Natasha A Mesinkovska

Biography

Natasha A. Mesinkovska, M.D., Ph.D., is Clinical Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Dermatology Clinical Research in the Departments of Dermatology and Dermatopathology at the University of California, Irvine, where she also serves as Director of Integrative Dermatology. She holds an M.D. from the Mayo Clinic and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Wayne State University School of Medicine. Her clinical and research focus is concentrated in alopecia areata and hair disorders, and she has served as Principal Investigator on more than 30 industry-sponsored clinical trials, including the pivotal Phase 2b/3 ALLEGRO trial of ritlecitinib and the BRAVE-AA and THRIVE-AA trials of baricitinib and deuruxolitinib, respectively, all of which contributed to regulatory approvals for alopecia areata treatments.

Mesinkovska has been a co-investigator in the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Human Skin Atlas project, a $2 million grant funded as part of the Human Cell Atlas Initiative to map skin cell types across race, ethnicity, and ancestry. She serves on the Board of Directors of the American Hair Research Society and on the Editorial Board of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. She has served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation and on advisory boards for Pfizer, Eli Lilly, AbbVie, and other industry partners. In 2023, she received the Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine for research on cadaveric nasal hair.

Mesinkovska has authored or co-authored more than 230 peer-reviewed publications and contributed chapters to major dermatology references including Moschella and Hurley's Dermatology. She has delivered invited lectures at international venues including the World Congress of Dermatology, the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting, and the National Alopecia Areata Foundation Annual Patient Conference. She is a member of the American Dermatology Association, the American Hair Research Society, and the Women's Dermatologic Society, among other professional organizations.

Education

• Certificate in Leadership for Healthcare Transformation (CLHT), Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine, 2018
• Dermatopathology Fellowship, The Cleveland Clinic, 2013
• Dermatology Residency, The Cleveland Clinic, 2012
• MD, The Mayo Clinic, 2007
• PhD in Cancer Biology, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, 2002
• BS, University of Pennsylvania, 1998

Distinctions

• Mayo Clinic International Medicine Scholarship, Dermatologic and Venereal Diseases Clinic, 2006
• Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine, for work on cadaveric nasal hair, 2023
• Mayo Foundation Full Tuition Scholarship, 2003
• NIH and American Association for Cancer Research Pathology of Cancer Conference Award, 2002
• Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, 2001
• American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Mentorship, Laser Therapies for Scars, 2011
• North American Hair Research Society Mentorship Award, 2011-2012
• Chrysalis Project Award, 2006
• American Dermatology Association Research Fellowship, 2005
• Honorary Chair, National Psoriasis Foundation, Orange County, 2016-2017