Dermatology Consultation Service

Heidi H. Kong, M.D., M.H.Sc.

    Overview

    Senior Investigator

    Dr. Heidi Kong in front of computer screens

    Heidi H. Kong, M.D., M.H.Sc.

    Deputy Clinical Director

    Research Areas (IRP Lab Groups)

    Clinical Research,
    Immunology,
    Skin Biology

    The Dermatology Consultation Service at the NIH Clinical Center evaluates a range of patients who are evaluated under NIH clinical research protocols. The patients evaluated include a variety of rare diseases with cutaneous manifestations and adverse reactions to experimental therapeutic agents. We provide training to Dermatology Branch clinical fellows, fellows from other NIH Institutes, and visiting dermatology residents from around the country. 'Grand Rounds at the NIH', a feature published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, selects and highlights interesting cases that we have evaluated.

    The Dermatology Consultation Service has long been recognized for providing high-quality dermatologic care for patients enrolled on clinical research protocols at the NIH Clinical Center as well as contributing to a multitude of clinical and translational research discoveries at the NIH.

    Related NIAMS Labs

    Scientific Advances

    Skin Manifestations of VEXAS Syndrome and Associated Genotypes May Aid in Quicker Diagnosis
    Nail findings can indicate risk of melanoma cancer syndrome
    Manual Counting Versus Artificial Intelligence in Assessing Monkeypox Lesions Using Patient Photographs

    Core Research Facilities

    Labs at the NIAMS are supported by the following state-of-the-art facilities and services:

    Staff

    Former Lab Members

    Clinical Fellows

    • Alexa Kimball, MD, MPH
    • Alison Ehrlich, MD
    • Edward W. Cowen, MD, MHSc
    • Heidi H. Kong, MD, MHSc
    • Haley B. Naik, MD, MHSc
    • Rachel Rosenstein, M.D., Ph.D.
    • Dominique Pichard, M.D., M.H.Sc.

    Medical Students

    • Suzanne Ward, M.D. (Dermatology)
    • Rena Zuo, M.D. (Dermatology)
    • Kathryn Martires, M.D. (Dermatology)
    • Asha Patel, M.D. (Dermatology)

    Image & Media Gallery

    Clinical Trials

    Completed

    Evaluation and Treatment of Subjects With Dermatologic Diseases

    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00001506
    This protocol was developed to allow subject enrollment for teaching purposes and to allow for second opinions regarding relatively complicated patients, and to allow for evaluation of non-invasive tools for the diagnosis and monitoring of cutaneous manifestations.

    Scientific Publications

    Selected Recent Publications

    Bevacizumab and Erlotinib in Hereditary and Sporadic Papillary Kidney Cancer.

    Srinivasan R, Gurram S, Singer EA, Sidana A, Al Harthy M, Ball MW, Friend JC, Mac L, Purcell E, Vocke CD, Ricketts CJ, Kong HH, Cowen EW, Malayeri AA, Shih JH, Merino MJ, Linehan WM
    N Engl J Med.
    2025 Jun 19;
    392(23).
    doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2200900
    PMID: 40532152

    Hematopoietic cell transplantation for DOCK8 deficiency: Results from a prospective clinical trial.

    Freeman AF, Gonzalez CE, Yates B, Cole K, Little L, Flannelly E, Steinberg SM, Mo G, Piette N, Hughes TE, Cuellar-Rodriguez J, Gea-Banacloche J, Heller T, Hammoud DA, Holland SM, Kong HH, Young FD, Jing H, Kayaoglu B, Su HC, Pai SY, Hickstein DD, Shah NN
    J Allergy Clin Immunol.
    2025 Jan;
    155(1).
    doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.08.021
    PMID: 39233015

    Germline mutations in a G protein identify signaling cross-talk in T cells.

    Ham H, Jing H, Lamborn IT, Kober MM, Koval A, Berchiche YA, Anderson DE, Druey KM, Mandl JN, Isidor B, Ferreira CR, Freeman AF, Ganesan S, Karsak M, Mustillo PJ, Teo J, Zolkipli-Cunningham Z, Chatron N, Lecoquierre F, Oler AJ, Schmid JP, Kuhns DB, Xu X, Hauck F, Al-Herz W, Wagner M, Terhal PA, Muurinen M, Barlogis V, Cruz P, Danielson J, Stewart H, Loid P, Rading S, Keren B, Pfundt R, Zarember KA, Vill K, Potocki L, Olivier KN, Lesca G, Faivre L, Wong M, Puel A, Chou J, Tusseau M, Moutsopoulos NM, Matthews HF, Simons C, Taft RJ, Soldatos A, Masle-Farquhar E, Pittaluga S, Brink R, Fink DL, Kong HH, Kabat J, Kim WS, Bierhals T, Meguro K, Hsu AP, Gu J, Stoddard J, Banos-Pinero B, Slack M, Trivellin G, Mazel B, Soomann M, Li S, Watts VJ, Stratakis CA, Rodriguez-Quevedo MF, Bruel AL, Lipsanen-Nyman M, Saultier P, Jain R, Lehalle D, Torres D, Sullivan KE, Barbarot S, Neu A, Duffourd Y, Similuk M, McWalter K, Blanc P, Bézieau S, Jin T, Geha RS, Casanova JL, Makitie OM, Kubisch C, Edery P, Christodoulou J, Germain RN, Goodnow CC, Sakmar TP, Billadeau DD, Küry S, Katanaev VL, Zhang Y, Lenardo MJ, Su HC
    Science.
    2024 Sep 20;
    385(6715).
    doi: 10.1126/science.add8947
    PMID: 39298586

    Skin Manifestations of VEXAS Syndrome and Associated Genotypes.

    Tan IJ, Ferrada MA, Ahmad S, Fike A, Quinn KA, Groarke EM, Beck DB, Allbritton J, Castelo-Soccio L, Young NS, Patel BA, Grayson PC, Cowen EW
    JAMA Dermatol.
    2024 Aug 1;
    160(8).
    doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.1657
    PMID: 38865133

    The Role of Interferon-γ in Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome Type 1.

    Oikonomou V, Smith G, Constantine GM, Schmitt MM, Ferré EMN, Alejo JC, Riley D, Kumar D, Dos Santos Dias L, Pechacek J, Hadjiyannis Y, Webb T, Seifert BA, Ghosh R, Walkiewicz M, Martin D, Besnard M, Snarr BD, Deljookorani S, Lee CR, DiMaggio T, Barber P, Rosen LB, Cheng A, Rastegar A, de Jesus AA, Stoddard J, Kuehn HS, Break TJ, Kong HH, Castelo-Soccio L, Colton B, Warner BM, Kleiner DE, Quezado MM, Davis JL, Fennelly KP, Olivier KN, Rosenzweig SD, Suffredini AF, Anderson MS, Swidergall M, Guillonneau C, Notarangelo LD, Goldbach-Mansky R, Neth O, Monserrat-Garcia MT, Valverde-Fernandez J, Lucena JM, Gomez-Gila AL, Garcia Rojas A, Seppänen MRJ, Lohi J, Hero M, Laakso S, Klemetti P, Lundberg V, Ekwall O, Olbrich P, Winer KK, Afzali B, Moutsopoulos NM, Holland SM, Heller T, Pittaluga S, Lionakis MS
    N Engl J Med.
    2024 May 30;
    390(20).
    doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2312665
    PMID: 38810185

    Multiple Onychopapillomas and BAP1 Tumor Predisposition Syndrome.

    Lebensohn A, Ghafoor A, Bloomquist L, Royer MC, Castelo-Soccio L, Karacki K, Hathaway O, Maglo T, Wagner C, Agra MG, Blakely AM, Schrump DS, Hassan R, Cowen EW
    JAMA Dermatol.
    2024 Aug 1;
    160(8).
    doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.1804
    PMID: 38759225

    Host-Pathogen Interactions in Human Polyomavirus 7‒Associated Pruritic Skin Eruption.

    Rosenstein RK, Pastrana DV, Starrett GJ, Sapio MR, Hill NT, Jo JH, Lee CR, Iadarola MJ, Buck CB, Kong HH, Brownell I, Cowen EW
    J Invest Dermatol.
    2021 May;
    141(5).
    doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2020.09.014
    PMID: 33075349

    Distribution and Functional Consequences of Somatic MAP2K1 Variants in Affected Skin Associated with Bone Lesions in Melorheostosis.

    Jha S, Ivovic A, Kang H, Meylan F, Hanson EP, Rimland C, Lange E, Katz J, McBride A, Warner AC, Edmondson EF, Cowen EW, Marini JC, Siegel RM, Bhattacharyya T
    J Invest Dermatol.
    2021 Mar;
    141(3).
    doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2020.06.036
    PMID: 32791068

    Voriconazole and the Risk of Keratinocyte Carcinomas Among Lung Transplant Recipients in the United States.

    D'Arcy ME, Pfeiffer RM, Rivera DR, Hess GP, Cahoon EK, Arron ST, Brownell I, Cowen EW, Israni AK, Triplette MA, Yanik EL, Engels EA
    JAMA Dermatol.
    2020 Jul 1;
    156(7).
    doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2020.1141
    PMID: 32401271

    Key Publications

    Treatment of Relapsing HPV Diseases by Restored Function of Natural Killer Cells.

    Lisco A, Hsu AP, Dimitrova D, Proctor DM, Mace EM, Ye P, Anderson MV, Hicks SN, Grivas C, Hammoud DA, Manion M, Starrett GJ, Farrel A, Dobbs K, Brownell I, Buck C, Notarangelo LD, Orange JS, Leonard WJ, Orestes MI, Peters AT, Kanakry JA, Segre JA, Kong HH, Sereti I
    N Engl J Med.
    2021 Sep 2;
    385(10).
    doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2102715
    PMID: 34469647

    Janus kinase (JAK) inhibition with baricitinib in refractory juvenile dermatomyositis.

    Kim H, Dill S, O'Brien M, Vian L, Li X, Manukyan M, Jain M, Adeojo LW, George J, Perez M, Grom AA, Sutter M, Feldman BM, Yao L, Millwood M, Brundidge A, Pichard DC, Cowen EW, Shi Y, Lu S, Tsai WL, Gadina M, Rider LG, Colbert RA
    Ann Rheum Dis.
    2020 Aug 25;
    pii: annrheumdis-2020-218690. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218690
    PMID: 32843325

    Early-onset stroke and vasculopathy associated with mutations in ADA2.

    Zhou Q, Yang D, Ombrello AK, Zavialov AV, Toro C, Zavialov AV, Stone DL, Chae JJ, Rosenzweig SD, Bishop K, Barron KS, Kuehn HS, Hoffmann P, Negro A, Tsai WL, Cowen EW, Pei W, Milner JD, Silvin C, Heller T, Chin DT, Patronas NJ, Barber JS, Lee CC, Wood GM, Ling A, Kelly SJ, Kleiner DE, Mullikin JC, Ganson NJ, Kong HH, Hambleton S, Candotti F, Quezado MM, Calvo KR, Alao H, Barham BK, Jones A, Meschia JF, Worrall BB, Kasner SE, Rich SS, Goldbach-Mansky R, Abinun M, Chalom E, Gotte AC, Punaro M, Pascual V, Verbsky JW, Torgerson TR, Singer NG, Gershon TR, Ozen S, Karadag O, Fleisher TA, Remmers EF, Burgess SM, Moir SL, Gadina M, Sood R, Hershfield MS, Boehm M, Kastner DL, Aksentijevich I
    N Engl J Med.
    2014 Mar 6;
    370(10).
    doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1307361
    PMID: 24552284

    Sclerotic-type chronic GVHD of the skin: clinical risk factors, laboratory markers, and burden of disease.

    Martires KJ, Baird K, Steinberg SM, Grkovic L, Joe GO, Williams KM, Mitchell SA, Datiles M, Hakim FT, Pavletic SZ, Cowen EW
    Blood.
    2011 Oct 13;
    118(15).
    doi: 10.1182/blood-2011-04-350249
    PMID: 21791415

    Chronic phototoxicity and aggressive squamous cell carcinoma of the skin in children and adults during treatment with voriconazole.

    Cowen EW, Nguyen JC, Miller DD, McShane D, Arron ST, Prose NS, Turner ML, Fox LP
    J Am Acad Dermatol.
    2010 Jan;
    62(1).
    doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2009.09.033
    PMID: 19896749

    An autoinflammatory disease with deficiency of the interleukin-1-receptor antagonist.

    Aksentijevich I, Masters SL, Ferguson PJ, Dancey P, Frenkel J, van Royen-Kerkhoff A, Laxer R, Tedgård U, Cowen EW, Pham TH, Booty M, Estes JD, Sandler NG, Plass N, Stone DL, Turner ML, Hill S, Butman JA, Schneider R, Babyn P, El-Shanti HI, Pope E, Barron K, Bing X, Laurence A, Lee CC, Chapelle D, Clarke GI, Ohson K, Nicholson M, Gadina M, Yang B, Korman BD, Gregersen PK, van Hagen PM, Hak AE, Huizing M, Rahman P, Douek DC, Remmers EF, Kastner DL, Goldbach-Mansky R
    N Engl J Med.
    2009 Jun 4;
    360(23).
    doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0807865
    PMID: 19494218

    News & Highlights

    Photo showing nail abnormalities in finger nail
    Press Release |

    Benign Nail Condition Linked to Rare Syndrome that Greatly Increases Cancer Risk

    Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have discovered that the presence of a benign nail abnormality may lead to the diagnosis of a rare inherited disorder that increases the risk of developing cancerous tumors of the skin, eyes, kidneys and the tissue that lines the chest and abdomen (e.g., the mesothelium).
    Read More
    Last Updated: July 2025
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