Heidi H. Kong, M.D., M.H.Sc.

Senior Investigator

Deputy Clinical Director

Chief, Cutaneous Microbiome and Inflammation Section

Acting Head, Dermatology Consultation Service

Dr. Heidi Kong in front of computer screens

Contact Information

Media Resources

Summary

Heidi H. Kong is a board-certified Dermatologist and currently directs a translational research program studying the human microbiome and inflammatory skin diseases. After training in Dermatology at Duke University, she completed a clinical research fellowship in the Dermatology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute and the Duke-NIH Masters Program in Clinical Research. Dr. Kong is an attending physician on the NIH Dermatology Consultation Service and an Adjunct Investigator at the National Cancer Institute. She is a Senior Investigator and Head of the Cutaneous Microbiome and Inflammation Section at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

Research Statement

Dr. Heidi Kong has dedicated her research to investigating the skin microbes in patients with inflammatory skin diseases and in healthy individuals. Her translational studies are based on clinical questions related to the skin microbiome in atopic dermatitis and immunodeficiency. Dr. Kong’s work has advanced our understanding of the microbial communities of human skin. She combines translational research expertise with advanced genomic technologies to study skin microbes in order to gain insights into the pathogenesis of skin diseases and to potentially identify therapeutics for patients. Dr. Kong has active clinical studies for healthy volunteers and patients with eczema.

Scientific Publications

Trichophyton concentricum fungal infections and skin microbiomes of Indigenous Peninsular Malaysians.

Er YX, Lee SC, Aneke C, Conlan S, Muslim A, Deming C, Che Y, Yap NJ, Tee MZ, Abdull-Majid N, Shahrizal S, Leong KF, Han J, Shen Z, Than LTL, Park M, Mohd Sayed I, NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Seyedmousavi A, Kong HH, Loke P, Segre JA, Lim YAL
Cell.
2025 Aug 7;
188(16).
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.05.034
PMID: 40532696

Bevacizumab and Erlotinib in Hereditary and Sporadic Papillary Kidney Cancer.

Srinivasan R, Gurram S, Singer EA, Sidana A, Al Harthy M, Ball MW, Friend JC, Mac L, Purcell E, Vocke CD, Ricketts CJ, Kong HH, Cowen EW, Malayeri AA, Shih JH, Merino MJ, Linehan WM
N Engl J Med.
2025 Jun 19;
392(23).
doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2200900
PMID: 40532152

Clonal Candida auris and ESKAPE pathogens on the skin of residents of nursing homes.

Proctor DM, Sansom SE, Deming C, Conlan S, Blaustein RA, Atkins TK, NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Dangana T, Fukuda C, Thotapalli L, Kong HH, Lin MY, Hayden MK, Segre JA
Nature.
2025 Mar;
639(8056).
doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-08608-9
PMID: 40011766

Integrating cultivation and metagenomics for a multi-kingdom view of skin microbiome diversity and functions.

Saheb Kashaf S, Proctor DM, Deming C, Saary P, Hölzer M, NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Taylor ME, Kong HH, Segre JA, Almeida A, Finn RD
Nat Microbiol.
2022 Jan;
7(1).
doi: 10.1038/s41564-021-01011-w
PMID: 34952941

Alterations of human skin microbiome and expansion of antimicrobial resistance after systemic antibiotics.

Jo JH, Harkins CP, Schwardt NH, Portillo JA, NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Zimmerman MD, Carter CL, Hossen MA, Peer CJ, Polley EC, Dartois V, Figg WD, Moutsopoulos NM, Segre JA, Kong HH
Sci Transl Med.
2021 Dec 22;
13(625).
doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abd8077
PMID: 34936382

Integrating cultivation and metagenomics for a multi-kingdom view of skin microbiome diversity and functions.

Saheb Kashaf S, Proctor DM, Deming C, Saary P, Hölzer M, NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Taylor ME, Kong HH, Segre JA, Almeida A, Finn RD
Nat Microbiol.
2022 Jan;
7(1).
doi: 10.1038/s41564-021-01011-w
PMID: 34952941

Expanded skin virome in DOCK8-deficient patients.

Tirosh O, Conlan S, Deming C, Lee-Lin SQ, Huang X, NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Su HC, Freeman AF, Segre JA, Kong HH
Nat Med.
2018 Dec;
24(12).
doi: 10.1038/s41591-018-0211-7
PMID: 30397357

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis strain diversity underlying pediatric atopic dermatitis.

Byrd AL, Deming C, Cassidy SKB, Harrison OJ, Ng WI, Conlan S, NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Belkaid Y, Segre JA, Kong HH
Sci Transl Med.
2017 Jul 5;
9(397).
doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aal4651
PMID: 28679656

Temporal Stability of the Human Skin Microbiome.

Oh J, Byrd AL, Park M, NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Kong HH, Segre JA
Cell.
2016 May 5;
165(4).
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.04.008
PMID: 27153496

Biogeography and individuality shape function in the human skin metagenome.

Oh J, Byrd AL, Deming C, Conlan S, NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Kong HH, Segre JA
Nature.
2014 Oct 2;
514(7520).
doi: 10.1038/nature13786
PMID: 25279917

Topographic diversity of fungal and bacterial communities in human skin.

Findley K, Oh J, Yang J, Conlan S, Deming C, Meyer JA, Schoenfeld D, Nomicos E, Park M, NIH Intramural Sequencing Center Comparative Sequencing Program, Kong HH, Segre JA
Nature.
2013 Jun 20;
498(7454).
doi: 10.1038/nature12171
PMID: 23698366

Temporal shifts in the skin microbiome associated with disease flares and treatment in children with atopic dermatitis.

Kong HH, Oh J, Deming C, Conlan S, Grice EA, Beatson MA, Nomicos E, Polley EC, Komarow HD, NISC Comparative Sequence Program, Murray PR, Turner ML, Segre JA
Genome Res.
2012 May;
22(5).
doi: 10.1101/gr.131029.111
PMID: 22310478

Education

Duke University, 
M.H.Sc.

Baylor College of Medicine, 
M.D. (Honors)

Stanford University, 
B.S., Biological Sciences

Experience

Assistant Clinical Investigator 
Dermatology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Clinical Research Fellowship
Dermatology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Dermatology Residency, Chief Resident
Duke University Medical Center

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