“I have found it hugely rewarding to be able to build up a long term relationship and rapport with some of my patients, and nothing beats seeing them get better and flourishing.“
In recognition of his contributions to dermatological research and his commitment to advancing evidence-based care in inflammatory skin disease, we are excited to spotlight Dr Zenas Yiu as one of our touchDERMATOLOGY Future Leaders 2025.
Based at the University of Manchester, UK, Dr Zenas Yiu specialises in dermato-epidemiology and pharmacoepidemiology, with a focus on evaluating new treatments for chronic inflammatory skin diseases. He contributes to national clinical guidelines, supports health technology appraisals, and enjoys mentoring PhD students and clinical fellows as part of his academic leadership.
In this Q&A, Dr Yiu discusses the experiences that have shaped his academic and clinical career, the impact of his work in inflammatory skin disease, and the opportunities he sees for improving patient outcomes.
I was drawn to dermatology through clinical research projects involving the skin. The skin is a fascinating organ to study, not only because of the complex cutaneous molecular biology, but also due to the immense psychosocial impact of inflammatory skin conditions, and thus the importance of finding effective treatments for these life-ruining conditions. I saw the translational aspect of research have a direct impact on patients with skin conditions, which indiscriminately affects the young and the elderly, men and women, and people of all skin colours and cultural backgrounds. The fact that there is such variety in the presentation of skin diseases, combined with the satisfaction of seeing the benefits of treatment plans directly, led me to pursue a career in dermatology.
Meeting great mentors in dermatology was also a very important factor in my decision to pursue dermatology. I was very fortunate to be working as a junior doctor in Manchester, UK and to be able to benefit from the mentorship of Prof. Chris Griffiths (Emeritus Professor of Dermatology, University of Manchester, Adjunct Professor, King’s College London and a Consultant Dermatologist, King’s College Hospital). His way of thinking about dermatology, academia, and research, along with his vision for dermatology and his ability to influence and change practice inspired me to try and follow in his footsteps.
Dermatology is a very rewarding career and it’s difficult to pin down a single moment! Since becoming a consultant dermatologist, I have found it hugely rewarding to be able to build up a long term relationship and rapport with some of my patients, and nothing beats seeing them get better and flourishing.
I also find it immensely rewarding to be fortunate enough to have a clinical academic career spanning work in epidemiology, guidelines development, and technology appraisals, where I can see the impact of my work lead to changes in the overall evidence base and recommendations to improve the lives of people living with inflammatory skin conditions.
Although this is not dermatology specific, I regard the recent medical breakthroughs during the Covid-19 outbreak as one of the most exciting innovations I have seen in medicine in my lifetime. The way the medical academic community was able to respond so quickly to develop the Covid-19 vaccines and then to deliver such rapid, but robust large scale randomized controlled trials, to provide the efficacy and safety evidence to roll out the intervention within the matter of months was truly awe-inspiring. I look forward to seeing how some of these innovations in health technology development, research governance, and adaptive trial design can be applied to answer important questions in dermatology.
I am also keenly anticipating how the recent rapid innovations in artificial intelligence can be harnessed to safely help improve patient pathways and outcomes, enable better self-management for patients, and take away the mundane and repetitive tasks in medicine so that dermatologists can have more time to focus on the patients who truly need our support.
Disclosures: This short article was prepared by touchDERMATOLOGY in collaboration with Dr Yiu. No fees or funding were associated with its publication.
touchDERMATOLOGY is celebrating the brightest rising stars in the dermatology community, who are set to shape the future of the field.
Read more about the touchDERMATOLOGY Future Leaders 2025 here.
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