The Noah Worcester Dermatological Society would like to welcome the following new members into the Noah family:
Dr. Alex Gross grew up in Plantation, Florida and moved to Georgia to attend Emory University in 1977. After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Biology he returned to Florida and earned his MD degree at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa. He completed residencies in Internal Medicine at Emory and Dermatology at Vanderbilt and is Board Certified in both specialties. He lives in Dunwoody with his wife Joanne and has been practicing dermatology in the greater Atlanta area since 1991. In 1995 he established the Georgia Dermatology Center in Cumming and is a staff member at Northside Hospital Forsyth. In 2022 his practice with Olansky Dermatology and Esthetics. He has served on the Georgia Composite Medical Board since 2008, having been appointed 5 times by 3
different Governors. Dr. Gross’s practice includes complex medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology.
Dr. Hawkes completed his medical school and residency at the University of Utah. During medical school, he completed a fellowship in translational immunology in the NIH-HHMI Research Scholars Program. He also received a Master’s Degree in Clinical Investigation from Rockefeller University, where he was Chief Clinical Scholar and Principal and sub- Investigator on multiple human research protocols in the Laboratory for Investigative Dermatology. He has held academic appointments in the Departments of Dermatology at the University of Utah, University of California-Davis, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Dr. Hawkes is a current Councilor in the International Psoriasis Council and serves on the NPF Medical Board and Scientific Advisory Committee. He also serves as the official delegate of the AAD as a member of the international guidelines and workgroup committee for urticaria. His research has been funded by the NIH, NSF, NPF, and Dermatology Foundation, and he is the recipient of several teaching awards including NPF Outstanding
Educator in Psoriatic Disease and Exceptional Teacher of the Year in the Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai. His primary clinical and research interests include novel immune therapies for inflammatory conditions like psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, HS, alopecia areata, vitiligo, and urticaria.
Joseph F. Merola, MD, MMSc is Chair of Dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX; he is Professor of Dermatology, Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology and Professor at the Peter O’Donnell Jr School of Public Health. He holds the Mary Kay Distinguished Chair in Dermatology. Dr. Merola is board-certified in Dermatology, Internal Medicine, and Rheumatology.
Prior to taking his Chair position in 2023, Dr. Merola was a Vice Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology and Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston. He served
as the Vice Chair for Clinical Trials and Innovation, the Founding Director of the Clinical Unit for Research Innovation and Trials (CUReIT), Director of the Center for Skin and Related Musculoskeletal Diseases and the Associate Program Director for the Harvard Combined Internal Medicine-Dermatology Residency Training Program at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Merola earned his medical degree at the New York University School of Medicine and his Masters of Medical Sciences degree at Harvard Medical School. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, followed by a residency in Dermatology at the New York University Medical Center, where he was chief resident. He continued with a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Rheumatology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Dr. Merola was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Dermatology, is the Founding President of the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Clinics Multicenter Advancement Network Consortium (PPACMAN), is on the Scientific and Medical Boards of the National Psoriasis Foundation, Board of the International Dermatology Outcome Measures Group and president-elect of GRAPPA (Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis), the Board of the American Skin Association, on the Medical and Scientific Board of the Lupus Foundation of America. He is also the recent past president of the Medical Dermatology Society and is president-elect of the Rheumatology-Dermatology Society. He is a counselor for the International Eczema Council as well as the International Psoriasis Council. He has served on multiple committees including the AAD Guidelines Committee.
Dr. Keyvan Nouri is Tenure Professor of Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, and Surgery, chair of University of Miami Medical Group, Louis C. Skinner, Jr., MD Endowed Chair of Dermatology, Richard Helfman Professor of Dermatologic Surgery, director of ACGME Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology, director of Mohs Surgical Training at the University of Miami Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology, director of Graduate Specialty Training Program for International Dermatologists, and Assistant Secretary- Treasurer of the American Academy of Dermatology. He authored 14 textbooks and 377 peer-reviewed publications, while delivering 700+ presentations at national/international conferences. Recognized for leadership/mentorship, he received the 2022 Association of Academic Cosmetic Dermatologists Kenneth A. Arndt Mentorship Award, 2023 University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Deans Faculty Leadership Award, the 2024 American Academy of Dermatology Presidential Citation Award, and the 2024 American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery Presidential Citation Award. Moreover, some of the collaborative research studies he has received funding for include the following: “MelanoScope: Evidence-Based Melanoma Detection for All,” “Artificial Intelligence for the Diagnosis and Evaluation of Skin Cancer and Hair & Nail Disorders,” “Laser- accelerated Hair Regrowth after Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia,” “Clarification of the Mechanism of Non-ablative Lasers to Expand Their Application in Dermatology,” and “Laminin 8 and Laminin 10 in Melanoma Diagnosis/Prognosis and Therapy.”
Dr. Nouri holds leadership roles within the university and various professional organizations: Florida Society of Dermatologic Surgeons (Board of Director, Secretary-Treasurer, Vice- President, and President), Florida Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery (Board of Director), American Society of Lasers in Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS), ASLMS IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) Committee (past Chair), American Society of Dermatologic Surgery (past program Co-Chair of mastery of lasers course), American College of Mohs Surgery, and the International Society of Dermatology (past Vice-President, past Co- Chair for continental meetings, and current Chair/Co-chair of regional meetings).
Grateful for his recognition as Valedictorian of the University of Miami Health MBA Cohort and receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University School of Medicine, Dr. Nouri remains dedicated to leadership, innovation, and service.
Dr. Zabawski received his undergraduate degree in pharmacy at Duquesne University and his medical degree from Ohio University. After residency training in Dallas-Fort Worth, he founded and operated a successful medical and surgical dermatology practice in New Hampshire and served as medical director for dermatology for North and South America for the world's largest clinical research organization. He has authored and co- authored multiple book chapters, papers, and posters. He completes his MBA at University of Texas this fall and is an adjunct assistant clinical professor of clinical sciences at Texas Christian University.
