Joseph Merola, M.D., M.M.Sc. Titles and Appointments Professor & Chair Endowed Title Mary Kay Inc. Distinguished Chair in Dermatology Schools Medical School Departments Dermatology | Internal Medicine | Public Health You have reached the Academic Profile. For more information on the doctor and patient care, please visit the clinical profile. Biography Joseph F. Merola, M.D., M.M.Sc. is Professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology, Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Rheumatic Diseases, and Professor in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He holds the Mary Kay Inc. Distinguished Chair in Dermatology. He is an international expert in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, connective tissue diseases including lupus and dermatomyositis, and complex medical dermatology such as atopic dermatitis requiring systemic therapy. Dr. Merola earned his medical degree at the New York University School of Medicine and his Master of Medical Sciences at Harvard Medical School. He completed an internship in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a residency in dermatology at New York University Medical Center, where he served as Chief Resident. He then completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. One of only a few physicians in the country who are triple board-certified in dermatology, internal medicine, and rheumatology, Dr. Merola joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2023. Previously, he was Vice Chair of Dermatology and Founding Director of the Unit for Clinical Trials and Innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he also directed the Center for Skin and Related Musculoskeletal Diseases. At UT Southwestern, Dr. Merola continues to lead clinical and translational research in inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases, including studies in pharmacoepidemiology, clinical trials, trial design, and the development and validation of novel outcome measures such as digital health tools for use in both clinical research and patient care. He serves on the Board of the American Academy of Dermatology and is the founding President of the Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis Clinics Multicenter Advancement Network (PPACMAN) Consortium, President of the Rheumatology Dermatology Society (RDS), Co-President of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA), Treasurer and Board Member of the International Dermatology Outcome Measures Group (IDEOM), and President-Elect of GRAPPA. He is past President of the Medical Dermatology Society and serves on the medical and scientific boards of the National Psoriasis Foundation, the Lupus Foundation of America, and the American Skin Association. He is also a member of the International Eczema Council and the International Psoriasis Council and has served on multiple national committees, including the Guidelines Committee for the American Academy of Dermatology. Dr. Merola has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers and has received numerous awards, including the National Psoriasis Foundation’s Outstanding Educator Award, the Mass General Brigham Distinguished Clinician Award, and the Pillars of Excellence Award in Research Leadership. He was named one of Boston’s Top Doctors for nearly a decade and was honored in 2024 at the National Psoriasis Foundation’s Commit to a Cure Gala in Dallas. As Chair of the Department of Dermatology at UT Southwestern, Dr. Merola is dedicated to supporting the department’s exceptional faculty, researchers, trainees, and staff. He is deeply committed to advancing a patient-centered mission across all departmental decisions, ensuring that clinical excellence, education, and discovery remain closely aligned. Under his leadership, the department continues to expand its impact and reputation as one of the nation’s leading dermatology programs, driven by collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to improving patients’ lives through compassionate care, scientific discovery, and outstanding training. Education Medical School New York University (2005) Graduate School Harvard University (2013) Research Interest Atopic dermatitis Clinical trials, clinical trial design Connective tissue disease and autoimmune skin diseases Cutaneous and systemic lupus erythematosus Outcome measures development, validation Pharmacoepidemiology Psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis Publications Results from the 32-week, phase 3 DISCREET study of apremilast in patients with moderate to severe genital psoriasis Merola JF, Guenther L, Lynde C, Papp KA, Parish LC, Yamauchi P, Cheng S, Amouzadeh H, Deignan C, Jardon S, Chen M, Pinter A Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology 2026 Feb 40 274-284 On-Label Treatment Persistence Through 24 Months Among Patients with Active Psoriatic Arthritis Initiating Guselkumab or Subcutaneous Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors Mease PJ, Walsh JA, Fitzgerald TP, Chakravarty SD, Adamson E, Emond B, Rossi C, Schwartzbein S, Yokoji K, Wang Y, Lefebvre P, Pilon D, Singla S, Merola JF Rheumatology and Therapy 2026 Feb 13 115-134 Utilization and predictors of use of immunomodulators for atopic dermatitis: A cohort study Anand P, Mostaghimi A, Glynn R, Jin Y, Merola JF, Silverberg JI, Rosmarin DM, Sidbury R, Landon J, Schneeweiss MC JAAD International 2026 Feb 24 259-262 SPECTREM phase IIIb clinical trial results through week 16: guselkumab efficacy and safety for the treatment of low body surface area, moderate psoriasis with high-impact site involvement Stein Gold L, Gottlieb AB, Armstrong AW, Alkousakis T, Bissonnette R, Langley RG, Krueger J, Papp K, Choi O, Rowland K, Chan D, Jeyarajah J, Park-Wyllie L, Gao LL, Gordon KB, Merola JF, Lebwohl MG, Strober B British Journal of Dermatology 2026 Jan 194 25-36 Eosinophilic Fasciitis and Morphea Share Gene Signatures of Inflammatory Cell Death, Self-DNA Recognition, and Enhanced Jak/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription Signaling Crisler WJ, Rowley R, Oke O, Steuart SJ, Modi MM, Davis DL, Chen C, Gray L, Teague JE, Zhan Q, Merola JF, Vleugels RA, Clark RA, LaChance A Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2026 Jan 146 64-77.e1 Prevalence and Prognostic Value of Incidentally Detected Coronary Artery Calcium Using Artificial Intelligence Among Individuals With Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases Weber BN, Biery DW, Petranovic M, Besser SA, Huck DM, Shiyovich A, Cardoso R, Berman AN, Blair CV, Trivedi N, Garshick MS, Merola J, Costenbader K, Shaw LJ, Nasir K, Liao KP, Di Carli MF, Blankstein R JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging 2026 Jan 19 64-75 Real-World Comparison of On-Label Treatment Persistence Through 24 Months Between Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis Initiating Guselkumab or Subcutaneous Interleukin-17A Inhibitors Mease PJ, Walsh JA, Fitzgerald TP, Chakravarty SD, Adamson E, Emond B, Rossi C, Schwartzbein S, Yokoji K, Wang Y, Lefebvre P, Pilon D, Singla S, Merola JF Advances in Therapy 2026 Jan 43 255-270 What's New in Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus: Guidelines, Biologics, and Beyond Childs BA, Merola JF Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology 2026 Jan 19 17-26 Litifilimab efficacy on skin outcomes in cutaneous lupus erythematosus in the Phase 2 LILAC study Werth VP, Merola JF, Furie R, Kalunian K, van Vollenhoven RF, Romero-Diaz J, Li Q, Yang W, Barbey C Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology 2026 Report of the IDEOM Meeting Adjacent to the GRAPPA 2024 Annual Meeting Romanelli S, Childs B, Strand V, Armstrong AW, Perez-Chada LM, Merola JF, Gottlieb AB The Journal of rheumatology 2025 Dec 52 8-11 Results 1-10 of 433 1 2 3 4 5 Next Last Books Featured Books Interdisciplinary Approaches to Overlap Disorders in Dermatology & Rheumatology (1st ed.) Garg A, Merola JF, Fitzpatrick L (2022). Springer Publishing Drug-induced lupus erythematosus in Clinical Management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (2nd ed.) Merola, JF (1996). Philadelphia, PA, Lippincott-Raven Honors & Awards Honoree National Psoriasis Foundation Gala (2024) Distinguished Clinician AwardBrigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School (2022) Educator of the Year AwardWinter Clinical Dermatology Conference (2022) Nominee, Senior Faculty Mentorship Award / Pillars of Excellence AwardMass General Brigham (2022) Outstanding Educator in Psoriatic Disease AwardNational Psoriasis Foundation Annual Meeting (2022) Pillars of Excellence Award in Research LeadershipBrigham and Womens Hospital (2020) Boston Top Doctors8 Consecutive Years Nominated for Multiple Teaching AwardsBernard Lown Award, Harvard Mentoring Award, and Charles McCabe Award Professional Associations/Affiliations American Academy of Dermatology American College of Rheumatology American Dermatological Association Association of Professors of Dermatology Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis International Eczema Council International Psoriasis Council Lupus Foundation of America Medical Dermatology Society National Psoriasis Foundation Noah Worcester Dermatological Society Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis Clinics Multicenter Advancement Network Rheumatologic Dermatology Society Society for Investigative Dermatology
