David P. Skinner, MD, PhD, MBA

Recent Graduate
Year Entered Program: 
2009
Grad Year: 
2014
Degrees Received: 
  • BS, Arizona State University, Biology, 2006
  • MBA, Arizona State University, Finance, 2008
  • MD, University of Arizona, 2013
  • PhD, University of Arizona, 2014, Medical Pharmacology, Neuroscience 
  • Neurology Internship, University of Arizona, 2015
Current: 
President and CEO of Southern Arizona Urgent Care (SAUC)
Thesis Advisor: 
Todd Vanderah, PhD
Thesis Research: 

Dr. Skinner’s MD-PhD dissertation focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms of migraine pain, which he extensively explored through research and clinical means.

About Me: 

While in the University of Arizona MD-PhD program, Dr. Skinner noticed a significant gap in care between the hospital where he served his patients and the communities where they resided. In order to solve this problem, he founded and established Southern Arizona Urgent Care (SAUC) in 2012 during his second year of medical school. Dr. Skinner continued to expand his vision and after completing his internship in Neurology, he transitioned out of residency to focus his full efforts on completing his concept of integrating premium outpatient care into the Tucson community. As the President and CEO of Southern Arizona Urgent Care, Dr. Skinner meticulously crafts the design and build of each of his urgent care facilities, and personally ensures that they provide the best possible patient experience. His efforts have paid off: Southern Arizona Urgent Care is now the top rated urgent care in all of Arizona and employs over 100 Tucsonans. Dr. Skinner has opened seven SAUC facilities in Tucson and will have a network of 9 locations by the August of 2018. These upscale and state of the art facilities will serve the entire Tucson Metro area and usher in a new standard of outpatient healthcare. Dr. Skinner continues to contribute to the University of Arizona’s mission through his Board service on the UA Foundation Board of Trustees and through continued cutting edge research in collaboration with the UA College of Medicine. Dr. Skinner and his team pioneered a clinical trial studying the use of the AliveCor ECG monitoring device (Kardia Mobile) in patients who present to a SAUC Urgent Care with palpitations.

Honors & Awards: 
  • BS Summa Cum Laude
  • MD-PhD Excellence Award
Selected Publications: 
  • Skinner DP, Goel HV, Alpert JS. Personalized medicine: Digital electrocardiography. Digital Medicine.  2017 Jul 1;3(3):120.
  • Goel HV, Jones TA, Skinner DP. Are urgent care centers a viable venue for recruitment in clinical trials? Trials. 2015;16:543. doi:10.1186/s13063-015-1074-6.
  • Largent-Milnes TM, Brookshire SW, Skinner DP, Hanlon KE, Giuvelis D, Yamamoto T, Davis P, Campos CR, Nair P, Deekonda S, Bilsky EJ, Porreca F, Hruby VJ, Vanderah TW.  Building a Better Analgesic: Multifunctional Compounds that Address Injury-induced Pathology to Enhance Efficacy and Eliminate Unwanted Side Effects.  J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2013 Jul 16. [Epub ahead of print]PMID:23860305
  • Fioravanti B, Kasasbeh A, Edelmayer R, Skinner DP Jr, Hartings JA, Burklund RD, De Felice M, French ED, Dussor GO, Dodick DW, Porreca F, Vanderah TW.
Evaluation of cutaneous allodynia following induction of cortical spreading depression in freely moving rats.
Cephalalgia. 2011 June 23. PMID: 21700643