Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD is a professor and vice chair of dermatology for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. She holds joint roles as the director of the Multidisciplinary Cutaneous Oncology Program and the clinical director for the University of Arizona Cancer Center’s Skin Cancer Institute (SCI).
Prevention and early detection are essential in the fight against skin cancers, but when they occur, we rely on Arizona’s leading researchers and clinicians.
The SCI unites the UA Cancer Center’s many skin cancer prevention endeavors, bringing together innovative research, clinical care, education and community outreach.
Since joining the UA Cancer Center in 2005, Dr. Curiel has impressed her colleagues with her immense talent, tireless work ethic and overwhelming motivation to fight skin cancer.
“Throughout her career, Dr. Curiel has provided exceptional and compassionate care to patients, translated basic science into innovative clinical applications, led groundbreaking clinical trials and invented several technologies,” shared David Alberts, MD, founding director of the SCI. “Dr. Curiel’s career trajectory has always been remarkable, and we expect her to continue to reach new heights. In my more than 45 years in academic medicine, she is one of the most brilliant investigators with whom I have had the pleasure to work.”
Dr. Curiel’s research interests are in photobiology, early skin cancer detection, biomarker development and primary prevention. She has taken the initiative to address important clinical gaps in the skin cancer prevention field through the innovative design and effective execution of clinical studies.
“Dr. Curiel’s investigations into biomarkers for early skin cancer are essential for finding better methods for identifying those at risk for malignancy,” said Andrew Kraft, MD, director of the UA Cancer Center. “She is interested in combining relevant biomarker assessment with novel noninvasive monitoring tools, which is empowering dermatologists to harness cutting-edge technology to better serve patients.”
Dr. Curiel has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and has five patent applications. At the University of Arizona, she has trained more than 35 graduate and postdoctoral students. She has served as the principal investigator of 17 clinical trials, with the vast majority being investigator-initiated studies as part of the UA NCI/DCP Cancer Chemoprevention Consortium Agreement, P01 Skin Cancer Prevention studies and sponsored studies.
Photo: UA College of Medicine-Tucson
“Dr. Curiel has a deep commitment to bring every Arizonan access to skin cancer prevention, early detection and treatment at every stage of disease,” said Monica Kraft, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine. “She is a passionate clinician and investigator, and is also an engaged community spokesperson.”
Dr. Curiel is also the sponsor for novel IND indications for approved drugs in the skin cancer field.
“Dr. Curiel’s work is an excellent example of the value created through the combination of scientific and clinical research,” said Joan Koerber-Walker, president and CEO of AZBio. “Incidences of skin cancer are on the rise. This makes the work Dr. Curiel is doing for both cancer prevention and cancer treatment an important part of the fight against skin cancers.”
For her commitment to pushing the frontiers of science for the betterment of people in Arizona and around the world, Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD, was honored as the 2018 Arizona Bioscience Researcher of the Year.