Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD

What to Look Forward to at the RAD Conference, with Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, and Mona Shahriari, MD

, 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 and Immunology Research in Chicago, and Mona Shahriari, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, provided commentary on the upcoming 2025 

Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Meeting

“For RAD, there are a few sessions that I'm really quite excited about,” Chovatiya explained. “Not because I necessarily will be involved, though I might be, but it’s really because they're topics that have caught my interest in the last few years. I've spent a lot of time thinking and working on them. There's going to be an amazing session all about chronic hand eczema, a disease state that is really going to become relevant as we start getting therapeutics into this arena and are having more of an understanding of in this country, which historically was not at the forefront of CHE.”

Chovatiya further highlighted a session covering practical tips regarding management of atopic dermatitis as a disease. He noted that a discussion of how drugs are handled in real-world settings is something to anticipate.

“I think we always have questions like ‘Can I get my patient on less drug? Can I up the dose? Can I intermittently dose?’” Chovatiya said. “Some of these things are variably on or off-label, but it's going to be a free scenario in which people can talk about what works for them and why, and I'm looking forward to that too. Finally, I think the late breakers are going to be poised to be one of the best ones yet. Every year, we get really great abstracts at RAD that are debuting for the first time for late-breaking research.”

Shahriari responded to the question about what she anticipates at the RAD Conference, highlighting several elements of the meeting.

“Given that the [atopic dermatitis] landscape has changed so dramatically over the last several years, I think this is a nice time for us to be able to talk about not only the various treatments that we have, but also how do we optimize treatment for patients by taking those treatments and appropriately giving them to the patients that are in need,” Shahriari said. “[We’ll be] defining what is adequate control and what is that bar for efficacy that we should be reaching for?”

Shahriari further highlighted that the Nashville-based conference is going to go through the spectrum of atopic dermatitis-related topics for attendees.

“We're going to discuss the psychosocial burden of [atopic dermatitis],” Shahriari said. “I have the privilege of speaking on that aspect of the disease, but also advancements in JAK inhibitors, complex cases involving atopic dermatitis and hair loss, [as well as] some of the new therapeutic approvals,” Shahriari explained. “...We're also going to talk about some special considerations when you're treating kids with [atopic dermatitis] because there's more that goes into that dynamic besides just me and the patient. There's a caregiver and a parent involved as well.”

For any additional information about the 2 speakers’ most anticipated elements of the RAD conference, view their full discussion posted above.

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

Videos

In this interview, Chovatiya and Shahriari highlight notable elements of the upcoming Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Conference.

Previewing Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis 2025, with Raj Chovatiya, MD

With dermatology evolving faster than ever, hyperfocused meetings such as the 

Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Annual Meeting

 remain a vital hub for education, collaboration, and advancing patient care.

In recent years, atopic dermatitis has gained major attention, with rapid growth in treatment options. But turning these options into practical solutions for real patients has made provider education more critical than ever.

"Every year we get really great abstracts at RAD that are debuting for the first time for late breaking researchers that relate to atopic dermatitis," said meeting cochair Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and founder and director of the Center for Medical Dermatology and Immunology Research in Chicago, in an interview. "This year will be no exception, and there's going to be a lot of really cool stuff being unveiled."

At the 2024 RAD meeting, the community explored findings from the LEVEL UP data, the Measure Up program, and the DELTA studies. Along with trial updates and guideline discussions, the meeting also puts focus on real-life clinical topics—like treating skin of color, managing comorbidities, and more.

In this interview, Chovatiya—who is serving as the cochair for this year's RAD annual meeting, happening June 06–07, 2025, in Nashville, TN—shares why RAD has become a must-attend for anyone managing atopic dermatitis. He explains how the sessions, speakers, and discussions stand out for their focus on day-to-day challenges, patient impact, and improving care delivery.

Campbell P. MJH Life Sciences Celebrates Acquisition of Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Annual Meeting. HCP Live. Published November 11, 2024. Accessed April 9, 2025. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/mjh-life-sciences-celebrates-acquisition-of-revolutionizing-atopic-dermatitis-rad-annual-meeting

Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis 2025 Annual Meeting cochair Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, previews the upcoming meeting. 

Previewing Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis 2025, with Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD

Atopic Dermatitis Education Gaps with Dermatologists, with Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, and Mona Shahriari, MD

In the field of dermatology, there are a variety of therapeutic options that are being reviewed or have already been approved for atopic dermatitis. Despite the widespread availability of management strategies for this inflammatory skin condition, there may still be gaps among dermatologists and health providers with regard to atopic dermatitis.

The HCPLive editorial team reached out to Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of medicine at Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School, and Mona Shahriai, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, to discuss potential gaps in atopic dermatitis-related education. First, the team spoke with Chovatiya about his opinion on the topic.

“Atopic dermatitis, or dermatology in general, is really becoming an immunologic disease state and an immunologic specialty,” Chovatiya explained. “So it shouldn't surprise anybody that, as someone who's been a big proponent of immunology-based education for years, it's really going to have to go into overdrive for the next generation and even for the current dermatology healthcare practitioners out there. This is because it is impossible to understand why you would choose any specific therapy anymore, unless you understand a bit about the immunology behind the disease and the target itself.”

Shahriari also responded to this question, highlighting her views on gaps in education and addressing improvements in the identification of patients requiring systemic treatments.

“We are not doing a great job at identifying patients who are moderate to severe and need to go on systemic therapy,” Shahriari said. “That's why I tend to look at patients not as mild, moderate, or severe, which are cookie-cutter definitions based on objective criteria of how patients’ skin looks. But I look at people [thinking], ‘Are you a candidate for systemics or are you a candidate for topicals?’”

Shahirari highlighted a variety of patient types that might require an evaluation for systemic treatment, pointing to such examples as those with disease-impacted body surface area (BSA) over 10% and those for whom topicals have not worked.

“The other thing is that for some body parts [such as] the hands and the face, they can be much more troubling for patients from a quality of life standpoint,” she explained. “So again, this is a place where we need to escalate treatment.”

Shahriari also noted that improved education for both dermatologists and primary care providers is going to be required in this area.

For additional information on these topics, view the full video interviews with Shahriari and Chovatiya posted above.

A pair of experts discuss unmet needs and educational gaps related to atopic dermatitis. 

Significance of Nemolizumab Approval for Atopic Dermatitis, with Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD

In December 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 

 as an additional therapeutic option for patients aged 12 and older with moderate-to-severe 

 that is not adequately treated using standard topical options.

The drug itself became known as the first monoclonal antibody that had been approved by the FDA for targeting interleukin (IL)-31 receptor alpha, blocking IL-31 signaling and thereby addressing the cytokine’s role in atopic dermatitis-related itch and skin barrier dysfunction. To discuss the approval’s significance for patients as well as dermatologists, the HCPLive team spoke with 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.

“We've never really had treatments that are truly as itch-forward as nemolizumab is, as nemolizumab targets IL-31 signaling, which we know is a really important signal for driving pruritus,” Chovatiya explained. “...But also has important regulatory and inflammatory roles as well. So I like to think about the fact that many of our other cytokine targets have a, let's say, initial or primary effect on inflammatory components in a secondary role in regulating how itch works.”

Chovatiya, who is also set to serve as the co-chair the upcoming 2025 Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Annual Meeting, went on to describe that nemolizumab, as a medication, may promote itch reduction in a different way among patients living with atopic dermatitis.

“This may go at the problem in a slightly different way, in terms of a primary role on itch and a secondary role on how inflammation works,” Chovatiya said. “I use these words to rank things, not to say that one is more important than the other. But rather [to say] that atopic dermatitis is a very chicken-or-egg sort of situation. It's hard to know what the sequence of events is. It is a different way at getting at the signs and symptoms of disease.”

Chovatiya further noted that for many of the patients who he states are struggling significantly with uncontrolled itch and uncontrolled symptoms of atopic dermatitis, the availability of nemolizumab may provide such individuals with a unique opportunity for treatment.

For additional information on nemolizumab and its approval’s significance, view the full interview segment posted above.

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

Galderma Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Nemluvio® (Nemolizumab) for Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis. Galderma. December 14, 2024. 

https://www.galderma.com/news/galderma-receives-us-fda-approval-nemluvior-nemolizumab-patients-moderate-severe-atopic

In this interview, Chovatiya highlighted the unmet needs of patients with atopic dermatitis and the ways in which nemolizumab’s FDA approval addresses them.

Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD

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