The University of Kansas Division of Dermatology offers many opportunities for our residents interested in research. Our residents publish dozens of manuscripts annually, and our division has recently been featured in respected journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA Dermatology, the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery, and Dermatologic Clinics among many others.

Interested residents are provided with allocated educational time to pursue these endeavors, as well as assistance with grant writing, protocol development, and statistical analysis. Residents are also encouraged to present their work at national and international conferences, and additional time off is allocated for this purpose.

There is a wide range of available opportunities for residents and medical students based on their interests including, but not limited to, randomized trials, retrospective reviews, systematic analyses, survey-based studies, and case reports and series.

Several ongoing research projects and clinical trials within the department are listed here:

Current Clinical Trials

DS7011-107-DS-7011a 

A Phase 1b/2, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Parallel-Arm Study to Explore the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Proof of Biological Activity of DS-7011a in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Active Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus.

Read study details

• Enrollment Status: Recruiting
• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Intervention/Treatment: DS-7011a or placebo
• Sponsor: Daiichi Sankyo
• PI: Adela Rambi Cardones, MD, MHSc

C0251013-PF-06823859 

A Phase 2, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Clinical Effect, Pharmacodynamic, Pharmacokinetic and Safety Profile of PF-06823859 in Adult Participants with Active CLE or SLE with Cutaneous Manifestations.

Read study details

• Enrollment Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Intervention/Treatment: DS-7011a or placebo
• Sponsor: Pfizer
• PI: Adela Rambi Cardones, MD, MHSc

Clinical Research Projects

• Association between Hydroxychloroquine and Cardiac Adverse Events in Patients with Autoimmune Connective Tissue Disease

A retrospective study evaluating the risk of cardiac adverse events in individuals taking hydroxychloroquine for autoimmune connective tissue diseases using a database of electronic health records from the Kansas City metro area. 

• Characterizing Drug-related Adverse Reactions Using a National Database

Characterizing the extent of various drug-related adverse reactions and identifying which individuals are more likely to develop drug-related adverse reactions based on medical/demographic background. 

• Quality of life in Graft Versus Host Disease

A cross-sectional study examining quality of life measures in patients who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation who have cutaneous acute or chronic graft versus host disease versus controls. 

• Immune-Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy and Cutaneous Immune-Related Adverse Events

Investigating the correlation between adverse cutaneous reactions in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor agents for the treatment of cancer with outcomes and effects on survival. 

• Transcriptomic Profiling of Cutaneous Inflammatory and Autoimmune Disease

Using spatial transcriptomics to describe the protein/cytokine producing profile of keratinocytes, immune cells, endothelial cells and fibroblasts in the skin of patients with autoimmune diseases, drug reactions and graft versus host disease. 

• Socioeconomic and Biologic Determinants of Health in Hispanic and Latino Patients with Skin Cancer

Investigating the role of socioeconomic and/or biologic differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients with skin cancer to mitigate and tailor treatment to improve patient outcomes.