April W. Armstrong

April W. Armstrong, MD, FAAD, MPH is a board-certified dermatologist and Associate Dean of Clinical Research at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and serves as Vice Chair, Director of Clinical Trials and Outcomes Research, and Director of the Psoriasis Program. She also serves as Director of Clinical Research for the Southern California Clinical and Translational Research Institute.

Dr. Armstrong obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School and completed dermatology residency at the Harvard Dermatology Residency Program. She also obtained a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health. Prior to joining faculty at USC, Dr. Armstrong served as Vice Chair, Director of Clinical Research, and Director of Psoriasis Program at dermatology departments at the University of California Davis and later at the University of Colorado.

Dr. Armstrong’s research focuses on the appropriate use of systemic agents, comparative effectiveness research, technology-enabled healthcare delivery, and comorbidities associated with inflammatory skin diseases. Dr. Armstrong has conducted studies examining how new therapies impact patients’ disease states, quality of life, and their access to medical care. She is also examining how technology-enabled healthcare delivery can be applied to manage patients with chronic dermatological diseases.

She is a federally funded investigator with extensive clinical trial experience, having led or collaborated on over 120 studies. She has authored over 250 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has been an editor for the top pharmacology textbook Principles of Pharmacology.

Dr. Armstrong has held multiple leadership positions at professional societies, serving as Chair of the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation, Councilor to the International Psoriasis Council and International Eczema Council, Steering Committee member for Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis, and Chair for Teledermatology Special Interest Group at the American Telemedicine Association. She also has served on multiple task forces and committees at the AAD. Dr. Armstrong also has also served on the editorial boards of JAMA Dermatology, Journal of the AAD, and Telemedicine and eHealth. She was also past President of Sacramento Valley Dermatologic Society.