Howard I Maibach is an American dermatologist, professor of Dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).[1]
His major contributions include seminal work in wound management,[2]
and extensive work in patient care, dermatophysiology, dermatophamacology, and dermatotoxicology.[3]
In 2013, he was awarded the "Master Dermatologist Award" by the American Academy of Dermatology for his outstanding contributions to the practice and teaching of Dermatology.[4]
In December 2022, UCSF released the results of a preliminary investigation into his research conducted on prisoners at the California Medical Facility at Vacaville. The report raised ethical concerns over how the research was conducted, especially with regards to getting informed consent from and communicating research risks to participants, and the fact that many of the prisoners were being assessed or treated for psychiatric conditions.[9] The report noted that the experiments did not involve treating medical conditions the patients had, in some cases involved exposing patients to herbicides and insecticides.
In his response to the report, Maibach expressed remorse regarding his involvement in the research, stating "[While] the work I did with colleagues at CMF was considered by many to be appropriate by the standards of the day, [in retrospect] those standards were clearly evolving. I obviously would not work under those circumstances today... I have sincere remorse in relationship to these efforts some decades ago."[9]
The University of California at San Francisco issued an apology for its role in supporting the research.[10]
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Ovington, Liza (October 2002). "The Evolution of Wound Management: Ancient Origins and Advances of the Past 20 Years". Home Healthcare Nurse: The Journal for the Home Care and Hospice Professional. doi:10.1097/00004045-200210000-00009.
