Shamsha Damani is a seasoned healthcare professional with a strong track record of driving business growth. With over 20 years of experience, she has a diverse background in healthcare operations and business strategy. She has a Bachelor’s in Biology from the University of Houston, a Master’s in Library Science from the University of North Texas, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Rice University. Shamsha is currently a Department Administrator at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. In this role, she is responsible for fiscal and budgetary affairs, human resources management, grants and contracts administration, and other activities essential to the successful operation of the department. Shamsha is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Shamsha was diagnosed with alopecia areata (patchy) as a child. In 2013, she lost all her hair and quickly developed alopecia universalis. Having alopecia areata has a profound impact on one’s identity, though Shamsha decided to heal by being of service to others with the disease. She is a NAAF Support Group Leader in Houston and a member of the Health and Research Ambassador (HARA) program. Brett King is an associate professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine. He pioneered the use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in dermatology, and his work revealed the utility of this class of medicines for the treatment of alopecia areata (AA) in addition to other conditions. This work paved the way for development of the first reliably effective therapies for AA. He was recently named an American Academy of Dermatology Patient Care Hero for his work. Notably, Brett is married to Britt Craiglow, a pediatric dermatologist who is widely known for her care of adolescents and children with AA and their families. Together, Dr. King and Dr. Craiglow have advanced the care of patients of all ages with AA and are deeply committed to this community. Dr. King received his B.A. at the University of California at Santa Cruz, his Ph.D. from Stanford University, and his M.D. from Yale University School of Medicine. He completed medical internship at Massachusetts General Hospital and dermatology residency at Yale University School of Medicine.
