The HairlossTalk Newsletter is back in full swing in 2004, and we are proud to host a lineup of some of the biggest names in hair research, as exclusive contributors to our newsletter! Expect to see informative articles full of hints and tips on managing your treatment regimen, to getting some of the more controversial questions answered by some of the biggest names in hair research. Something many of us could only dream of in the past.

Dr. Marty Sawaya Dr. Sawaya received both MD and PhD degrees at the University of Miami School of Medicine in 1983 and 1986, with research postdoctoral training in the Department of Dermatology at University of Miami 1987-88. She completed clinical residency training in Dermatology at SUNY Brooklyn, New York and University of Florida College of Medicine. Dr Sawaya is a steroid biochemist whose research has been focused on hair diseases and disorders since 1981. Specific research focused on androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata earned Dr. Sawaya the merit of a five year National Institutes of Health Award Grant (1992-1997), as well as multiple awards since 1989 from the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (4 grants, with current 1999-2000), and the Dermatology Foundation. Dr. Sawaya was Chairman of the AAD Liaison Committee to the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) branch of the NIH. Dr. Sawaya also served on the Medical Advisory Board for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), San Rafael, California. Dr. Sawaya has been working as a medical director at a biotechnology company in Cambridge Mass, and is now a freelance medical writer and consultant, and Adjunct faculty at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Dr. Sawaya will be contributing exclusively to the HairlossTalk Newsletter in 2004.

Dr. Hugh Rushton Dr Rushton is Honorary Senior Lecturer, Trichological Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Portsmouth. He has a PhD in "Chemical & Morphological Properties of Scalp Hair in Normal and Abnormal States", a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and has published over 25 papers and several book chapters relating to scalp hair problems. In addition his interests in forensic science have seen him giving expert evidence in criminal cases in the UK and New Zealand. Dr Rushton's interest in hair related sciences continues to this day and he is a fellow of the Institute of Trichologists, Royal Society of Medicine and member of the European Hair Research Society, Society of Cosmetic Scientists and New York Academy of Science. His academic base is the University of Portsmouth, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences where he holds an Honorary Senior Lecturer post.

Dr. Bobby Limmer Dr. Limmer is one of the most recognized hair restoration surgeons in the world, and the founder of the most commonly used form of hair transplantation today, strip excision. Dr. Limmer has over 30 years experience and has personally completed thousands of hair transplants in his career. He is not only a diplomate for the American Board of Dermatology, Dermapathology, and Hair Restoration Surgery, but he is also a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

Dr. Richard Lee Dr. Lee is the founder of REGROWTH, LLC, a website currently featured at www.minoxidil.com. He received his doctor of medicine degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and after some personal success with minoxidil in 1985, he and a colleague established the "Regrowth Hair Treatment Center" in Los Angeles, with Dr. Lee acting as consulting physician. REGROWTH was incorporated in 1987 with the intention of providing 2% minoxidil solutions at the lowest possible prices and at the greatest convenience. Soon after, and ever since, Dr. Lee has continued his research of hair related conditions, acted as a great source of advice and information on the web to hair loss sufferers, and continued to provide custom compounded Minoxidil formulations, Topical Spironolactone products, and much more.

Dr. Alan Bauman Born in New Jersey, Dr. Bauman received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychobiology from the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Bauman received his M.D. degree with special honors from New York Medical College. He has had internship and residency training in General Surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center and Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City before specializing in hair transplant surgery. During his fellowship in microsurgical hair restoration, Dr. Bauman worked one-on-one with his mentor, an innovator of highly advanced artistic hair transplantation techniques in New York. Dr. Bauman is an active member of the esteemed International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, sitting on the ethics and bylaws committe as well as the American Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, the American Medical Association, Florida Medical Association and the Palm Beach County Medical Society.

Dr. Deborah O'Neil Deborah received her Bachelors Degree in Physiological Biochemistry from the University of Buckingham in 1993, and her Doctorate in Immunology from the University of London in 1997. She is a member of the institute of Biology and a chartered Biologist (MBiol, CBiol). She is an active member of the British Society for Immunology. Now based in her native UK, her research has taken her around the globe with posts in University College in Longon, the University of California San Diego, the University of Ghent in Belgium. She is a published writer for several biomedical research journals, reviews, and text books. She is on the review panel of a number of international peer-reviewed biomedical journals, is an experienced grant proposal writer, and has years of experience creating biomedical seminars and lectures.

Dr. Kevin McElwee Kevin McElwee PhD, a graduate of Aberdeen and Dundee Universities, Scotland, has been in hair research for over 10 years. Kevin is currently Assistant Professor and head of the Hair Research Laboratory at the University of British Columbia, Division of Dermatology, Vancouver, Canada. He conducts basic research into hair follicle functioning, hair loss diseases, and immunology as related to hair follicles and skin. His applied research interests include immunomodulatory drug use for hair and skin diseases, hair growth stimulatory and inhibitory drugs, and follicular neogenesis (hair cloning) as a treatment for hair loss. (Photo provided by Dr. McElwee)

Michael Leake Mike Leake is the writer of one of the most commonly used Hair Loss Frequently Asked Questions documents on the web today. His ability to articulate himself and communicate in understandable english some very complex concepts has made his participation in this newsletter a complete honor for us. Mike will be expounding on several of the questions found in the FAQ he has authored, to provide even more insight, helpful hints, tips, and understanding to some complex questions many hair loss sufferers have.

Bryan Shelton Bryan Shelton is one of the most well known "consumers" in the circle of consumer support online for hair loss. Though he has no medical training, he has provided everyone with one of the most well balanced, well informed opinions available today on everything from Finasteride to Dutasteride and beyond. His extensive time spent reviewing and digesting clinical data and study articles has made his input invaluable not only to the creation of HairlossTalk but the appreciation of clinical proof in general, among consumers. Bryan has written enough content on the web to fill 100 books, so we are going to, with his help, recompile some of his jewels of information into helpful articles throughout the year and present them to you.

Look for some very informative and revealing articles from these contributors in 2004. Several others are slated to be confirmed in the coming weeks as well, and we will be announcing them as they come.