Christopher J. Thang

Medical Student | Founder | Researcher

About Me

I am a fourth-year medical student and 2024-2025 research fellow in dermatology informatics at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. My work focuses on oncodermatology and acne, where I design epidemiological analyses to evaluate patient outcomes, medication safety, and associations with potential comorbidities.I have first/co-first authored publications in leading journals, including the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD), JAMA Dermatology, Allergy, and the British Journal of Dermatology (BJD). My work has also been featured in the New York Times, Healio, AAD Derm World Weekly, and Elsevier PracticeUpdate Dermatology.As a future dermatology applicant (#Match2026), I am interested in exploring novel therapeutic modalities, rare dermatologic conditions, and technological advances in clinical practice.Outside of academics, I am passionate about fitness and mentorship. As the founder of Hypergrowth Body Transformation Consulting, I have guided over 500 busy professionals worldwide to achieve lasting weight loss, build lean muscle, and adopt healthy habits. My goal is to inspire others to improve their health through holistic and sustainable lifestyle changes.

Barbieri Lab

Mentored by Dr. John Barbieri, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Advanced Acne Therapeutics Clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital.Designed and conducted epidemiological database analyses to assess medication safety, comorbidity associations, and emerging therapies for dermatological conditions including acne, rosacea, prurigo nodularis, and granuloma annulare.

Semenov Lab

Mentored by Dr. Eugene Semenov, Director of the Dermatology Clinical Informatics Laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

El Ayadi Lab

Mentored by Dr. El Ayadi, Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch.Investigated inflammatory biomarkers in tissue after burn injuries to characterize molecular responses through liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS), machine learning, and mRNA expression analyses.

Cai Lab

Mentored by Dr. Chengzhi Cai, Department of Chemistry at the University of Houston.• Contributed to proteomic (mass spectrometry), genomic (16S rRNA), and metabolomic analyses to evaluate biofilms against uropathogen colonization in silicone catheters, with implications for preventing nosocomial catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

Root Lab

Mentored by Dr. Douglas Root, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas

Lai J, Thang CJ, Garate D, Golovko G, Wilkerson MG, Barbieri JS. Acne is associated with an increased risk of stress fractures: a population-based cohort study. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2024 Dec 3.Garate D, Thang CJ, Chang CT, Owji S, Murphy TL, Golovko G, Da Rosa JC, Guttman-Yassky E, Wilkerson MG, Gulati N. Risk of malignancy associated with use of dupilumab versus other treatments in atopic dermatitis patients: a national database analysis. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2024 Nov 28.Garate D, Thang CJ, Lai J, Golovko G, Wilkerson MG, Barbieri JS. Benzoyl peroxide for acne treatment is not associated with an increased risk of malignancy: a retrospective cohort study. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2024 Jul 14.Thang CJ, Lai J, Garate D, Golovko G, Wilkerson MG, Loder EW, Barbieri JS. Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Inhibition and Development of Acne and Rosacea. JAMA Dermatol. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.2182Garate D, Thang CJ, Murphy TL, Sharma D, Golovko G, Wilkerson MG, Guttman-Yassky E, Gulati N, Ungar B. Evaluating alopecia areata risk among patients with seasonal and food allergies: A multicenter cohort study. Allergy.Thang CJ, Garate D, O’Leary S, Golovko G, Wilkerson MG, Barbieri JS. Evaluation of the association between tetracycline-class antibiotic use in patients with acne and idiopathic intracranial hypertension risk: a population-level cohort study. British Journal of Dermatology. 2024 Jun;190(6):921-3.Garate D, Thang CJ, Damsky W, Rosenbach M, Golovko G, Wilkerson MG, Barbieri JS. Granuloma annulare is associated with an increased risk of hematologic malignancies: A multicenter cohort study using TriNetX. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2024 Apr 1;90(4):862-4.Thang CJ, Garate D, Golovko G, Barbieri JS. Isotretinoin exposure does not appear to be associated with risk of adverse male sexual health outcomes in acne patients. International Journal of Dermatology. 2024 Feb;63(2):e54-7.

2024-2025 Pugh Scholar Fund Recipient, Severe Immunotherapy Complications Service, Massachusetts General Hospital2022 Albert Schweitzer Fellow in Child and Adolescent Health, Houston-Galveston ChapterUniversity of TX Medical Branch:
- 2023: Dea Bailey Calvin Scholarship, Dr. Joseph Barnhart Scholarship, Ruth M. Bain, M.D., Endowed Presidential Scholarship, The Memorial Scholarship for John W. Rees, MD for the School of Medicine
- 2022: Oscar Edward Rhode & William Stevenson Rhode Scholarship
- 2021: Daniel Baen ScholarshipUniversity of Houston
- Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa
- 2020: JP Morgan Merit Scholarship
- 2019: Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), Houston Early Research Experience (HERE), Honors College Great Conversation Scholarship, Asian Alumni Scholarship, Natural Science & Mathematics AA Scholarship
- 2018: UHAA Legacy Scholarship, National Merit Scholarship2018 Thermo Fisher Scientific Antibody Scholarship Award, Featured 2018 RecipientUniversity of North Texas
- 2018: University of North Texas President's List
- 2017: Undergraduate Research Fellow, Summer Research Scholarship2017 Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America

Thank You!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me via email: