Dr. Alina G. Bridges, DO Director of Immunodermatology, Dermatologist

Highlights

• Her world-renowned expertise includes a great depth of knowledge and experience in the diagnosis and management of challenging inflammatory and neoplastic cases, based on her knowledge of Dermatopathology and Immunodermatology as well as clinical, hospital, and cosmetic dermatology.
• She has expertise in inflammatory dermatoses, autoimmune diseases, vasculitis, alopecia, oral and nail disease, lymphoma, panniculitis, and drug reactions.

Experience

Dr. Alina G. Bridges is a nationally and internationally recognized and accomplished dermatologist and dermatopathologist, who is triple-board certified by the American Board of Dermatology (Dermatology; Dermatologic Immunology/Diagnostic and Laboratory Immunology) and the American Board of Pathology (Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Pathology/Dermatopathology. She makes significant contributions that have advanced Dermatology, Dermatopathology, Immunodermatology. Her bibliography shows outstanding achievement in high-impact peer-reviewed specialty journals.

Dr. Bridges is a graduate of Rutgers University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology, followed by her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Then, she completed a dermatology residency at the University of Cincinnati, and in her final year served as chief resident. She completed dermatopathology and immunodermatology fellowships at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Bridges was Associate Professor in the Departments of Dermatology and Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the Mayo Clinic for 20 years before returning to Cincinnati, OH as Director of the Immunodermatology Institute of the Midwest at Dermpath Diagnostics.

Education

Dr. Bridges is extremely dedicated to education, mentorship, and leadership. She has provided mentorship to hundreds of residents, fellows, and visiting clinicians during the course of her career, with many of her mentees going on to outstanding careers with academic appointments at Mayo Clinic, Saint Louis University, University of South Florida, Henry Ford Medical Center, Veterans Administration, University of Utah, University of Texas, University of Chicago, Scripps Clinic, University of California-Los Angeles, London, England, Harvard Medical Center, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

Dr. Bridges served as the Program Director for the Dermatopathology and Immunodermatology Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Bridges is a frequent, skilled speaker and session chair at numerous national and international presentations including Argentina, the Czech Republic, France, and most recently at the first international teledermatology grand rounds in 44 countries. She has directed courses at the American Academy of Dermatology, American Society of Dermatopathology, and International Society of Dermatology on inflammatory dermatopathology, autoimmune diseases in dermatopathology, vasculitis/vasculopathy, hospital dermatology, panniculitis, infectious dermatopathology, pigmented lesions, clinicopathologic cases, and ulcers.

Research and Bibliography

Dr. Bridges has done research in academia as well as the pharmaceutical industry in the areas of biochemistry, molecular biology, and test development. Dr. Bridges has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in research over the course of her career. Her prior experience at the Robert Wood Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute and in the Advanced Care Products Division of Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation were important scientific experiences in her early career. She has collaborated on numerous research projects throughout her career, including clinical trials focused on topical immunosuppressants, as well as oral retinoid therapy for patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Her research grants focused on TOX expression in early mycosis fungoides, as well as automated ratio determination of CD4 positive and CD8 positive T cell populations in cellular infiltrates. She has been an investigator for industry studies related to lymphoma, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and acne. She has demonstrated a record of accomplished and productive research projects in areas of high relevance involving melanoma, pigmented lesions, psoriasis, squamous cell carcinoma, and dendritic cells. For example, she helped develop a prognostic test for melanoma and has been working on diagnostic tests for lymphoma and squamous cell carcinoma. She helped develop an innovative system through collaboration with Mayo Medical Ventures that combines light therapy with coal tar patches, based on Goeckerman's treatment for psoriasis, to bring a whole new level of effective therapy for psoriasis suffers, in the comfort of their home. She is also part of a national and international scientific advisory board working on a device based treatment option for the cytokine storm in COVID19 patients.

Dr. Bridges’ bibliography lists many over 100 peer-reviewed original papers and articles, non-peer-reviewed articles, book authorships, book chapters, letters, commentaries, and abstracts. She has been an article reviewer for many journals, including Archives of Dermatology, Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, Embody Health, International Journal of Dermatology, International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, and Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Administration/Service

Dr. Bridges has served in a variety of administrative roles, over the course of her career. Nationally, Dr. Bridges makes leadership, advocacy, and health care policy contributions as an editorial member of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, as a member of the American Medical Association- Relative Value Scale (RVS) Update Committee (RUC), and as a member of the MACRA Hospital Medicine Clinical Subcommittee for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She is a member of the American Academy of Dermatology Dermatopathology Rapid Response Committee, as well as their RUC-Current Procedural Terminology committee. She is a member of the Health Policy and Work Value Policy Committee and Maintenance of Certification Committee and has served as a Program Committee member for the American Society of Dermatopathology.

Personal

Dr. Bridges is devoted to her family; her husband, Dr. Claude Bridges, is an Internal Medicine physician at Mercy Health and her 3 wonderful children, Hunter, 15, an honors student with autism who loves Science and Math; Ariana, 12, who is an honors student and accomplished competitive ballerina; and Bryce, 10, born deaf but a gifted hockey and tennis player. She loves bodybuilding, shopping, fashion, and being a dance and hockey mom.