Quarterly Newsletter - July 2026 - Issue No. 31

Professor Chris Griffiths OBE
GPA Director

Director's Foreword

It is my pleasure to introduce this latest update from the Global Psoriasis Atlas (GPA), which highlights the breadth of our recent activities and the continued progress being made towards improving understanding of psoriasis and related skin disease around the world. But before I highlight our achievements over the past quarter, a note about climate change. Since the Spring most of Europe has been beset by heat waves and now multiple, deadly wildfires which have taken lives and destroyed property. My thoughts are with friends and colleagues who are suffering as a consequence. Let us hope for cooler, wetter weather in the near future.

A key achievement this year has been the publication of our collaborative study examining patients attending the Regional Dermatology Training Centre in Moshi, Tanzania. Drawing on electronic health records collected between 2017 and 2020, this important work provides valuable insights into the burden of skin disease in East Africa. The findings reveal the significant impact of chronic inflammatory dermatoses, particularly atopic dermatitis, while also highlighting the challenges many patients face in accessing specialist care, with some travelling extraordinary distances to receive treatment. Such research reinforces the importance of strengthening dermatology services and addressing inequalities in healthcare access globally.

I had the privilege of doing a Lecture Tour of Australia in June where I met up with our Regional Coordinator Prof Chris Baker in Melbourne. This was followed by a joint GPA-Skin Observatory expedition to the Solomon Islands hosted by Dr Joseph Sangatu. We ran clinics and had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Health. The Solomon Islands are a likely candidate for a field survey in 2028.

Collaboration remains central to the GPA’s mission. Our annual Away Day provided an excellent opportunity for the team to reflect on current research, share progress across projects and shape future priorities. It was particularly pleasing to welcome our latest International Psoriasis Council International Fellow, Dr Shir Azrielant, during her placement with the GPA and to discuss exciting developments including the continued expansion of our international coordinator network and preparations for forthcoming fieldwork in the Philippines.

The GPA also maintained a strong presence at major scientific and patient-focused meetings. We were delighted to contribute to the Psoriasis Association Annual Meeting, where discussions centred on the challenges and opportunities facing the psoriasis community, and to the British Association of Dermatologists Annual Meeting, where GPA researchers presented new findings on early intervention, disease burden in underserved populations, and outcomes in psoriasis and generalised pustular psoriasis.

Together, these activities demonstrate the GPA’s commitment to generating high-quality evidence, fostering international collaboration and improving the lives of people affected by psoriasis worldwide. I would like to thank all our partners, collaborators and supporters for their ongoing dedication and contribution to this important work.

With best wishes,
Chris

Professor Darren Ashcroft
GPA Director of Research

The last few months have been extremely busy, and it has been a real pleasure to share details of the GPA and our recent outputs at both the Psoriasis Association and the British Association of Dermatologists Annual Meetings, which were both held in Manchester. Our annual away day also provided an excellent opportunity to reflect on our achievements over the past year, while also helping us plan how best to deliver on our priorities over the next 12 months.

I am delighted to report that our international survey on access to care and treatment for people living with psoriasis has progressed exceptionally well. We are currently finalising the validation of responses and will begin analysing the dataset over the summer. We look forward to sharing the main findings through a series of regional psoriasis reports and will be contacting collaborators in the coming months with opportunities to become involved.

One of our major achievements last year was the successful inclusion of two biosimilars on the WHO Essential Medicines List. We have recently published the economic model that supported this submission, and I would encourage anyone interested to take a look at the paper to learn more about this important work: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589537026003561

Finally, I look forward to meeting many of our colleagues at the forthcoming EADV Congress, and we will be circulating details of our collaborator and partnership meetings shortly.

A survey of patients attending the Regional Dermatology Training Centre, Moshi, Tanzania 2017-2020.

The GPA team contributed to this retrospective, cross-sectional study analysing de-identified electronic health records from patients attending the Regional Dermatology Training Centre (RDTC), a single tertiary referral center in Moshi, Tanzania between April 2017 and December 2020.

Findings show that chronic inflammatory dermatoses, particularly atopic dermatitis, account for a large proportion of cases. The study also highlights challenges in access to care, with some patients travelling over 1,000 km, underlining the need for more equitable dermatology services across the region.

Published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology

Read the full study: https://www.jidonline.org/article/S0022-202X(26)01201-7/fulltext

On Wednesday 8^th July, we held our annual Away Day at Mottram Hall Hotel in Cheshire.

The team were pleased to be joined by Dr Shir Azrielant as she continued her July placement with the GPA.

The day began with a sunny walk around the picturesque grounds, followed by a full programme of meetings to review current research, discuss new project developments and outline future strategic plans for the GPA.

GPA researchers shared updates on their ongoing work, while GPA Programme Manager Tom Rogers gave an overview of the continued growth of the Coordinator network, plans for the next field study in the Philippines and future field studies.

It was a productive day full of positive and progressive discussions.

In July, the team welcomed International Psoriasis Council Research Fellow Dr Shir Azrielant to Manchester and London as part of her Fellowship placement hosted by the GPA.

Dr Azrielant is a consultant dermatologist and Director of Dermatology Inpatient Services at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel, and a Lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University.

Her clinical and translational research focuses on inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases, with a particular emphasis on psoriasis. Her current work centres on psoriasis comorbidities, metabolic pathways in disease, and histology as a biomarker of inflammatory skin disorders.

During her placement, Dr Azrielant spent time with the GPA team in Manchester, working with Professor Darren Ashcroft, Dr Alison Wright and Dr Paul Dimmock on current and new research projects. She also met colleagues at the University of Manchester, attended the BAD Annual Meeting, shadowed dermatology clinics at local hospitals and joined the team for this year’s annual away day at Mottram Hall in Cheshire.

During the second half of her placement, Dr Azrielant travelled to London to spend time with GPA Director Professor Chris Griffiths. She shadowed Professor Griffiths in his clinics and visited GPA collaborating organisation the ILDS, as well as colleagues at GADA.

It was a pleasure to host Dr Azrielant during her IPC Research Fellowship placement, and the GPA team looks forward to continuing to work with her over the coming months.

In June Professor Griffiths joined The Skin Health Institute’s National Roadshow across Australia. The roadshow consisted of a week-long series of expert insights and discussion around psoriasis and skin ageing in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane.

During the tour Professor Griffiths caught up with friends and colleagues, including GPA Regional Coordinator for Australia Professor Chris Baker.

Following the lecture tour, Professor Griffiths, Professor Esther Freeman, Dr Su Lwin, and ILDS colleagues including the ILDS in Motion team travelled to the Solomon Islands. The team undertook a medical mission, seeing patients with skin diseases, many of whom had severe psoriasis, leprosy or fungal disease.

With only one dermatologist currently practising in the country, the visit highlighted major disparities in access to dermatology care and treatment in remote areas.

During the visit, Professor Griffiths and the team met with government and Ministry of Health representatives to discuss these challenges.

Professor Tiago Torres, GPA National Coordinator for Portugal, has been elected President of the Scientific Committee for SPIN – Skin Inflammation & Psoriasis International Network.

Well done to all Coordinators for these achievements.

Coordinator Network Research Opportunity

The GPA are always happy to highlight and promote collaborative research among our Coordinator network.

Dr Leena Chularojanamontri, GPA National Coordinator for Thailand, and her team are currently conducting a global survey which aims to better understand current practices in post-inflammatory dyspigmentation from psoriasis. Dermatologists involved in psoriasis care around the world are invited to share their insights.

The survey:

·       Takes around 10 minutes

·       Is completed online

·       Open to dermatologists involved in psoriasis care

·       Has co-authorship opportunities available for wide distribution

If you are a dermatologist who would be interested to participate, please email thomas.rogers@manchester.ac.uk for more information.

Coordinators Recent Publications

Professor Sunil Dogra - Regional Coordinator for India.

Optimizing biologic therapy in psoriasis: dose adjustment, treatment duration, and tapering— an expert perspective

Dogra S, Thirumalaiswamy A

Taylor & Francis Online, 2026

https://doi.org/10.1080/14712598.2026.2692471

We are delighted to share that Lilly has renewed their sponsorship of the Global Psoriasis Atlas.

Their continued support is essential in helping us advance our research into the availability, accessibility, and quality of psoriasis healthcare.

Our sincere thanks to Lilly for their ongoing commitment to the GPA.

• ESDR Annual Meeting (9^th – 12^th September 2026) Heidelberg, Germany

• EADV Congress (30^th September – 3^rd October 2026) Vienna, Austria

• AAD Annual Meeting (19^th-23^rd March 2027) San Francisco, California, USA

• IFPA Conference (20^th-22^nd May 2027) Stockholm, Sweden

• World Congress of Dermatology (21^st-26^th June 2027) Guadalajara, Mexico