MS2 Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine

B.A. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Associate Professor of Dermatology and the Director of the historic NYU Skin and Cancer Unit, full-time faculty at The Ronald O Perelman Department of Dermatology at NYU Langone Health

Faculty Bio: Kristen Lo Sicco, MD, FAAD


Kristen Lo Sicco is a full-time faculty member in The Ronald O Perelman Department of Dermatology at NYU Langone Health. She is an Associate Professor of Dermatology and the Director of the historic NYU Skin and Cancer Unit. Her clinical and research interests include diseases of the hair, scalp, and nails as well as complex medical dermatology. She is currently an investigator in studies evaluating treatment and cardiovascular health for alopecia areata. She has produced many grant-funded educational videos with the NYU hair team. Her national leadership roles include board of director membership for both the American Hair Research Society and Scarring Alopecia Foundation.


She and Dr Shapiro also co-host the hair segment on NYU Doctor Radio once monthly on SiriusXM. They are currently working on multiple retrospective analyses, review articles and survey studies focused on hair and scalp disorders as well as patient education and advocacy. Dr Lo Sicco has over 200 articles published in peer reviewed journals.


She is a co-founder of the Alopecia Justice League (AJL), a social media movement first created to help advocate for bill HR 5430 (now HR 4034 and S 1922), mandating insurance coverage for wigs as cranial prostheses under the Medicare Program (with a letter of medical necessity). The AJL, in collaboration with NAAF (National Alopecia Areata Foundation), is actively advocating for wig coverage at the state level in New York. They are also currently working on a children’s book. She is also actively involved in the alopecia support group as a medical lead.

National Alopecia Areata Foundation

Gary Sherwood has served as the Communications Director for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) since 2012. He created NAAF's Legislative Liaison program, equipping community members with the skills to build relationships with elected officials and advocate for legislation benefiting those with alopecia areata. A major milestone of the program was successfully securing a meeting with the Food and Drug Administration, allowing community members to share their perspectives on future treatments.


More recently, Gary has led task forces of Legislative Liaisons and dermatology residents in California, New York, and Pennsylvania to identify legislative champions for statewide bills aimed at making wigs more affordable for individuals with medical hair loss. He is now guiding the restructuring of NAAF’s grassroots advocacy efforts, shifting to a more volunteer-driven model where experienced Legislative Liaisons mentor new advocates.

KCU OMS - II
B.S. Neuroscience and Behavior - Florida Atlantic University
Student Osteopathic Medical Association (Joplin) - President