Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, MSCI, FAAD

Dr. Raj Chovatiya is an Associate Professor at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School and Founder and Director of the Center for Medical Dermatology + Immunology Research in Chicago, Illinois. His clinical and research focus includes the intersection of cutaneous immunology and inflammatory disease. He received his MD and PhD in immunology from Yale and completed his residency, postdoctoral research fellowship, and MS in Clinical Investigation at Northwestern University, where he also served as Chief Resident.

As a board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Chovatiya has a particular interest in optimizing patient-centered care, understanding chronic disease burden especially in understudied inflammatory diseases, exploring health and social disparities, and improving care across diverse skin types. He has published numerous abstracts and manuscripts and has been nationally and internationally recognized for his contributions as a clinician, educator, researcher, and leader. 

At Chicago Medical School, Dr. Chovatiya has been a research mentor for dozens of students interested in dermatology and serves as a formal mentor for MCUR 618 (summer research elective), MFSH 600 (second year research elective), MFSH 700 (third year research elective), and MFSH 800 (fourth year research elective). He has developed and serves as director for MDER 600 (Introductory Dermatology), an elective course offered for second year medical students.

Dr. Chovatiya is also the Faculty Advisor for the Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC) Dermatology Service, a student-led multidisciplinary pro-bono clinic. Dr. Chovatiya's dedication to teaching and mentorship is widely recognized at RFUMS, and he has been honored with the CMS Excellence in Clinical Education Award.

Professional Background and Recognition

Education

• M.S. in Clinical Investigation (MSCI): Northwestern University
• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (NIH T32 NRSA): Northwestern University
• Dermatology Residency: Northwestern University
• Internal Medicine Internship: Yale University
• Medical Degree (MD): Yale University
• Graduate Degrees (MS, MPhil, PhD): Yale University
• Undergraduate Degree (BS): University of Pittsburgh

Honors

• CMS Excellence in Clinical Education Award | Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
• Castle Connolly Top Doctor
• ScholarGPS Top Scholar
• Helio Honoree
• Global Rising Star 40 Under 40 | World Congress of Dermatology
• LEO Foundation Grant | International Societies of Investigative Dermatology
• ASA Research Scholar Award | American Skin Association
• Imrich Sarkany Memorial Award | European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology
• Everett C. Fox, MD Memorial Lecture Award | American Academy of Dermatology
• Goldberg Family Charitable Trust Award | Northwestern Memorial Foundation
• Rising Derm Stars Award | Foundation for Research and Education in Dermatology

Publications

Full Listing of Publications

Raj Chovatiya's Publications on PubMed

Selected Publications

• Silverberg JI, de Bruin-Weller M, Ortiz de Frutos J, Silvestre JF, Esparza B, Myers DE, Biswas P, Hernández-Martín I, Güler E, Mikheil M, Chovatiya R. Efficacy of abrocitinib and dupilumab in itch-dominant atopic dermatitis: An analysis of 2 trials. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2026 Feb 17. doi: 10.1111/jdv.70362. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41700643.
• Chalupczak N, Li C, Chang CH, Woo D, Polaskey MT, Manson J, Chovatiya R. Prevalence of atopic comorbidities in prurigo nodularis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2026 Feb 10. doi: 10.1111/jdv.70355. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41665154.
• Silverberg JI, Cohen D, Guttman-Yassky E, Eichenfield LF, Simpson EL, Armstrong A, Yu J, Stein-Gold L, Ehst BD, Begolka WS, Bunick CG, Chovatiya R. Expert Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Hand Eczema in the United States. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2026 Feb 8. doi: 10.1007/s40257-026-01008-3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41655167.
• Chang CH, Devine M, Woo D, Hopkins T, Torres T, Chovatiya R. Past, Present, and Future of Sodium Hypochlorite in Dermatology: A Scoping Review. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2025 Dec 22. doi: 10.1007/s40257-025-00999-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41428161.
• Chovatiya R, Armstrong A, Kircik L, Puig L, Kirchhof MG, Torres T, Binamer Y, Duarte G, Akmaz B, Dossenbach M, Gallo G, Yang C, Seminario-Vidal L, Ding Y, Silverberg JI. Short-Term Efficacy of Lebrikizumab Versus Dupilumab in Combination with Topical Corticosteroids in Adults with Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis: Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparison. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2026 Feb;16(2):1025-1040. doi: 10.1007/s13555-025-01620-x. Epub 2025 Dec 20. PMID: 41420795; PMCID: PMC12936302.
• Guttman-Yassky E, Kabashima K, Worm M, Luna PC, Hong HC, Chovatiya R, Bernstein JA, Kern JS, Ehst BD, Magnolo N, Herranz-Pinto P, Stein Gold L, Sofen H, Pink AE, Esfandiari E, Arai T, Yang Y, Shi R, Barragan C, Kricorian G, Schwartz-Sagi L, Bissonnette R. Efficacy and safety of rocatinlimab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in ROCKET-IGNITE and ROCKET-HORIZON: two global, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised phase 3 clinical trials. Lancet. 2026 Jan 3;407(10523):53-66. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01865-3. Epub 2025 Nov 25. Erratum in: Lancet. 2026 Jan 3;407(10523):30. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)02603-0. PMID: 41314226.
• Cohen D, Bewley A, Wollenberg A, Hong HC, Armstrong A, Jonsen E, Maslin D, Thoning H, von Eyben R, Chovatiya R. Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparison of the Efficacy of Delgocitinib Cream and Dupilumab in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Atopic Hand Eczema. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2026 Jan;16(1):423-436. doi: 10.1007/s13555-025-01592-y. Epub 2025 Nov 15. PMID: 41240207; PMCID: PMC12872990.
• Chen J, Li C, Chang CH, Polaskey MT, Chovatiya R. Prevalence and Severity of Mental Health Symptoms With Seborrheic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Dermatol. 2026 Mar;65(3):572-574. doi: 10.1111/ijd.17930. Epub 2025 Jun 30. PMID: 40588779; PMCID: PMC12892163.
• Mense SA, Maher S, Chovatiya R. A Practical Approach to Chronic Hand Eczema. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2025 Jul;15(7):1953-1971. doi: 10.1007/s13555-025-01433-y. Epub 2025 May 18. PMID: 40382744; PMCID: PMC12126400.
• Chovatiya R, Hawkes JE, DiRuggiero D, Pansch LA, Simcox E, Gonzalez T. Type 2 Inflammation and Its Role in Dermatologic Diseases. Int J Dermatol. 2025 Jun;64(6):978-991. doi: 10.1111/ijd.17707. Epub 2025 Mar 22. PMID: 40119613; PMCID: PMC12082622.
• Chovatiya R, Ribero S, Wollenberg A, Park CO, Silvestre JF, Hong HC, Seneschal J, Saeki H, Thyssen JP, Øland CB, Gjerum L, Maslin D, Blauvelt A. Long-Term Disease Control and Minimal Disease Activity of Head and Neck Atopic Dermatitis in Patients Treated with Tralokinumab up to 4 Years. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2025 Jul;26(4):587-601. doi: 10.1007/s40257-025-00931-1. Epub 2025 Mar 14. PMID: 40085349; PMCID: PMC12227490.
• Silverberg JI, Rosmarin D, Chovatiya R, Bieber T, Schleicher S, Beck L, Gooderham M, Chaudhry S, Fanton C, Yu D, Levy J, Liu Y, Miyazaki T, Tagliaferri M, Schmitz C, Nirula A, Kotzin B, Zalevsky J. The regulatory T cell-selective interleukin-2 receptor agonist rezpegaldesleukin in the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases: two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1b trials. Nat Commun. 2024 Oct 25;15(1):9230. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-53384-1. PMID: 39455575; PMCID: PMC11511931.
• Polaskey MT, Chovatiya R. Moving beyond biology: the critical role of social and structural determinants in atopic dermatitis. Int J Dermatol. 2025 Feb;64(2):272-281. doi: 10.1111/ijd.17491. Epub 2024 Sep 16. PMID: 39282860; PMCID: PMC11771561.
• Polaskey MT, Chang CH, Daftary K, Fakhraie S, Miller CH, Chovatiya R. The Global Prevalence of Seborrheic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Dermatol. 2024 Aug 1;160(8):846-855. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.1987. PMID: 38958996; PMCID: PMC11223058.
• Quan VL, Erickson T, Daftary K, Chovatiya R. Atopic Dermatitis Across Shades of Skin. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2023 Sep;24(5):731-751. doi: 10.1007/s40257-023-00797-1. Epub 2023 Jun 19. PMID: 37336869.
• Erickson T, Daftary K, Quan VL, Chovatiya R. Capturing the Diversity of Dermatology-What's in a Name? Am J Clin Dermatol. 2023 Sep;24(5):675-680. doi: 10.1007/s40257-023-00800-9. Epub 2023 Jun 16. PMID: 37328613.
• Chovatiya R. Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema). JAMA. 2023 Jan 17;329(3):268. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.21457. PMID: 36648466; PMCID: PMC10190158.
• Chovatiya R, Silverberg JI. DESCRIBE-AD: A novel classification framework for atopic dermatitis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2022 Sep;87(3):541-550. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2021.10.058. Epub 2021 Nov 10. PMID: 34774658; PMCID: PMC10119387.
• Chovatiya R, Lei D, Ahmed A, Chavda R, Gabriel S, Silverberg JI. Clinical phenotyping of atopic dermatitis using combined itch and lesional severity: A prospective observational study. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021 Jul;127(1):83-90.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2021.03.019. Epub 2021 Apr 2. PMID: 33819616.
• Chovatiya R, Medzhitov R. Stress, inflammation, and defense of homeostasis. Mol Cell. 2014 Apr 24;54(2):281-8. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2014.03.030. PMID: 24766892; PMCID: PMC4048989.