Dermatology

The Boston University Department of Dermatology is a leading academic department advancing skin health through exceptional clinical care, innovative research, and rigorous education. Our faculty are dedicated to delivering compassionate, evidence-based care while training future leaders in dermatology and dermatopathology and advancing discoveries that improve patient outcomes.

The department is distinguished by clinical excellence, academic leadership, and a longstanding commitment to caring for Boston’s diverse communities. Many of our physicians are consistently named to regional and national Top Doctors lists, reflecting the trust placed in them by patients and peers.

Mission

The mission of the Boston University Department of Dermatology is to serve as a leader in education, research, and patient care for skin health and diseases of the skin. We are dedicated to excellence in patient care, teaching, and generating new knowledge about normal and diseased skin, and to innovation across all of our endeavors.

We strive to meet the highest standards of academic medicine while maintaining a strong focus on caring for underserved urban communities and a richly diverse patient population. Our goals are to deepen understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying skin disease, translate discovery into improved diagnostics and therapies, and provide comprehensive, culturally competent dermatologic care to every patient we serve.

Overview

The Department of Dermatology provides comprehensive care for both inpatients and outpatients at Boston Medical Center, Boston neighborhood health centers, the Jamaica Plain Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Commonwealth Avenue clinics, and additional sites across Greater Boston. Faculty also utilize eConsult telehealth services to extend dermatology expertise to referring providers and improve access to specialty care.

Located within a 36,000-square-foot facility on the Boston University Medical Campus, the department collaborates closely with the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, the School of Public Health, the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and Boston Medical Center, the University’s primary teaching hospital.

Our faculty offer expertise across nearly every dermatologic subspecialty, including:

• Alopecia and hair disorders
• Dermatologic surgery
• Dermatopathology
• Disorders of pigmentation and skin of color
• Gynecology-dermatology
• Hidradenitis suppurativa
• Inpatient consultative dermatology
• Laser and cosmetic surgery
• Melanoma and pigmented lesions
• Pediatric dermatology
• Phototherapy and photopheresis
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatology-dermatology and autoimmune diseases
• Skin oncology
• Wound healing and skin ulcers

Departmental researchers lead innovated programs spanning melanoma biology, cutaneous lymphoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, wound healing, epigenetics, hair biology, autoimmune disease, and the biology of aging. Ongoing investigations examine the molecular drivers of skin aging and longevity, aiming to translate fundamental discoveries into new diagnostic strategies and therapeutic approaches for age-associated disease.

Dermatopathology

The Dermatopathology section (Skin Pathology Laboratory) evaluates more than 15,000 biopsy specimens annually, providing timely, expert diagnoses that support exceptional patient care across a wide spectrum of inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic skin diseases.

As early adopters of fully integrated digital dermatopathology in the region, we help drive the advancement of digital diagnostic workflows among Boston-area hospitals. By leveraging advanced whole-slide imaging and image analysis, we enhance diagnostic accuracy, enable rapid expert consultation, and strengthen multidisciplinary collaboration. Our technology-driven workflow supports both clinical excellence and innovation while expanding access to subspecialty expertise.

Our laboratories employ immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and advanced molecular and imaging technologies to facilitate precise and comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. On-campus resources include confocal microscopy, electron microscopy, and laser-capture microdissection, supporting both complex case analysis and translational research.

As a leading academic program, we maintain an extensive dermatopathology teaching collection and dedicated multi-headed microscopy for interactive education. The section offers an ACGME-accredited dermatopathology fellowship program and provides specialized training opportunities for visiting and international physicians, reflecting our commitment to developing the next generation of dermatopathology leaders.

The section also collaborates extensively with investigators across the department and institution, as well as external academic and industry partners, advancing translational research that connects diagnostic insight with therapeutic innovation.

Education & Training

The department provides dermatologic education to a broad community of learners, including:

• Medical students
• Dermatology residents
• Residents in primary care specialities, internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine
• Practicing physicians through continued education
• Clinical fellows in cutaneous oncology, rheumatology-dermatology, and dermatopathology
• Pre- and postdoctoral research fellows in cell and molecular biology and preventive oncology