The Dermatology Digest and the dermatology community mourn the loss of Robert Sidbury, MD, MPH. Dr. Sidbury passed away unexpectedly on July 11, 2025, at the age of 61. He is survived by his wife, Sheila, and his daughter, Claire.
Dr. Sidbury served as Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine in Seattle, WA, and Chief of the Division of Dermatology at Seattle Children’s Hospital. In addition, Dr. Sidbury was a member of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology (SPD) and the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA). He recently received the Presidential Citation for Service from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and served as Chair of the 2025 AAD Annual Meeting.
His numerous contributions significantly transformed the field of pediatric dermatology, particularly in the area of atopic dermatitis.
Dr. Sidbury was born in Durham, NC, and earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Duke University. He served as a Research Fellow at the Children’s Medical Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, an intern at the UC San Francisco Department of Medicine, and a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Dermatology. Dr. Sidbury completed a dermatology residency at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, OR, where he served as Chief Resident, followed by a fellowship in pediatric dermatology at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.
He joined the UW Department of Pediatrics and what was then the UW Division of Dermatology in 2000 as an Acting Assistant Professor and Physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital. In 2006, he relocated to Boston, joining the faculty at Harvard Medical School and practicing at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Sidbury completed a clinical research fellowship through the Harvard Pediatric Health Services Research Fellowship program, concurrently serving as a Pediatrician in the Department of Newborn Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. During this period, he also earned his Master of Public Health from Harvard University, according to the University of Washington School of Medicine.
In 2009, he assumed the role of Associate Professor in the UW Department of Pediatrics and began his service as Chief of Dermatology for Seattle Children’s Hospital. Dr. Sidbury was promoted to Professor with tenure in the Department of Pediatrics in 2016. He also took on an additional role as an Adjunct Teaching Faculty member at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash.
Remembering Dr. Sidbury
Peter A. Lio, MD, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a partner at Medical Dermatology Associates of Chicago in Chicago, IL, recalls a time when Dr. Sidbury was part of a group of dermatologists last summer who were able to bring patients with severe, refractory atopic dermatitis to a hydrotherapy center in the South of France.
“While it was a business trip and we were working to learn about the treatments while trying to help and support our patients, Rob’s warmth, inquisitiveness, and incredibly sharp sense of humor made it so much more than a ‘business trip,’” he says. “We had such a wonderful experience getting to know our patients better, getting to know the other dermatologists in the group, and truly enjoying the journey.”
Dr. Sidbury “was the kind of person who could make a gray Monday morning in an office feel like hanging out on a weekend,” he says. “His kindness, compassion, and genuine love and interest in the world at large made everything a little bit brighter, more interesting, and more fun. He was someone with tremendous charisma, and his light will be greatly missed.”
Dawn Eichenfield, MD, PhD, a Dermatologist at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, recalls meeting Dr. Sidbury at the Residents of Distinction event. “Although he was not my assigned ‘mentor’ for the event, he was so kind and welcoming and the experience left such a memorable impression that it helped confirm my decision to become a pediatric dermatologist.”
The Society for Pediatric Dermatology will honor his life and career with a special tribute at the upcoming SPD Annual Meeting in Seattle on Friday, July 25. Donations can be made to the SPD Foundation for a designated fund in honor / memory of Dr. Robert Sidbury.
