Skip to main content
Ladan Straker

Ladan Straker

Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology

Biography

Ladan Straker, M.D., is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of California, Irvine. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree with Research Distinction from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed her dermatology residency at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she served as Chief Resident from April 2021 to April 2022.

Dr. Straker’s research has focused on psoriasis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and hair disorders, among other areas of dermatology. Her work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Dermatologic Therapy, and Pediatric Dermatology. Her publications have addressed topics such as dietary interventions in psoriatic disease and atopic dermatitis, traction alopecia in pediatric patients, and the management of pyoderma gangrenosum.

Dr. Straker was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in 2017 and the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2016. She received the Women’s Dermatologic Society Mentorship Award in 2020 and the UCLA Division of Dermatology Team Player Award in 2021. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and an active member of the Women’s Dermatologic Society, Pacific Dermatologic Association, and California Society of Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery.

Return to top

Education

  • B.A. in Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 2009
  • M.S. in Human Nutrition, Columbia University Medical Center, 2011
  • M.D., University of Miami - Miller School of Medicine, 2018
  • Internship in Internal Medicine, Pennsylvania Hospital-University of Pennsylvania Hospital System, 2019
  • Residency in Dermatology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2022
Return to top

Distinctions

  • Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, 2017
  • Gold Humanism Honor Society, 2016
  • American Medical Women's Association Glasgow-Rubin Award, 2018
  • UCLA Division of Dermatology Team Player Award, 2021
Return to top

Areas of Expertise

  • General Dermatology
  • Inpatient dermatology
  • Complex Medical Dermatology
  • Psoriasis
  • Eczema
  • Pyoderma Gangrenosum
  • Hair loss

Recent Publications

  • Gleason L, Afifi L, Banner L, Talasila S, Joffe D, Bhatti S, Alpdogan O, Porcu P, Nikbakht N, “Challenges in utilizing ALK expression to distinguish primary cutaneous from systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma”, Mol Clin Oncol, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 35, 2024.
  • Noveir SD, Afifi L, Nguyen KA, Cheng CE, Bach DQ, “Patterns and determinants of pediatric dermatologic care in the United States: An evaluation of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2009 to 2015”, Pediatric Dermatology, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 829-834, 2023.
  • Dupuy E, Afifi L, Jonas SJ, Cheng CE, Hogeling M, “A Case of severe mosquito bite allergy complicated by fatal hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis”, Pediatr Dermatol, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 443-446, 2022.
  • Young AT, Vora NB, Cortez J, Tam A, Yeniay Y, Afifi L, Yan D, Nosrati A, Wong A, Johal A, Wei ML, “The role of technology in melanoma screening and diagnosis”, Pigment Cell Melanoma Res, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 288-300, 2021.
  • Afifi L, Hogan S, “Laser Treatment for Scars”, Advances in Cosmetic Surgery, vol. 4, pp. 9-23, 2021.
  • Wu J, Afifi L, Sachsman SM, “Diffuse subcutaneous nodules in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)”, Int J Dermatol, vol. 60, no. 7, pp. 829-830, 2021.
  • Afifi L, Oparaugo NC, Hogeling M, “Review of traction alopecia in the pediatric patient: Diagnosis, prevention, and management”, Pediatr Dermatol, vol. 38, no. Suppl 2, pp. 42-48, 2021.
  • Afifi L, Ortega-Loayza AG, Shinkai K, “Management of classic ulcerative pyoderma gangrenosum”, Cutis, vol. 106, no. 3, pp. 119-123, 2020.
  • Afifi L, North JP, Shinkai K, “An enlarging, ulcerated scalp nodule”, JAAD Case Rep, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 211-213, 2018.
  • Sekhon S, Jeon C, Nakamura M, Afifi L, Yan D, Wu JJ, Liao W, Bhutani T, “Review of the mechanism of action of coal tar in psoriasis”, J Dermatolog Treat, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 230-232, 2018.
  • Beck KM, Yang EJ, Afifi L, Yan D, Bhutani T, “Oral Agents for Psoriasis”, Evidence-Based Psoriasis: Diagnosis and treatment, Springer, pp. 55-71, 2018.
  • Afifi L, Sanchez IM, Wallace MM, Braswell SF, Ortega-Loayza AG, Shinkai K, “Diagnosis and management of peristomal pyoderma gangrenosum: A systematic review”, J Am Acad Dermatol, vol. 78, no. 6, pp. 1195-1204, 2018.
  • Yan D, Afifi L, Jeon C, Cordoro KM, Liao W, “A cross-sectional study of the distribution of psoriasis subtypes in different ethno-racial groups”, Dermatol Online J, vol. 24, no. 7, 2018.
  • Ahn R, Yan D, Chang HW, Lee K, Bhattarai S, Huang ZM, Nakamura M, Singh R, Afifi L, Taravati K, Munoz-Sandoval P, Pauli M, Rosenblum MD, Liao W, “RNA-seq and flow-cytometry of conventional, scalp, and palmoplantar psoriasis reveal shared and distinct molecular pathways”, Sci Rep, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 11368, 2018.
  • Chang HW, Yan D, Singh R, Liu J, Lu X, Ucmak D, Lee K, Afifi L, Fadrosh D, Leech J, Vasquez KS, Lowe MM, Rosenblum MD, Scharschmidt TC, Lynch SV, Liao W, “Alteration of the cutaneous microbiome in psoriasis and potential role in Th17 polarization”, Microbiome, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 154, 2018.
  • Sanchez IM, Shankle L, Wan MT, Afifi L, Wu JJ, Doris F, Bridges A, Boas M, Lafoy B, Truman S, Orbai AM, Takeshita J, Gelfand JM, Armstrong AW, Siegel MP, Liao W, “Building a Citizen Pscientist: Advancing Patient-Centered Psoriasis Research by Empowering Patients as Contributors and Analysts”, Dermatol Ther (Heidelb), vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 405-423, 2018.
  • Yan D, Afifi L, Jeon C, Trivedi M, Chang HW, Lee K, Liao W, “The metabolomics of psoriatic disease”, Psoriasis (Auckl), vol. 7, pp. 1-15, 2017.
  • Afifi L, Maranda EL, Zarei M, Delcanto GM, Falto-Aizpurua L, Kluijfhout WP, Jimenez JJ, “Low-level laser therapy as a treatment for androgenetic alopecia”, Lasers Surg Med, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 27-39, 2017.
  • Afifi L, Shinkai K, “Optimizing education on the inpatient dermatology consultative service”, Semin Cutan Med Surg, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 28-34, 2017.
  • Afifi L, Shinkai K, “Communication strategies for a successful inpatient dermatology consultative service: a narrative review”, Semin Cutan Med Surg, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 23-27, 2017.
Return to top

Contact Information

Email: lafifi@uci.edu

Phone: (949) 824-5515

Address: 118 Medical Surge 1

Return to top

This profile was created with the help of AI.

Last updated on 6/15/2026.