Andrea Kalus
Associate Professor
Division of Dermatology
Co-Director, Rheumatology-Dermatology Clinic at the University of Washington
Director, Phototherapy Unit
MD, UWMC-Roosevelt
Related Links: 
UW Medicine
Cascade College

Faculty Information

Biography

Dr. Andrea Kalus, co-directs the Rheumatology-Dermatology Clinic at the UW Roosevelt Clinic.  Her clinical practice focuses on autoimmune diseases, complex medical dermatology and phototherapy.  Dr. Kalus earned her M.D. at the University of Washington.  She completed residency training in both internal medicine and dermatology serving as a chief resident for both. 

She is the Pathway Director for the Humanities and the Arts Pathway, a 4 year elective for medical students exploring the intersection of the humanities disciplines and medicine.  In collaboration with a museum educator, she teaches observation skills using the visual exploration of original art objects.  She teaches medical students at all levels of training and supervises and mentors residents throughout their three years of dermatology training.   She was selected by the residents for a teaching award in 2010 and received the UW Excellence in Mentoring Award in 2017.

Dr. Kalus partners with multidisciplinary research teams to study lupus, dermatomyositis and skin manifestations of systemic disease.  

She is the immediate past president (2020) and current member of the Washington State Dermatology Association, as well as member of the Association of Professors of Dermatology, Rheumatology Dermatology Society, American Academy of Dermatology.  She supports her local community through volunteering and advocacy at the state and national level.

Education & Training: 
MD
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle WA
1999
Internal Medicine Residency
University of Washington
Seattle WA
1999-2002
Clinician Teacher Fellow in Internal Medicine
2002-2003
Dermatology Residency
University of Washington
Seattle WA
2003-2006
B.S. in Chemistry and Biology
George Fox College
Newburg OR
1993
Honors: 
UW Medicine Excellence in Mentoring Award
2017
John E. Olerud Resident Teaching Award
2010
Contact
Mailing Address: 

To make an appointment with Dr. Kalus, visit the UW Medicine website.

Research & Clinical Interests
Research Interests: 
  • Partnering with multidisciplinary research teams to investigate lupus, dermatomyositis and skin changes in patients with systemic disease.
  • Understanding cell specific responses to UV light in lupus
  • Understanding skin response to insulin infusion in diabetes
  • Clinical trial of Baricitinib in dermatomyositis
Clinical Interests: 
  • Medical Dermatology requiring systemic therapy
  • Connective Tissue Diseases
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Cutaneous Lupus
  • Eosinophilic fasciitis
  • Morphea
  • Mastocytosis
  • Vasculitis
  • Psoriasis
  • Phototherapy
  • Novel dermatology care options in underserved areas locally and globally 
Publications
PubMed: 
PubMed Bibliography
Publications: 

Selected Publications

Kalus, A. (2015) Rheumatologic skin disease. Med Clin N Amer. 2015 Nov;99(6):1287-303. 

Sladjana Skopelja-Gardner, Jie An, Joyce Tai, Lena Tanaka, Xizhang Sun, Payton Hermanson, Masaoki Kawasumi, Richard Green, Michael Gale, Andrea Kalus, Victoria P. Werth, Keith B. Elkon. (2020) The early local and systemic Type I interferon responses to ultraviolet B light exposure are cGAS dependent. Sci Rep 2020 May 13;10(1):7908

Moriarty N, Alam M, Kalus A, O’Connor K. (2019). Current understanding and approach to delusional infestation. Am J Med. Dec;132(12):1401-1409

Falsey, RR, Kinzer, MH, Hurst S, Kalus A, Pottinger PS, Duchin JS, Zhang J, Noble-Wang J, Shinohara MM. (2013) Cutaneous inoculation of nontuberculous mycobacteria during professional tattooing: a case series and epidemiologic study. Clin Infect Dis. Sep;57(6):e143-7.

Keller JJ, Tavakkol Z, Kalus A. (2011) Rare and deadly. Am J Med.  Jan 124(1):32-4.

Kalus AA, Fredericks LP, Hacker BM, Dommisch H, Presland RB, Kimball JR, Dale BA. (2009) Association of a genetic polymorphism (-44 C/G SNP) in the human DEFB1 gene with expression and inducibility of multiple beta-defensins in gingival keratinocytes. BMC Oral Health. Aug 27;9:21.

Stetsenko G, McFarlane R, Kalus A, Olerud J, Cherian S, Fromm J, George E, Argenyi Z (2008).  CD4+/CD56+ hematodermic neoplasm: a report of a rare variant with a T-cell receptor gene rearrangement.  J Cutaneous Pathology 2008 Jun;35(6):579-84