Rie Yotsu, MD, MIPH, DTM&H, PhD

Rie Yotsu is a dermatologist, and with her interest in global health, has cultivated her expertise in skin infections. She especially has longstanding track record of her contributions to the field of skin-related neglected tropical diseases, or the ‘skin NTDs’. Skin NTDs is a set of NTDs which manifest with skin symptoms, such as leprosy, Buruli ulcer, yaws, lymphatic filariasis, mycetoma, and scabies. She has acted as one of the pioneers in promoting skin NTD integration aiming at better disease control through resource and opportunity sharing, also was the author of the recently published skin NTDs framework - a first document by WHO on skin NTDs, putting skin health to the global agenda.

Her research focus has been on the epidemiology, surveillance, and management of skin NTDs, especially recently, through the use of digital health tools. She has developed an innovative digital health tool, the ‘eSkinHealth’ app, to bring healthcare closer to where people affected by skin NTDs live in low- and middle-income countries. She also works on innovations for diagnosis and treatment of skin NTDs, wound care, and stigma and discrimination associated with skin diseases.

She has multiple functions in the global community from acting as a consultant for WHO, editorships in multiple journals, and leadership roles in dermatological or NTD-related groups. Prior to joining the faculty at Tulane, she was an assistant professor at the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Japan. She received her Master and PhD in international health from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the University of Tokyo, respectively.

Her vision is to contribute to achieving Skin Health for All as a part of universal health coverage.