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

"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 the 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, Dr. 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 did 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.

Dr. Kiuru’s research interests include genetic alterations in skin tumors and familial skin diseases. Dr. Kiuru leads an 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. In addition to patient care and research, her passion is teaching and mentoring. Some of her most recent awards include Dermatology Foundation Career Development Award in Dermatopathology and UC Davis Department of Dermatology Faculty Teaching Award.

Title: Associate Professor of Clinical Dermatology and Pathology

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

Select Publications:

1. Terrell JR, Rybak I, Lyu Y, Konia T, Fung MA, Qi L, Kiuru M. The influence of p16 immunohistochemistry on diagnosis and management recommendation of melanocytic neoplasms by dermatopathologists: A prospective study. J Cutan Pathol. 2020 Oct 25;. doi: 10.1111/cup.13907. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33103266; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8068733.
2. 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. Review. 
3. 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. 
4. 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. 2020 Jun 17;. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2020.06.047. [Epub ahead of print] Review. 
5. Kiuru M, Urban J, Zhu G, Rybak I, Terrell JR, Qi L, McPherson JD, Marghoob AA, Rauen KA. RAS pathway influences the number of melanocytic nevi in cardiofaciocutaneous and Costello syndromes. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020 May;82(5):1091-1093.
6. Urban J, Qi L, Zhao H, Rybak I, Rauen KA, Kiuru M. Comparison of hair manifestations in cardio-facio-cutaneous and Costello syndromes highlights the influence of the RAS pathway on hair growth. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2020 Mar;34(3):601-607. 
7. Kiuru M, Tartar DM, Qi L, Chen D, Yu L, Konia T, McPherson JD, Murphy WJ, Fung MA. Improving classification of melanocytic nevi: Association of BRAF V600E expression with distinct histomorphologic features. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018 Aug;79(2):221-229. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2018.03.052. 
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Geyer MB, Radhakrishnan K, Giller R, Umegaki N, Harel S, Kiuru M, Morel KD, LeBoeuf N, Kandel J, Bruckner A, Fabricatore S, Chen M, Woodley D, McGrath J, Baxter-Lowe L, Uitto J, Christiano AM, Cairo MS. Reduced Toxicity Conditioning and Allogeneic Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Transplantation for Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa. J Pediatr. 2015 Sep;167(3):765-769.
11. DeStefano GM, Kurban M, Anyane-Yeboa K, Dall'Armi C, Di Paolo G, Feenstra H, Silverberg N, Rohena L, López-Cepeda LD, Jobanputra V, Fantauzzo KA,Kiuru M, Tadin-Strapps M, Sobrino A, Vitebsky A, Warburton D, Levy B, Salas-Alanis JC, Christiano AM. Mutations in the cholesterol transporter gene ABCA5 are associated with excessive hair overgrowth. PLoS Genet. 2014 May 15;10(5):e1004333.
12. Kiuru M, McDermott G, Berger M, Halpern AC, Busam K. Desmoplastic Melanoma with Sarcomatoid De-differentiation. Am J Surg Pathol. 2014 Jun;38(6):864-70.
13. Kiuru M, McDermott G, Coit D, Berger M, Busam KJ. Basal cell carcinosarcoma with PTCH1 mutations in both epithelial and sarcomatoid primary tumor components as well as in the sarcomatoid metastasis. Am J Surg Pathol. 2014 Jan;38(1):138-42.
14. Kiuru M, Martinez-Mir A, Christiano AM. Basic principles of genetics. In Bolognia J, Jorizzo J, Schaffer J (Ed.), Dermatology, 3rd ed (pp. 783-798). Elsevier. 2012.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. Kiuru M, Itoh M, Cairo MS, Christiano AM. Bone marrow stem cell therapy for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Dermatol Clin. 2010 Apr;28(2):371-82, xii-xiii.
18. Kiuru M, Hidaka C, Hubner RH, Krause A, Leopold PL, Crystal RG. Sonic Hedgehog Expands Diaphyseal Trabecular Bone Altering Bone Marrow Niche and Lymphocyte Compartment. Mol Ther. 2009 Aug;17(8):1442-52.
19. Kiuru M, Boyer J, O’Connor TP, Crystal RG. Control of wayward stem cells after transplantation. Cell Stem Cell 2009. 4(4): 289 – 300.
20. Vanharanta S, Buchta M, McWhinney SR, Virta SK, Peczkowska M, Morrison CD, Lehtonen R, Januszewicz A, Jarvinen H, Juhola M, Mecklin JP, Pukkala E, Herva R,Kiuru M, Nupponen NN, Aaltonen LA, Neumann HP, Eng C. Early-onset renal cell carcinoma as a novel extraparaganglial component of SDHB-associated heritable paraganglioma. Am J Hum Genet. 2004 Jan; 74(1): 153-159.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.