Cory

Simpson

MD

PhD

Appointments

UW Medical Center – Roosevelt Dermatology Center

Biography

Dr. Cory Simpson is a board-certified dermatologist at UW Medical Center's Roosevelt Dermatology Clinic and an Associate Professor and Researcher in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Washington. A native of Granite City, Illinois, Dr. Simpson received his MD and PhD in Cell Biology from Northwestern University in Chicago, with his doctoral thesis focused on the role of desmosomal cadherins in epidermal differentiation and skin disease. After his residency in dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Simpson spent several years as a Clinical Instructor at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia. There, he built a subspecialty clinic focused on patients with inherited and autoimmune bullous disorders, which continues to be his focus at UW. Dr. Simpson’s clinical expertise includes skin blistering diseases such as pemphigus and pemphigoid as well as genetic skin barrier disorders such as ichthyoses, Darier disease, and Hailey-Hailey disease.

Dr. Simpson launched a research laboratory at the University of Washington in 2021 to study epidermal differentiation and how it is compromised in dermatologic disease. The Simpson Lab focuses on the role of autophagy and organelle degradation in human keratinocytes and how these cellular pathways drive maturation and homeostasis of the epidermal tissue. Using an organotypic model of human skin coupled with advanced microscopy, his lab can visualize the live tissue at the level of single organelles to better understand how the epidermis forms and how disease-associated mutations disrupt the tissue. Ultimately, the Simpson Lab aims to identify novel treatment strategies to promote epidermal tissue regeneration after skin injuries and to restore skin barrier function in inherited and currently incurable dermatologic diseases.

Dr. Simpson’s research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the Dermatology Foundation, the American Skin Association, the National Psoriasis Foundation, and the Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types (FIRST).

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Education & Training

Post-doctoral Fellowship in Cutaneous Biology, Dept. of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA (2016-2021)

Residency in Dermatology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (2013-2016)

Internship in Internal Medicine, University of Chicago, NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, IL (2012-2013)

PhD, Cell Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL (2005-2010)

MD, Medical Scientist Training Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL (2003-2012)

BA in Biology, Minor in Spanish (Summa Cum Laude), Washington University, St. Louis, MO (1999-2003)

Honors

Directors’ Award, Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin (2025)

Rising Star, World Congress on Rare Skin Diseases (2024)

Young Physician-Scientist Award, American Society for Clinical Investigation (2024)

Physician-Scientist Support Foundation Fellowship Mentor (2023-24)

Emerging Leader, Dept. of Medicine, University of Washington (2023)

Outstanding Research Mentor Award, University of Washington School of Medicine (2022, 2023, and 2024)

Patient Care Hero Award for Clinical Volunteerism, American Academy of Dermatology (2019)

Presidential Citation for Teledermatology Outreach, American Academy of Dermatology (2019)

World Congress of Dermatology Scholarship, American Academy of Dermatology (2019)

Mentoring Grant, Diversity Mentorship Program, American Academy of Dermatology (2019)

Research Interests

 

Dr. Simpson’s research focuses on the skin, which serves as a protective shield between the human body and its environment. The Simpson Lab uses advanced microscopy, gene editing, and organoid epidermis to understand the biology of skin cells called keratinocytes. The goal of his research program is to determine the mechanisms by which keratinocytes regenerate skin tissue and how this biology is compromised in dermatologic diseases. Dr. Simpson's research group builds models of rare genetic skin blistering diseases and epidermal differentiation disorders in the lab to help find new treatments for patients.

Clinical Interests

Dr. Simpson’s clinical expertise includes autoimmune blistering diseases such as pemphigus and pemphigoid, genetic blistering diseases like Darier disease, Hailey-Hailey disease, and epidermolysis bullosa, as well as inherited epidermal differentiation disorders like ichthyoses and keratodermas.

Publications

 

Selected Publications

Lhamo S, Bharathan NK, Giang W, Levental KR, Simpson CL, Zimmer S, Saba T, Beaucousin J, Heuze ML, Kowalczyk AP (2026): Cadherin Regulation of Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Contact Sites. Cell Reports, 45(7):117608. [PMID:42364104]

Zhou MH, Stirrat TP, Edminister JR, Elston DM, Jorizzo J, Motaparthi K, Nouri K, Simpson CL, Lipner SR (2026): Acantholytic disorders: Update on pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 95(1):138-147. [PMID:41730429]

Simpson CL: Leveraging gene-edited cells in organotypic models to discover therapeutic strategies for orphan skin diseases. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 146(6):1691-3. [PMID:41644083]

Rudd JC, Smits JPH, Kuwong PT, Johnson RE, Monga LMN, van Vlijmen-Willems I, Porter GL, Halloran PO, Sharma K, Schmidt K, Kumar V, Madson JG, Sarkar MK, van den Bogaard E, Grunkemeyer JA, Gudjonsson JE, Wong SY, Simpson CL, Hansen LA (2025): Flower directs apically polarized trafficking of lamellar bodies to establish the epidermal barrier. Nature Communications, 16(1):6892. [PMID:40715079]

Harmon RM, Ayers JL, Kowalczyk AP, Green KJ, Simpson CL (2025): Pumping the Breaks on Acantholytic Skin Disorders: Targeting Calcium Pumps, Desmosomes and Downstream Signaling in Darier, Hailey-Hailey, and Grover Disease. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 145(3):494-508. [PMID:39207315]

Simpson CL +, Tiwaa A, Zaver SA, Johnson CJ, Chu EY, Harms PW, Gudjonsson JE (2024): ERK hyperactivation in epidermal keratinocytes impairs intercellular adhesion and drives Grover disease pathology. (+First/corresponding author) Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight, 9(21):e182983. [PMID:39325541]

Nathans JF, Ayers JL, Shendure J, Simpson CL (2024): Genetic Tools for Cell Lineage Tracing and Profiling Developmental Trajectories in the Skin. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 144(5):936-49. [PMID:38643988]

Zaver SA, Sarkar MK, Egolf S, Zou J, Tiwaa A, Capell BC, Gudjonsson JE, Simpson CL (2023): Targeting SERCA2 in organotypic epidermis reveals MEK inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for Darier disease. Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight, 8(18):e170739. [PMID:37561594] Selected for journal cover.

Zaver SA, Johnson CJ, Berndt A, Simpson CL (2023): Live Imaging with Genetically Encoded Physiologic Sensors and Optogenetic Tools. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 143(3):353-61.e4. [PMID:36822769]

Egolf S, Zou J, Anderson A, Simpson CL, Aubert Y, Ge K, Seykora JT, Capell BC (2021): MLL4 mediates differentiation and tumor suppression through ferroptosis. Science Advances, 7(50):eabj9141. [PMID:34890228]

Simpson CL, Tokito MK, Uppala R, Sarkar MK, Gudjonsson JE, Holzbaur EL (2021): NIX initiates mitochondrial fragmentation via DRP1 to drive epidermal differentiation. Cell Reports, 34(5):108689. [PMID:33535046]

Moore AS, Coscia SM, Simpson CL, Ortega FE, Wait EC, Heddleston JM, Nirschl JJ, Obara CJ, Guedes-Dias P, Boecker CA, Chew T-L, Theriot JA, Lippincott-Schwartz J, Holzbaur EL (2021): Actin cables and comet tails organize mitochondrial networks in mitosis. Nature, 591(7851):659-664. [PMID:33658713]