John Y.M. Koo, M.D.
Vice chairman and associate clinical professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center
Dr. Koo is the vice chairman and associate clinical professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, and he has published more than 100 articles and book chapters in the field of psoriasis. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctor of medicine degree from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Koo is board-certified in both dermatology and psychiatry, having completed his psychiatry residency at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and his dermatology residency at UCSF. This dual specialization has positioned him as a pioneer in psychodermatology, a field that explores the interplay between psychological factors and skin health.
As the director of the UCSF Psoriasis and Skin Treatment Center, Dr. Koo has been instrumental in advancing therapies for psoriasis, phototherapy, eczema, and other skin disorders. His research interests encompass a broad spectrum, including the psychological impact of skin diseases and quality of life issues for patients. He has authored or co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed articles and is the chief editor of a widely used two-volume textbook on psoriasis, with the “mild to moderate psoriasis” volume in its third edition and the “moderate to severe psoriasis” volume in its fourth edition.
Dr. Koo’s contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, such as the American Skin Association’s Annual Research Award, the Best Speaker Award at the Fall Clinical Symposium, and the Best Mentor Award from UCSF. In 2022, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Psoriasis Foundation. Additionally, he has been consistently listed in Best Doctors in America for several decades and was voted the 7th most prominent medical dermatologist in the United States in a 2022 Newsweek survey.
Beyond his clinical and research endeavors, Dr. Koo serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and is a founding editor of the Journal of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. He also chairs the Psoriasis Expert Resource Group, a joint task force of the American Academy of Dermatology and the National Psoriasis Foundation, and is a founding member of the Association for Psychocutaneous Medicine of North America. His extensive knowledge and expertise have made him a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences, further solidifying his impact on the field of dermatology.