HSF Leadership Advocates with Several NIH Institutes

October 6, 2026

On September 16, 2026, the HS Foundation brought a six-person delegation to the National Institutes of Health to raise the profile of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) research across the agency. This was the fourth consecutive year the Foundation led a group for an in-person meeting with NIH leaders. The HSF team included Drs. Alex Charrow, Lauren Orenstein, Leo Wang, and Irena Pastar, along with HSF CEO, Brent Hazelett, and patient representative, Taylor Reslow. They met with leadership from seven NIH institutes and offices: the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), the Office of Autoimmune Disease Research (OADR), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).

Mr. Reslow opened each meeting by describing what it is like to live with HS, including the immense challenges he faces daily. This grounded the discussions in the daily burden of the disease and the urgent need for better treatments. The physician-scientists then presented current HS research programs and laid out the key gaps that still need investment. Because HS falls under the missions of so many institutes, the meeting was an important step toward building cross-institute interest in HS and stronger collaboration between the HS research community and NIH.