Amanda Nelson

Dr. Amanda Nelson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology at Penn State College of Medicine. She serves as the Director of the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Graduate Program's curricular track and is a member of the MD/PhD program Steering Committee. Her research focuses on inflammatory skin diseases with particular expertise in acne vulgaris and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).

• Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology
• Director, BMS Base Program, Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program
• Member, MD/PhD program Steering Committee
• One Health Microbiome Center

Dr. Nelson earned her PhD from Penn State College of Medicine followed by postdoctoral fellowships at Penn State College of Medicine (2007-2010) and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2010-2013).

Dr. Nelson's research spans over 20 years investigating sebaceous glands in acne, hair follicle and skin stem cells, skin regeneration, wound healing and innate immune signaling. Her laboratory employs a "Bed to Bench to Bedside" approach, collaborating with patients, clinicians and bioinformaticians to understand inflammatory disease mechanisms. Key research areas include acne vulgaris, hidradenitis suppurativa, and the relationship between skin microbiome and host immune response.

Recent publications reveal a strong focus on sebaceous gland biology, Cutibacterium acnes strains, and immune responses in skin diseases. Her work combines molecular techniques like RNA sequencing with clinical research to identify therapeutic targets for acne and HS. The research output shows increasing publication volume with 9 papers in 2024 and 2 papers already in press for 2025.

Dr. Nelson has received significant recognition for her teaching excellence:

• Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching (2019)
• Junior Faculty Teaching Award in Basic Science from the Society of Distinguished Educators (2020)

As a Principal Investigator, Dr. Nelson has secured multiple NIH grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases totaling over $1.5 million. Her current projects include "Adherens Junction dysfunction in Hidradenitis Suppurativa" and previous work on Toll-like receptor 3 in skin homeostasis. She mentors students across the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program, and Microbiome Sciences Graduate Program.

Dr. Nelson leads a multidisciplinary research team investigating inflammatory skin diseases with strong collaborations across dermatology, immunology, and microbiome research. Her laboratory combines molecular biology, immunology, and clinical approaches to understand disease mechanisms and develop new therapies for acne and hidradenitis suppurativa.