Pioneers in Dermatology and Venereology: an interview with Professor Xue-Jun Zhu.

Abstract

Member of National Pharmacopoeia committee Member of Drug Evaluation Committee, State Food and Drug Administration Member of National Committee for National Natural Scientific Foundation International honorary member, American Dermatological Association International honorary member, Germany Dermatological Association My father was a dermatologist trained in St. Louis Hospital in Paris, France, in the 1930s. He was the one who led me to the Dermatology field. Hu C.K.M.D.; he was a great dermatologist in China and the first scholar who described vitamin D deficiency in the world. He introduced me to the immunology. Wang K.C.M.D.; former chairman of my department. He guided me on how to be a good clinical dermatologist. Rudolf L. Baer; he was a great dermatologist as well as a great organizer. I learnt how to run a department and how to organize a group of outstanding scholars working together. A. Bernard Ackerman; he was a great dermatopathologist and I learnt how to be a good speaker from him. Jean-Claude Bystryn and Irma Gigli; they taught me a lot on how to think and how to do research work. Yes. See above in “Academic engagements” in detail. Firstly, I discovered the pathogenic mechanism of paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) which suggested early detection of the associated tumour and early resection. Then, this resulted in a great reduction of the mortality of PNP. Secondly, I established the China Dermatologist Association as one of the initiator and promoters and contributed in the development of dermatology in China. I lost more than 10 years (1965–1975) because of the ‘culture revolution’ in my country. Classical music and travelling. Composers: Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff. Writer: Jean L. Bolognia; Arthur Conan Doyle. Steve Katz, Otto Braun-Falco, Rudolf L. Baer, A. Bernard Ackerman, Walter F. Lever, Albert M. Kligman, Richard K. Winkelmann, Stefania Jablońska, Chuan-kuei Hu, Darrell Wilkinson. June K. Robinson, Bruce Wintroub, Timothy Berger, Jouni Uitto, John R. Stanley, Jean Paul Ortonne, Takaji Nishikawa, Thomas Luger, Zhou Bian, Georg Stingl. Ethical aspects of gene therapy. Also, more and more biological therapy will be emerging in the market, however, will be too expensive to be used worldwide. Targeted therapy; gene therapy. *Note: The Pioneers in Dermatology and Venereology interview was conceived and conducted by Johannes Ring.