Abstract:
Oral lichen planus (OLP), especially its more severe erosive and inflammatory variants, can be challenging to treat and have a tremendous impact on a patient's quality of life. Currently, our understanding regarding the etiology of OLP remains nascent, but cutaneous allergy, frequently to metals, is a well-known and long-standing observation. However, less is known about the frequency of other allergens or the impact on allergen avoidance on disease severity. At our institution we routinely patch and prick-test patients with recalcitrant OLP and recently have explored connections between cutaneous allergy and later diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma, the prevalence of a wide swath of cutaneous allergens, and the impact of allergen avoidance in these cases.
Biography:
Dr. Hopkins completed medical school at the University of Utah in 2018. Afterwards he completed his preliminary medicine intern year at the University of Utah (2018-2019) and dermatology residency at Broward Health in Fort Lauderdale Florida (2019-2022). He then joined the faculty at the University of Utah for a 1-year fellowship in autoimmune and complex medical dermatology. Dr. Hopkins is a clinician-scientist and his lab focuses on better understanding the epidemiology and treatment of autoimmune skin disease, how to best integrate patient-reported outcomes into clinical care of these patients, and how diet and nutrition can impact inflammatory and autoimmune skin disease. He has published more than 32 articles and recently received a Dermatology Foundation Career Development Award in Public Health for his proposed work utilizing patient-reported outcomes to better remotely monitor patients with autoimmune skin disease between clinic visits.
