M4 Natasha L. Salmen publishes clinical review in JAAD Reviews

Fourth-year medical student Natasha L. Salmen, BS, recently published a clinical review titled “Rethinking Erythema Migrans After 50 Years of Lyme Disease in the United States” in JAAD Reviews.

Her work, co-authored with Dr. Deborah L. Cook and Dr. Joseph C. Pierson, offers a timely and comprehensive reevaluation of erythema migrans (EM), the hallmark rash of Lyme disease, on the 15th anniversary of the disease’s first study in the United States.

The authors emphasize that while EM is commonly described as a “bull’s-eye” lesion, this appearance represents only a minority of cases. They highlight that the more typical presentation is a uniform, oval-shaped erythematous patch aligned with the skin’s natural tension lines, reflecting the interaction of Borrelia burgdorferi with dermal collagen. The review also underscores the need for clinical vigilance in recognizing EM across diverse skin tones, since delayed or missed diagnoses in patients with darker skin types can lead to more advanced disease presentation.

Raised in the Appalachian town of Columbiana, Ohio, Salmen earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from Youngstown State University, where she also completed the Eastern Ohio Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars Program, which focuses on expanding healthcare access in underserved communities. Currently an M4 medical student at NEOMED, she remains deeply committed to improving access to medical education for students from rural and underrepresented backgrounds. Her collaborations with AHEC include organizing annual field trips that introduce rural high schoolers to careers in medicine through hands-on experiences such as ultrasound demonstrations, gross anatomy labs, and medical interviewing workshops. She plans to eventually return to her hometown to provide dermatologic care and help bridge the gap in specialty access in rural Appalachia.

About JAAD Reviews

As the newest journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, JAAD Reviews seeks high-quality clinical reviews, systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and meta-analyses that support the mission of JAAD: helping dermatologists improve patient outcomes.