Dr. Naiem Issa is a board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon who trained at the University of Miami. Through his training and his 12-year education at Georgetown University, Dr. Issa has seen and treated both common, complex, and rare skin conditions and novel treatment options for them. As a physician, Dr. Issa believes in the idea of caring for the whole person. His practice of medicine revolves around his patients, not just their illnesses. He strives to know his patients in the most comprehensive manner so they are comfortable and confident in their journey through care.
As a dermatologist and prolific researcher in drug development, Dr. Issa gets to be a detective, surgeon, and researcher day in and day out. He has made numerous advancements such as using discovering the use of the anti-hookworm medication mebendazole as an anti-cancer agent and being the first to try the JAK-inhibitor ruxolitinib in a rare deadly case of cutaneous lymphoma. Additionally, he is an expert in hair medicine, having trained under the renowned Dr. Antonella Tosti (Miami) and Dr. Sergio Vano-Galvan (Spain) as a member of the American Hair Research Society mentorship program. He strives to bring the newest technologies to his patients to optimize hair treatments.
Dr. Issa specializes in:
- Skin Cancer Detection and Treatment
- Diagnosis and treatment of acne, psoriasis, eczema, rashes, and more
- Care for cutaneous lymphoma and auto-immune disorders
- Management of hair and nail disorders
- Cosmetic treatments including Botox®, fillers, Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy (PRP), microneedling, hair enhancement, chemical peels, and laser treatments
Dr. Issa is fluent in English, Arabic, and Spanish.
Undergraduate Degree
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Medical School
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Internship
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Doctoral Research Associate
University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Dermatology Residency
University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital Miami, FL
- American Board of Dermatology
- American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
- American Physician Scientist Association (APSA)
- International Society of Dermatology (ISD)
- Wound Healing Society (WHS)
- American Hair Research Society (AHRS)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Research Scholar
- Best Thesis Presentation in the Department of Biology, Georgetown University
- Clifford C. Kaslow Research Achievement Award for Basic Science Research, Georgetown University Department of Medicine
- American Association for the Advancement of Science Program for Excellence in Science
- Best Poster Award, 1st International Congress on Systems and Complexity in Health, Washington DC
- TD Bank Basic Science Research Award, Georgetown University Department of Medicine
- International Society of Dermatology (ISD) Global Education Award
- Rising Derm Stars® Competition for Residents, Las Vegas, NV
- Issa N.T., Kaiser M., Martinez‐Velasco A., Tosti A. Alopecia After Cosmetic Injection Procedures: A Review. Dermatol Surg. 2022 Jun 1. doi: 0.1097/DSS.0000000000003498. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35642921.
- Issa, N.T., Wathieu, H., Glasgow, E., Peran, I., Parasido, E., Li, T., Simbulan‐Rosenthal, C.M., Rosenthal, D., Medvedev, A.V., Makarov, S.S., Albanese, C., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2022). A novel chemo‐phenotypic method identifies mixtures of salpn, vitamin D3, and pesticides involved in the development of colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf.
- Quinonez, R.L., Issa, N.T., Miteva, M. (2021). A case of ill‐defined erythematous plaques scattered on the scalp. Skin Appendage Disord. doi: 10.1159/000517803.
- Chen, V., Issa, N.T., Bellodi Schmidt, F. (2021). Mosaic TP63 variant and associated ectodermal dysplasia features ‐ a case report. JAAD Case Rep. doi:10.1016/j.jdcr.2021.09.016.
- Essegian, D.J., Issa, N.T., Nichols, A., Milicowski, C. (2021). Rare Presentation of the Generalized Papular Variant of Elastolytic Giant Cell Granuloma (EGCG) Associated with Follicular Lymphoma. JAAD Case Rep. doi:10.1016/j.jdcr.2021.08.020.
- Issa, N.T., Tosti, A. (2021). Trichoscopy for the Hair Transplant Surgeon – Assessing for Mimickers of Androgenetic Alopecia and Pre‐Operative Evaluation of Donor Site Area. Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery.
- Egger, E., Issa, N., Kirsner, R.S., Romanelli, P., Issa, N.T. (2020). A rare association of bullous pemphigoid with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome. JAAD Case Rep.
- doi:10.1016/j.jdcr.2020.04.024
- Issa, N.T., Stathias V., Schürer, S., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2020). Machine and deep learning approaches for cancer drug repurposing. Semin Cancer Biol, pii: S1044‐579X(19)30409‐2. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.12.011.
- Bray, E.R., Kirsner, R.S., Issa, N.T. (2019). Coffee and skin – considerations beyond the caffeine perspective. J Am Acad Dermatol, 2(2):e63. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.10.022.
- Issa, N.T., Badiavas, E.V., Schürer, S. (2019). Research Techniques Made Simple: Molecular docking in dermatology – a foray into in silico drug discovery. J Invest Dermatol, 139(12):2400‐ 2408.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2019.06.129.
- Maimouni, S., Issa, N.T., Cheng, S., Cheema, A., Deepak, K., Byers, S. (2018). Tumor suppressor RARRES1‐ a novel regulator of fatty acid metabolism in epithelial cells. PLoS One, 13(12):e0208756. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208756.
- Wathieu, H., Issa, N.T., Fernandez, A.I., Mohandoss, M., Tiek, D.M., Franke, J.L., Byers, S.W., Riggins, R.B., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2017). Differential prioritization of therapies to subtypes of triple negative breast cancer using a systems medicine method. Oncotarget, 8(54), 92926‐42. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.21669
- Yan, D., Issa, N.T., Afifi, L., Jeon, C., Chang, H.A., Liao, W. (2017). The role of the skin and gut microbiome in psoriatic disease. Curr Dermatol Rep, 6(2), 94‐103. doi:10.1007/s13671‐017‐0178‐ 5
- Issa, N.T., Wathieu, H., Ojo, A., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2017). Drug metabolism in preclinical drug development: a survey of the discovery process, toxicology, and computational tools. Curr Drug Metab, 18(6), 556‐565. doi:10.2174/1389200218666170316093301.
- Wathieu, H., Issa, N.T., Mohandoss, M., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2016). MSD‐MAP: A Network‐ Based Systems Biology Platform for Predicting Disease‐Metabolite Links. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen. doi: 10.2174/1386207319666161214111254.
- Issa, N.T., Kruger, J., Wathieu, H., Raja, R., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2016). DrugGenEx‐ Net: A Novel Computational Platform for Systems Pharmacology and Gene Expression‐Based Drug Repurposing. BMC Bioinformatics, 17(1),202. doi: 10.1186/s12859‐016‐1065‐y.
- Wathieu, H., Issa, N.T., Byers S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2016). Harnessing Polypharmacology with Computer‐Aided Drug Design and Systems Biology. Curr Pharm Des, 22(1):3097‐108.
- Issa, N.T., Peters, O.J., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2015). RepurposeVS: A Drug Repurposing‐ Focused Computational Method for Accurate Drug‐Target Signature Predictions. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen, 18(1). doi: 10.2174/1386207318666150803130138.
- Issa, N.T., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2014). Big Data: the next frontier for innovation in therapeutics and healthcare. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol, 7(3):293‐8.
- Issa, N.T., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2013). Drug Repurposing: Translational Pharmacology, Chemistry, Computers and the Clinic. Cur Topics in Med Chem, 13:2328‐36.
- Issa, N.T., Kruger, J., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2013). At the Interface of Cancer Metabolomics and Therapeutics: A Drug Repurposing Opportunity. Metabolomics, S1: e002.
- doi:10.4172/2153‐0769.S1‐e002
- Issa, N.T., Kruger, J., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2013). Drug repurposing a reality: from
- computers to the clinic. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol, 6(2):95‐7. doi: 10.1586/ecp.12.79.
- Dakshanamurthy, S., Issa, N.T., Assefina, S., Seshasayee, A., Peters, O.J., Madhavan, S., Uren, A.,
- Brown, M.L., Byers, S.W. (2012). Predicting new indications for approved drugs using
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Issa
Forefront Dermatology
8301 Old Courthouse Rd
Vienna, VA 22182
Medical dermatology
Cosmetic dermatology
Skin cancer treatment
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