Psoriasis Advance
University Hospitals receives $5 million dermatology gift, largest in United States

Reprinted from Psoriasis Advance, our member magazine Join the Foundation today to access more in-depth news on treatments and research

From May/June 2007 Psoriasis Advance

University Hospitals' Department of Dermatology, in Cleveland, Ohio, has received a $5 million gift from The Murdough Foundation of Hudson, Ohio, to advance the research and treatment of psoriasis. The gift is the largest known in the United States for dermatology at an academic medical center. The Murdough Family Center for Psoriasis will support and stimulate basic and clinical research in psoriasis, and provide education and support for patients and their caregivers.

"We want University Hospitals to be the number one location in the world for research and treatment of psoriasis," said Thomas Murdough. "Our ultimate hope is to cure psoriasis," added his wife, Joy.

The Department of Dermatology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center is recognized among the top psoriasis programs in the world, with a strong record of accomplishment for innovation in psoriasis research. The department also is one of six designated by the National Institutes of Health as a National Skin Disease Research Center.

The Murdough Family Center for Psoriasis, which opened in January, is directed by Kevin D. Cooper, M.D., chairman of the Department of Dermatology at Case Medical Center. Neil Korman, M.D., Ph.D., a member of the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board, directs the Murdough Family Center's Psoriasis Treatment Program. The center has created a community outreach program staffed with nurse practitioners, who are poised to work with dermatologists in Northeast Ohio to improve the care of patients.

"The opportunity to create an innovative clinical education and treatment network in the community will enable pioneering treatment advances as a model for the nation," said Dr. Korman.

This gift will also allow the medical center to continue ongoing basic research to determine the causes of psoriasis. Thomas McCormick, Ph.D., is the center's research director.

You can learn more about the Murdough Family Center for Psoriasis by visiting their Web site at www.murdoughpsoriasis.com.

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