. As someone who participates in many of these studies and works in them, in many ways, it's always really fun to see the fruition of results. Because sometimes you get a home run, sometimes you hit a double, and sometimes it's a strikeout. That's just the nature of science and clinical investigation. So really, a lot of those late breakers across many different immune-mediated diseases are what's exciting for me.

What is so exciting about AAD is that we have everything from educational, 3-hour long and 1-hour long deep dives into disease states. It is a time when you can come and really learn from A - Z about a disease. At the same time, these late-breaking sessions are truly where our future is presented to us. So you have everything from where we're coming from and what we know today to what we're going to be doing in 5 or 10 years. And that's really, for me, the excitement of the AAD.

To stay updated on the late-breaking data and interviews our team covers at AAD 2025, check out our 

The quotes contained in this interview summary were edited for the purposes of clarity.

This summary, featuring 4 leading experts, provides an overview of what dermatologists may look forward to during the AAD 2025 Annual Meeting.

Chovatiya discussed his talk at the 2025 AAAAI/WAO Joint Congress.

Exciting Therapies on the Horizon for Atopic Dermatitis, with Raj Chovatiya, MD

The atopic dermatitis field has seen lots of innovation in recent years with novel therapies and mechanisms, and this is only continuing. 

Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and Founder and Director of the Center for Medical Dermatology + Immunology Research in Chicago, Illinois, gave a talk at the 2025 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI)/World Allergy Organization (WAO) Joint Congress, February 28-March 3, in San Diego, California, focusing on the continuing innovation in the field entitled “Novel Pipeline Therapies for Atopic Dermatitis: Beyond IL-13 and JAKi”.

® spoke with Chovatiya to learn more about his perspective on the progress the field has seen in recent years, and where the focus of research has turned to. A big priority for the field right now is tweaking and optimizing current treatment mechanisms and strategies to achieve greater efficacy and longer remission, Chovatiya said. He also shared that the field is really starting to think about achieving “remission” in patients with atopic dermatitis, although definitions still vary about what remission may mean for patients.

“We laugh about this idea of the “R-word” in atopic dermatitis - remission. Everybody wants to talk about it, thinks they have a definition for it, and thinks they're going to get there. I would probably take a much more cautious approach, saying that it's possible we might, if we all agree on what it is, but I think that that's what a lot of our newer therapies and targets are really trying to go after,” Chovatiya told 

Chovatiya has reported serving as an advisor, consultant, speaker, and/or investigator for AbbVie, Amgen, Apogee Therapeutics, Arcutis, Argenx, ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, Beiersdorf, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cara Therapeutics, Dermavant, Eli Lilly and Company, FIDE, Formation Bio, Galderma, Genentech, GSK, Incyte, LEO Pharma, L’Oréal, Nektar Therapeutics, Novartis, Opsidio, Pfizer Inc, Regeneron, RAPT, Sanofi, Sitryx, and UCB.

Chovatiya R. Novel Pipeline Therapies for Atopic Dermatitis: Beyond IL-13 and JAKi. Presented at: 2025 AAAAI/WAO Joint Congress, February 28-March 3.

Exciting Therapies on the Horizon for Atopic Dermatitis, with Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD

Future Outlook for Atopic Dermatitis Treatments

Video content above is prompted by the following:

Please share final thoughts on the future of atopic dermatitis treatment with oral systemic agents.

The future of atopic dermatitis treatment with oral systemic agents is promising, with ongoing research and development of novel therapies. Advances in understanding the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis have led to the identification of new therapeutic targets, resulting in the development of more effective and targeted treatments. These agents aim to provide better disease control, reduce side effects, and improve patient quality of life. The integration of personalized medicine approaches and biomarkers may further enhance treatment outcomes, offering tailored therapies based on individual patient profiles and disease characteristics.

Medical experts share their final thoughts on the future of atopic dermatitis treatment with oral systemic agents.

Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD

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