SUMMARY
Dawn Marie R. Davis, M.D., is an expert in inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, known as eczema, psoriasis and neurovascular disorders, such as erythromelalgia and Bier anemic spots, cyanosis, and urticaria-like eruption (BASCULE) syndrome. Dr. Davis is a subspecialist, with specific expertise on skin health during pregnancy and in children. She works with colleagues at Mayo Clinic and other nationally and internationally renowned experts. These experts are in pediatrics, dermatology, allergy, vascular medicine, neurology, anesthesiology and psychiatry. Dr. Davis and her associates help people, particularly children and pregnant women, with the management of complex skin diseases to improve their health and quality of life.
Dr. Davis focuses her research efforts on understanding the mechanisms of skin disease and how skin disease relates to the overall health of the individual. These studies include individualized genetic differences and how they impact skin function and healing, how effective various treatments are used for skin disease, and how skin disease impacts quality of life.
Focus areas
- Comorbidities in inflammatory skin disease. Dr. Davis studies which common and rare diseases occur with atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, how one condition and its treatment impact other diseases, and the overall health of the individual.
- Personalized skin profiling. Dr. Davis studies the unique genetic composition of a person's skin, and the microbes individuals tend to host on the skin and how that impacts the location, severity and effective treatment options for skin disease.
- Neurovascular function in the skin. Dr. Davis studies the connections between nerves and blood vessels in the skin to determine how to maintain a healthy circuit between these two structures. She studies how overcommunication, miscommunication, or absence of communication leads to chronic and debilitating skin disease.
- Immune-mediated skin disease in pregnancy. Dr. Davis studies how immune system cells react in the skin during pregnancy to cause inflammation. Some of the conditions can impact pregnancy and also the health of the fetus during pregnancy and after delivery.
Significance to patient care
The skin is the largest body organ and is continually regenerating. There are many parts in the skin that keep its integrity, allowing the skin to serve as a barrier between the body and the environment. Many actions can interfere with regular skin function, including inflammation and damage to the nerves, blood vessels and epidermis, which is made up of superficial skin cells.
Dr. Davis' research uses up-to-date and unique testing models to find skin differences that differentiate healthy from unhealthy skin. She is one of the first dermatologists to describe erythromelalgia, which is redness, warmth and burning skin pain, and BASCULE syndrome in children. She worked with collaborators to publish the first national guidelines on the management of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis in children.
Professional highlights
- American Medical Association:
- Member, house of delegates, pediatric dermatology, 2024-present.
- Member, specialty and service society, pediatric dermatology, 2020-present.
- Member, Boston Children's Hospital Pediatric Erythromelalgia Consortium, 2023-present.
- Associate editor, Pediatric Dermatology, 2019-present.
- Member, Question Writing and Examination Committee, American Board of Dermatology, 2024-2026.
- American Academy of Dermatology:
- Co-chair, Atopic Dermatitis Guidelines Committee, 2020-2025.
- Member, Practice Management Committee, 2016-2019.
- Member, Psoriasis Guidelines Committee, 2017-2019.
- Presidential Citation Award, 2015.
- Member, Atopic Dermatitis Guidelines Committee, 2011-2012.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities Midwest MN/WI/IA:
- Chair, fundraiser, 2023-2025.
- Member, Strategic Planning Committee, 2020-2023.
- Member, Nominations Committee, 2017-2022.
- Member, board of directors, 2015-2020.
- President, 2018-2019.
- Grant, atopic dermatitis and regenerative medicine, Skoll Foundation, 2022-2024.
- Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance:
- Member, Nominations Committee, 2015-2023.
- Member, Grant Review Committee, 2016-2018.
- Society for Pediatric Dermatology:
- Chair, Nominations Committee, 2020-2023.
- Member, Executive Committee, 2012-2021.
- President, 2018-2019.
- Chair, annual meeting, 2016.
- National Eczema Association:
- Member, Grant Review Committee, 2018-2021.
- Member, Coalition United for Better Eczema Care, 2015.