Dr. Payne is the Herbert and Florence Irving Professor and Chair of Dermatology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She received her BS degree in Biology from Stanford University and an MD/PhD degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Washington University School of Medicine, followed by dermatology residency and postdoctoral fellowship training at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Payne is the 2024-2025 President of the Society for Investigative Dermatology and is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, NIH/NIAMS Advisory Council, and International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation Medical Advisory Council. She also serves as co-chair of the Scientific Advisory Board at Cabaletta Bio, a company she co-founded to enable the first precision cellular immunotherapies for autoimmunity to enter human clinical trials.