Brian V. Jegasothy (born March 3, 1943, in Colombo, Sri Lanka) was a dermatologist and visiting professor at over 50 Universities.[1] and clinics, and was the Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the
University of Pittsburgh from 1987 to 1999.[2][3]
Jegasothy helped develop an improved treatment for a rare kind of cancer known as
cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.[4] Jegasothy and his colleagues at Yale University established the standard
photopheresis technique used to treat serious cases of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma[5]
He also aided in the study of
immunobullous diseases, which is when the immune system attacks the skin and causes it to blister and fall off.[6]
He helped in the development of a topical form of FK506, which is an anti-rejection drug invented by organ transplant researchers at Pittsburgh. Topical FK506 has been used to treat conditions such as
psoriasis in addition to the rashes that transplant patients develop.[7]
Jegasothy was also the founder of the Asian Indian Christian Church of Pittsburgh, which unites members of Pittsburgh's Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities.[citation needed]
Early life and career
Brian V. Jegasothy was a boarder and scholar at
Wesley College, Colombo. He won the Hill Medal in 1960 and obtained a direct entry to the new Medical Facility in
Peradeniya. While he worked at a local bank for a short time, he met his future wife Dr. Juliet Jegasothy, medical director for hospital accreditation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.[2]
Brian V. Jegasothy later came to the United States to further his studies. His mentor at a New York city hospital then recommended him for a dermatology residency at
Yale.[2] From Yale, Jegasothy's career took him to
Duke University, where he worked as a clinician, educator, administrator and researcher,[9] receiving numerous grants from pharmaceutical companies, foundations, and the National Institutes of Health.[10] He later joined the
University of Pennsylvania, before he became chairman of the dermatology department at the University of Pittsburgh in 1987, a post he held until 1999.[11]
Throughout his career Brian V. Jegasothy was a visiting professor at countless national and international universities, including
Yale University,
Cambridge University, and
New York University.[12] He worked on identifying a series of T-cell
cytokines, documenting immunologic deficiencies in several dermatologic illnesses, evaluating
extracorporeal photopheresis and pioneering the studies of oral
FK506. He also served on numerous editorial boards[13][14] and was a prominent participant and leader in multiple dermatological organizations.
Professional associations
Brian V. Jegasothy had served in many leadership positions,[15] including:
Board of Directors for the Society of Investigative Dermatology, 1992-2001.
Board of Directors for the Association of the Professors of Dermatology, 1989-2001.
Chairman of the Scientific Program Committee for the Society of Investigative Dermatology, 1985-1990.
Brian V Jegasothy lectured dermatologists and physicians at national conferences and clinics, including the
Mayo Clinic,
Mount Sinai Medical Center, the
American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting and the American Dermatologic Association Annual Meeting. Jegasothy also lectured at prominent international conferences and universities including
Cambridge University, the Indian Dermatologic Association Annual Meeting, the World Congress of Dermatology, the
University of Kiel, and the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology.
^Olsen E, Duvic M, Frankel A, Kim Y, Martin A, Vonderheid E, Jegasothy B, Wood G, Gordon M, Heald P, Oseroff A, Pinter-Brown L, Bowen G, Kuzel T, Fivenson D, Foss F, Glode M, Molina A, Knobler E, Stewart S, Cooper K, Stevens S, Craig F, Reuben J, Bacha P, Nichols J (2001). "Pivotal phase III trial of two dose levels of denileukin diftitox for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma". Journal of Clinical Oncology. 19 (2): 376–88.
doi:
10.1200/jco.2001.19.2.376.
PMID11208829.
^Rook, Alain H.; Jegasothy, Brian V.; Heald, Peter; Nahass, George T.; Ditre, Chérie; Witmer, William K.; Lazarus, Gerald S.; Edelson, Richard L. (1990). "Extracorporeal Photochemotherapy for Drug-Resistant Pemphigus Vulgaris". Annals of Internal Medicine. 112 (4): 303–5.
doi:
10.7326/0003-4819-112-4-303.
PMID2297209.
^Jegasothy, Brian; Jacobson, Coleman; Levine, Norman; Millikan, Larry; Olsen, Elise;
Pinnell, Sheldon; Cole, Gary; Weinstein, Gerald; Porter, Marvin (1985). "Clobetasol Propionate Versus Fluocinonide Creams in Psoriasis and Eczema". International Journal of Dermatology. 24 (7): 461–5.
doi:
10.1111/j.1365-4362.1985.tb05821.x.
PMID3902682.
S2CID196408342.
^Gallo RC, Kalyanaraman VS, Sarngadharan MG, Sliski A, Vonderheid EC, Maeda M, Nakao Y, Yamada K, Ito Y, Gutensohn N, Murphy S, Bunn PA, Catovsky D, Greaves MF, Blayney DW, Blattner W, Jarrett WF, zur Hausen H, Seligmann M, Brouet JC, Haynes BF, Jegasothy BV, Jaffe E, Cossman J, Broder S, Fisher RI, Golde DW, Robert-Guroff M (1983).
"Association of the human type C retrovirus with a subset of adult T-cell cancers". Cancer Research. 43 (8): 3892–9.
PMID6602653.
^Edelson, Richard; Vonderheid, Eric; Jegasothy, Brian (1986). "Cutaneous lymphoma". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 14 (6): 1073–7.
doi:
10.1016/S0190-9622(86)80179-7.
^Hunt SJ, Charley MR, Jegasothy BV (1992). "Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: utility of antibodies to the variable regions of the human T-cell antigen receptor". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 26 (4): 552–8.
doi:
10.1016/0190-9622(92)70079-u.
PMID1534567.