Maija Kiuru, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Clinical Dermatology and Pathology

Vice Chair of Academic Affairs, Department of Dermatology

"My goal is to provide outstanding and comprehensive dermatologic care for my patients. I understand the tremendous impact skin diseases can have on physical and mental health and strive for compassionate and thoughtful care. I specialize in two aspects of dermatology, seeing patients and examining skin biopsies under the microscope. With this background, I provide a thorough yet practical approach to patient care. My special interest is in hereditary skin diseases, tumor syndromes and melanoma."

Besides her medical education, Kiuru received her doctorate degree in medical genetics. Her doctoral dissertation research identified an inherited genetic defect causing a syndrome with skin tumors, uterine fibroids, and kidney cancer. She continued to pursue her research interests in genetic medicine as a post-doctoral research fellow at Weill Cornell Medical College and at Columbia University, studying hereditary skin blistering and hair and nail disorders. She completed her internship and dermatology residency training at Weill Cornell Medical Center. Following her residency training, she completed a fellowship in dermatopathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College.

Kiuru’s research interests include genetic alterations in skin tumors and familial skin diseases. She leads a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research group and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, review articles and book chapters, and has lectured at many national and international meetings. She is also a voting member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Melanoma Panel. In addition to patient care and research, her passion is teaching and mentoring. Some of her most recent awards include Outstanding Mentor in Dermatology by the Dermatology Interest Group Association and the UC Davis Department of Dermatology Faculty Teaching Award.

Medical Education: University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, M.D., Ph.D.

Internships: Weill Cornell Medical Center, General Surgery

Residency: Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dermatology

Fellowships: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, Dermatopathology

Board Certifications: Dermatology and Dermatopathology

See a complete list of publications »

Love NR, Williams C, Killingbeck EE, Merleev A, Saffari Doost M, Yu L, McPherson JD, Mori H, Borowsky AD, Maverakis E, Kiuru M. Melanoma progression and prognostic models drawn from single-cell, spatial maps of benign and malignant tumors. Sci Adv. 2024 Jul 12;10(28):eadm8206. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adm8206. Epub 2024 Jul 12. PubMed PMID: 38996022; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11244543.

Kiuru M, Kriner MA, Wong S, Zhu G, Terrell JR, Li Q, Hoang M, Beechem J, McPherson JD. High-Plex Spatial RNA Profiling Reveals Cell Type‒Specific Biomarker Expression during Melanoma Development. J Invest Dermatol. 2022 May;142(5):1401-1412.e20. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2021.06.041. Epub 2021 Oct 23. PubMed PMID: 34699906; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9714472.

Ellis SR, Vierra AT, Millsop JW, Lacouture ME, Kiuru M. Dermatologic toxicities to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: A review of histopathologic features. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020 Oct;83(4):1130-1143. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2020.04.105. Epub 2020 Apr 29. 

Toussi A, Mans N, Welborn J, Kiuru M. Germline mutations predisposing to melanoma. J Cutan Pathol. 2020 Jul;47(7):606-616. doi: 10.1111/cup.13689. 

Toussi A, Barton VR, Le ST, Agbai ON, Kiuru M. Psychosocial and psychiatric comorbidities and health-related quality of life in alopecia areata: A systematic review. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021 Jul;85(1):162-175. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2020.06.047. Epub 2020 Jun 17. PubMed PMID: 32561373; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8260215.

Kiuru M, Busam KJ. The NF1 gene in tumor syndromes and melanoma. Lab Invest. 2017 2017 Feb;97(2):146-157. Kiuru M, Jungbluth A, Kutzner H, Wiesner T, Busam KJ. Spitz Tumors - Comparison of Histologic Features In Relationship to Immunohistochemical Staining for ALK and NTRK1. Int J Surg Pathol. 2016 May;24(3):200-6.

Wiesner T, Kiuru M, Scott SN, Arcila M, Halpern AC, Hollmann T, Berger MF, Busam KJ. NF1 Mutations Are Common in Desmoplastic Melanoma. Am J Surg Pathol. 2015 Oct;39(10):1357-62.

Kiuru M, Kurban M, Itoh M, Petukhova L, Shimomura Y, Wajid M, Christiano AM. Hereditary leukonychia, or porcelain nails, resulting from mutations in PLCD1. Am J Hum Genet. 2011 Jun 10;88(6):839-44.

Itoh M,Kiuru M, Cairo MS, Christiano AM. Generation of keratinocytes from normal and recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa-induced pluripotent stem cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 May 24;108(21):8797-802.

Eng C, Kiuru M, Fernandez MJ, Aaltonen LA. A role for mitochondrial enzymes in inherited neoplasia and beyond. Nat Rev Cancer. 2003 Mar; 3(3): 193-202.

The Multiple Leiomyoma Consortium: Group 1: Tomlinson IP, et al., Group 2: Bevan S, et al., Group 3: Kiuru M, et al. Germline mutations in FH predispose to dominantly inherited uterine fibroids, skin leiomyomata and papillary renal cell cancer. Nat Genet. 2002, Apr; 30(4):406-410.

Kiuru M, Launonen V, Hietala M, Aittomaki K, Vierimaa O, Salovaara R, Arola J, Pukkala E, Sistonen P, Herva R, Aaltonen LA. Familial cutaneous leiomyomatosis is a two-hit condition associated with renal cell cancer of characteristic histopathology. Am J Pathol. 2001, Sep; 159(3):825-829.

Launonen V, Vierimaa O,Kiuru M, Isola J, Roth S, Pukkala E, Sistonen P, Herva R, Aaltonen LA. Inherited susceptibility to uterine leiomyomas and renal cell cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001, Mar; 98(6):3387-3392.