Mucosal Dermatology Clinic

A woman patient speaks with a doctor in an exam room

Mucosal dermatology is a specialty that focuses on certain tissues in the body that most people don’t think of as skin. Mucosa (or mucous membrane) is the specialized layer of moist skin that covers surfaces such as the mouth, digestive tract, the vagina and the bladder.

Your mucosa acts as a barrier against bacteria, fungi and viruses, and it is therefore very important to the overall health of a person. However, when the mucosa is damaged, either by disease or as a result of medication, a person’s quality of life suffers tremendously. Sometimes these conditions are related to autoimmune disease or can run in families. Mucosal dermatologists can be useful if other dermatologists, urologists, OB/Gyns, ENTs or ophthalmologists are having difficulty diagnosing a disease.

Multidisciplinary care

We work together with other specialists at OHSU to provide the best multidisciplinary care possible for complex diseases of the mucosa. Most of these conditions can be treated and managed, but not cured.

The below conditions are not appropriate or necessary to be seen at the mucosal dermatology clinic:

  • Burning mouth disease without visible lesions

  • Allergic reactions (please visit our Contact Dermatology website)

  • Sexually transmitted diseases that other doctors can treat

  • Mild mucosal disease that is well-treated and not causing significant symptoms

  • Early or well-controlled mucosal disease that has a clear diagnosis, under treatment by another physician or specialist with improvement

A scheduler will call you once your referral is received and processed. There will be intake paperwork, including questionnaires about your symptoms, what makes you feel better or worse, your overall health history, and if you have any family members with similar symptoms.

New patient visits are 40 minutes. Dr. Foster will carefully take your history. Sometimes a second visit is necessary to complete the entire initial evaluation. Before the visit, Dr. Foster will review the available information from your referral and the electronic medical record.

Since OHSU is a university medical center, Dr. Foster is both a medical provider and a teacher to future medical professionals. In visits, it is common to have medical students or dermatology residents, as well as a medical assistant and a scribe. All of these people are aware of the sensitive nature of mucosal disease and understand that patients are suffering, often for years, without effective treatment or even a diagnosis.

You will be provided with a printed or electronic copy of your after visit summary with the working diagnosis and treatment plan discussed. Prescription medications will be generic or low-cost, if at all possible. If you have not signed up for MyChart with OHSU, please consider doing so, as it is the most effective way to communicate with Dr. Foster’s team between visits. You will be asked to send a MyChart update regarding your condition and whether treatments are improving your skin disease. 

Dr. Erin Foster is a medical dermatologist with a special interest in mucosal dermatology and complex skin disorders such as autoimmune blistering diseases. She believes that her patients know more than she does about their skin, because they see it every day. She approaches clinical care with the goal of developing relationships based on mutual trust and working together toward health. Her research focuses on vulvovaginal mucosal conditions, shared decision making with patients, and the immunological basis of skin disease.

When she’s not working, Dr. Foster is hiking, biking, reading fiction, baking, or spending time with family. A native Texan, she loves Portland summers and Mt. Hood winters. She feels lucky every day to live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest!

For medical providers

In order to make sure the Musocal Specialty Clinic is right for you and your patients, our access team analyzes the referral details for certain criteria. Please find the below information on patient triage and how to schedule referral.

The Mucosal Dermatology Specialty Clinic is for individuals with a mucosal condition with at least one of the following: 

  • Isn't getting better with usual treatment
  • Doesn't have a unifying diagnosis
  • Lives somewhere without access quality medical care

Normally, patients should have at least tried topical medications for at least 3-6 months.

If you would like to refer a patient to the Mucosal Dermatology Specialty Clinic, send a referral with relevant chart notes and labs to our referral intake center. Please indicate that you are referring a patient to the Mucosal Dermatology Specialty Clinic.

Referral intake center fax: 503-346-6854

Our access team will analyze your request and schedule the patient accordingly. If the patient does not meet our guidelines for the Mucosal Dermatology Specialty Clinic they will be scheduled with another provider that is also capable of assessing their needs.