Hidradenitis Suppurativa Specialty Clinic at Harbor-UCLA
About Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a common, chronic, and painful skin disease that causes cysts and boils in the folds of the skin, typically in the axillae (armpits) and groin. There are many associated conditions, including polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease and others. It is well known that the disease has a significant impact on quality of life.
The Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation website has additional information.
History and Purpose
Founded in 2011 by Dr. Ron Birnbaum and now directed by Dr. Jan Smogorzewski, the Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) Specialty Clinic at Harbor-UCLA is a weekly clinic aimed at addressing HS through a multidisciplinary and multi-modality approach. Combining medical therapies with surgical, laser, photodynamic and bedside procedures, we focus on personalized patient care to treat this complex disease.
The causes and treatments for HS are poorly understood. Patients in the HS Specialty Clinic have the opportunity to voluntarily participate in various research efforts to better understand what causes this condition, to explore how best to approach it, as well as to test new therapies.
Leadership
Jan Smogorzewski, MD completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California and received his medical degree from the University of California Los Angeles. After completing an internship in internal medicine at the University of California, San Diego, he graduated from Dermatology Residency at the University of Southern California. Dr. Smogorzewski was recently recruited to the faculty at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and is engaged in various efforts to build the clinical and research effort in HS at Harbor and Southern California. His recent work investigating HS patient perspectives in social media reveals potential unmet needs expressed by HS patients including deficiencies in patient education, paucity of psychosocial support, delays to diagnosis, inadequate pain control, and treatment dissatisfaction.
Ron Birnbaum, MD received his medical degree from University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. After completing an internship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, he graduated from Dermatology Residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Passionate about the care of the underserved and specifically for those patients dealing with the frustrating lesions of HS, Dr. Birnbaum founded the HS specialty clinic at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in 2011 while he was also Chief of the Division of Dermatology. Dr. Birnbaum attends the HS specialty clinic on the 2nd Thursdays of the month which is also the main day for scheduled HS surgical interventions.
Contact information:
To make an appointment, please see your primary care physician for a referral to dermatology and request to a visit for Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
