Dermatologist

Dr. Amber Atwater is a US-based board certified dermatologist with 17 years of experience post-residency. She completed medical school at the University of Illinois-Chicago (AOA), followed by Internal Medicine residency at Duke University in Durham, NC and Dermatology residency at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI, where she was Chief Resident. After completion of residency, she joined the faculty of Duke Dermatology (2008-2021) where she was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure and Residency Program Director; she remains on faculty as Adjunct Professor of Dermatology. In 2021, Dr. Atwater joined a pharmaceutical company medical affairs team that focused on the launch of an atopic dermatitis biologic medication. Dr. Atwater opened her current practice, Distinctive Dermatology in Vienna, Virginia (DC suburbs) in 2024, and is also currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at George Washington University in Washington, DC. At Distinctive Dermatology, her clinical practice includes the management of patients with all types of medical dermatologic concerns, including atopic dermatitis, hand and foot eczema, allergic contact dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, hidradenitis, vitiligo, alopecia, other inflammatory skin diseases, skin cancer, actinic keratosis and all general dermatology concerns. Additional areas of expertise include the presentation of dermatologic disease in patients with skin of color, regional dermatoses, biologic-related facial erythema, implant hypersensitivity reactions and other biologic-related adverse events.

Dr. Atwater is an expert in atopic dermatitis (AD), with extensive clinical experience in the care of patients with AD. She dedicated almost 3 years to AD in her pharmaceutical role, where she participated in the design and management of 2 phase 3b clinical trials and several retrospective and prospective studies, gained significant experience in analyzing, interpreting and presenting clinical trial and other study data, and had a primary role in dermatology skin of color initiatives. She is a member of the HECOS (Hand Eczema Core Outcomes Set) initiative, with a recent publication on consensus hand eczema trial core domains, and is an Associate of the International Eczema Council. She is an author on many disclosures on atopic dermatitis, and is an invited speaker on the subject.

Dr. Atwater is also an internationally recognized expert in allergic contact dermatitis and patch testing. She is past President of the American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS), has been Chair of and member of many ACDS committees, is a member of the European Society of Contact Dermatitis, and a member of the North American Contact Dermatitis Group, an invited research group based in the US and Canada that publishes on contact allergy. Additionally, she is the Contact Allergen Management Program (CAMP) Director. She was the recipient of a Dermatitis Fellowship grant and trained 2 fellows who focused on atopic dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis. She is an Associate Editor of Dermatitis, a journal dedicated to contact, atopic, occupational, drug and environmental dermatitis. She is a prolific author and international speaker on contact dermatitis and patch testing.

Dr. Atwater is engaged with the American Academy of Dermatology where she is a Chair of the Sulzberger Committee and member of the Council on Education Committee and Membership Committee, and is an Associate Editor of Cutis and reviewer for multiple dermatology journals.