One of the most important moments of Dr. Zirwas’ life happened while he was a young dermatologist and realized that so much of what he was being taught to tell patients didn’t have any proof to back it up. Even worse was that much of what he was supposed to tell them either didn’t work or was making their problems worse. At that moment he started looking for the actual causes for what he was seeing in his patients and for explanations that made sense.

Dr. Zirwas received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his dermatology residency at the University of Pittsburgh as well, developing an interest in contact dermatitis during his residency which led to additional training at Penn State University and the Cleveland Clinic. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology.

He has published over 160 peer reviewed articles and is one of the authors of the 7th Edition of Fisher’s Contact Dermatitis. His interests, in particular, focus on clinical trials, adult atopic dermatitis, pruritus and urticaria, hair loss and psoriasis. In Dr. Zirwas’s free time, he enjoys tending to his turtles and tadpoles, as well as spending time with his family and travelling.