Richard L. Gallo M.D., Ph.D. is a Distinguished Professor and founding Chairman of Dermatology at the University of California, San Diego and Chief of Dermatology at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. His research accomplishments as a physician-scientist include discovery of antimicrobial peptides in mammalian skin, establishing new links between innate immunity and skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and rosacea, and defining the functions of the skin microbiome in host immune defense.