Andrew F Alexis, MD, MPH

Skin of Color Savvy: The Art and Science of Treating Patients of Color

Alexis said mentorship provides guidance and inspiration that shapes most physicians' career paths, often sparking interest in specific dermatology subspecialties.

Both physicians recommended mentees engage beyond scheduled clinical hours, noting that informal time after patients leave often yields the most valuable learning.

Alexis said mentorship can directly improve care for patients with skin of color by supplementing inconsistent training exposure with real-world clinical experience.

Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, professor of clinical 

 at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, joined host Jessica Mercer, MD, co-managing owner of Georgia Dermatology Partners near Atlanta, Georgia, on 

, to discuss how mentorship shapes careers and improves care for patients with skin of color.

 leaders. Alexis, who has mentored Mercer since early in her career, said mentorship offers guidance, support, and inspiration most physicians rely on. He explained that observing a mentor's clinical approach can spark interest in specific areas of dermatology, pointing to Mercer's path toward hair and pigmentary disorders as an example of how early exposure through mentorship can shape a lasting career focus.

Skin of Color Savvy: Mentorship in Dermatology—Building the Next Generation of Leaders

Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, professor of clinical dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, joined host Jessica Mercer, MD, co-managing owner of Georgia Dermatology Partners near Atlanta, Georgia, on Skin of Color Savvy: The Art and Science of Treating Patients of Color, to discuss how mentorship shapes careers and improves care for patients with skin of color.

Alexis, who has mentored Mercer since early in her career, said mentorship offers guidance, support, and inspiration most physicians rely on. He explained that observing a mentor's clinical approach can spark interest in specific areas of dermatology, pointing to Mercer's path toward hair and pigmentary disorders as an example of how early exposure through mentorship can shape a lasting career focus.

How Should Mentees Approach the Mentor-Mentee Relationship?

Alexis advised mentees to fully immerse themselves in the experience rather than limiting engagement to scheduled clinical hours. He said valuable learning often occurs during informal moments after patients leave for the day, when mentors may be reviewing charts or handling administrative tasks, providing space for relaxed conversation and reflection. Mercer agreed, noting that mentees benefit from establishing clear goals with mentors at the outset of the relationship.

Does Mentorship Improve Outcomes for Patients With Skin of Color?

Alexis said mentorship can directly benefit patients with skin of color, particularly given inconsistent training exposure to conditions such as pigmentary disorders, keloids, and hair and scalp disorders across different programs. He explained that mentorship allows trainees to supplement textbook knowledge with real-world clinical experience, helping close training gaps that persist in the literature on skin of color dermatology.

Mercer reflected on her own path, crediting mentors including David Peng, MD, at the University of Southern California and Charles McDonald, MD, at Brown University for shaping her career, including her decision to pursue dermatopathology. She said she now mentors students and staff in her practice, several of whom have gone on to medical school or physician assistant programs, describing mentorship as a legacy that continues to expand equitable care in dermatology.

To learn more about SOCS’s programs and initiatives, visit 

Editor’s note: This episode was summarized with the help of AI tools. Alexis and Mercer had no relevant disclosures of note.

Perlman KL, Williams NM, Park JH, et al. Skin of color lacks representation in medical student resources: A cross-sectional study. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2021 Jan 8;7(2):195-196. 

Podcasts

Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, and Jessica Mercer, MD, discuss how mentorship shapes dermatology careers and improves care for skin of color.

Improving Recognition of Skin Disease in Diverse Skin Types, With Shawn Kwatra, MD, and Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH

, Shawn Kwatra, MD, and Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, discuss the unique challenges of diagnosing and managing 

 in patients with skin of color, with a particular focus on chronic pruritus and atopic dermatitis. Their conversation underscores how traditional dermatologic education and assessment tools often fail to capture the full spectrum of disease presentation across diverse skin tones.

Kwatra emphasizes that itch is one of the most common yet underappreciated symptoms affecting patients of color, particularly Black patients, who experience higher rates of chronic pruritus and related inflammatory conditions. He notes that despite this increased burden, these patients are frequently underdiagnosed or undertreated due to gaps in clinical recognition and limited representation in research. Alexis builds on this point by highlighting how erythema—an essential marker of inflammation—may not appear as classic redness in richly pigmented skin, instead presenting as violaceous, gray, or brown hues. This difference can lead clinicians to underestimate disease severity if they rely solely on traditional visual cues.

Both speakers stress the importance of adapting diagnostic frameworks to account for these variations. Alexis points out that clinicians must rely on a combination of texture, scale, patient-reported symptoms, and subtle color changes rather than erythema alone when evaluating inflammation in skin of color. Kwatra adds that emerging research is beginning to quantify these disparities, reinforcing the need for more inclusive clinical trials and better educational resources.

The discussion also touches on broader systemic issues, including environmental exposures, socioeconomic factors, and structural inequities that contribute to disease severity and access to care. Together, Kwatra and Alexis advocate for a more comprehensive, equity-driven approach to dermatology—one that recognizes how skin disease manifests differently across populations and prioritizes culturally informed, patient-centered care.

Editor’s note: This summary was edited with the help of AI tools.

Videos

This segment of the most recent episode of Skin of Color Savvy highlights a conversation between Shawn Kwatra, MD, and Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH.

Skin of Color Savvy: Highlights From the Most-Watched Episodes of 2025

, the podcast revisits highlights from the three most viewed episodes of 2025, bringing together expert insights on inflammatory skin disease, pigmentary disorders, and diversity in dermatologic research. Featuring conversations with 

 leaders, Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH; Shawn Kwatra, MD; Crystal Aguh, MD; John Harris, MD, PhD; Nada Elbuluk, MD; and Michelle Rodrigues, MBBS, the episode underscores the breadth of clinical, scientific, and equity-focused discussions that resonated most with audiences throughout the year.

The episode opens with a return to one of the show’s most impactful early conversations, in which Alexis and Kwatra discuss diseases that disproportionately affect patients with skin of color, particularly chronic pruritus and inflammatory conditions such as atopic dermatitis and prurigo nodularis. Kwatra reflects on the disconnect between textbook imagery and real-world clinical presentations, noting that many diagnostic criteria and educational resources remain centered on lighter skin types.

Together, they explore emerging data demonstrating racial and ethnic differences in itch prevalence and presentation, while highlighting how environmental exposures, socioeconomic factors, and systemic inflammation intersect to influence disease burden. Alexis builds on this discussion by emphasizing the importance of recognizing how erythema and inflammation present differently in richly pigmented skin. Rather than classic redness, inflammation may appear violaceous, gray, or brown, a distinction that is critical to avoiding underdiagnosis and undertreatment.

The second segment revisits a widely viewed episode focused on pigmentary disorders, featuring Elbuluk and Rodrigues. The pair emphasize that “hyperpigmentation” is not a diagnosis, but a broad category encompassing more than 45 distinct conditions. They discuss common causes of hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, and depigmentation seen in patients of color, including post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, acquired dermal macular hyperpigmentation, melasma, vitiligo, and less common congenital or medication-induced disorders. Key diagnostic principles—such as evaluating lesion location, color, morphology, and patient history—are highlighted, along with the value of dermoscopy as a noninvasive bedside tool to guide management and avoid unnecessary biopsies.

The episode concludes with highlights from a conversation featuring Aguh and Harris, which centers on the importance of diversity in dermatology research and clinical trials. Using examples from alopecia and autoimmune disease research, the discussion expands the definition of diversity beyond race and ethnicity to include diversity of thought, training background, and scientific perspective. Both speakers emphasize that collaborative, multidisciplinary research leads to stronger study design, fewer blind spots, and more clinically meaningful outcomes for patients.

Together, this Savvy Stories episode captures why these three conversations stood out among viewers in 2025. By blending clinical insight, scientific rigor, and a commitment to equity, the episode reflects Skin of Color Savvy’s mission to elevate dermatologic care through education, representation, and inclusive dialogue.

This new episode from January 2026 features a compilation of 3 clips from the most viewed episodes of 2025.

2025 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference

 interview on-site in Las Vegas, Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, interviewed with 

 regarding his talk ‘Melasma and Other Hyperpigmentation Disorders.’

Alexis is known for his work as both a professor of Clinical Dermatology and as vice-chair for Diversity and Inclusion at Weill Cornell Medicine. He spoke in this segment on the topic of melasma and hyperpigmentation in general, disorders particularly affecting patients with melanin-rich skin.

Clinical Pearls for Melasma and Other Hyperpigmentation Disorders, With Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH

“In fact, so many of our patients might have an inflammatory disorder like acne or atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and others, and be just as concerned about the hyperpigmentation as they are by the primary disorder that caused it,” Alexis explained. “So having tools to be able to address hyperpigmentation for our patients is extremely valuable and leads to better patient outcomes.”

Alexis highlighted some of the most notable takeaways from his session, noting the value of topicals and photoprotection.

“Among our topical therapies, photo protection is step one,” Alexis said. “When it comes to photo protection, we are protecting against both UV radiation and visible light, to the extent that we can. We can do that with tinted sunscreens containing iron oxide. We can do that with some sunscreens that contain free radical quenchers and potent antioxidants. We can even add an oral agent with potent antioxidant effects, such as oral polypodium leucotomos extract.”

Then, Alexis noted, treatment of the hyperpigmentation can be done a variety of ways. He added that clinicians have a growing list of topical therapies available for hyperpigmentation disorders.

“We have our traditional prescription agents, most notably hydroquinone, which inhibits tyrosinase, but we have a host of non-hydroquinone agents that we can consider for longer-term management,” Alexis explained. “Hydroquinone is suitable for three to six months of therapy, depending on the concentration used, but it's not suitable for long-term continuous therapy because of the risk of exogenous ochronosis. So what are our alternatives? We have topical azelaic acid. We have a number of novel ingredients that have recently come to the market, such as Thiamidol, Cysteamine, and Melasyl.”

Later, Alexis also highlighted the growing awareness about the need to focus on unmet needs related to pigmentary disorders in patients with skin of color. These unmet needs can particularly be seen in acquired dermal macular hyperpigmentation (ADMH), which can require immuno-regulatory and pigment-reducing treatments, including low-dose oral isotretinoin.

To learn more about the topics highlighted in Alexis’s session, view his interview posted above.

 from the Fall Clinical Dermatology meeting for further information on recent topics in dermatology.

Alexis has previously reported grants from Leo, Amgen, Galderma, Arcutis, Dermavant, AbbVie, Castle, and Incyte; advisory board/consulting fees from Leo, Galderma, Pfizer, Sanofi-Regeneron, Genzyme, Dermavant, Beiersdorf, Ortho, L’Oréal, Bristol Myers Squibb, Bausch Health, UCB, Arcutis, Janssen, Allergan, Almirall, AbbVie, Amgen, VisualDx, Eli Lilly, Swiss American, Cutera, Cara, EPI, Incyte, Castle, Apogee, Canfield, Alphyn, Avita Medical, Genentech, and Boehringer Ingelheim; speaker fees from Regeneron, Sanofi-Genzyme, Bristol Myers Squibb, L’Oréal, Janssen, J&J, and Aerolase; royalties from Springer, Wiley-Blackwell, Wolters Kluwer Health, and Elsevier.

Alexis A. Melasma and Other Hyperpigmentation Disorders. Session presentation at the 2025 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct 23-26, 2025.

Alexis spoke in this segment of his Fall Clinical interview on takeaways from his presentation titled ‘Melasma and Other Hyperpigmentation Disorders.’

Andrew F Alexis, MD, MPH

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