Letter from the Chairman

Seth J. Orlow, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Seth J. Orlow

Welcome to the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology and join us as we proudly celebrate 130 years of outstanding history beginning with our origin as the New York Skin and Cancer Hospital in 1882.  Our Department is widely recognized as a vital contributor to the field of dermatology and is considered a national and international referral center for skin diseases.

The Department counts among its faculty members and graduates many of the field’s leaders. Our clinical faculty currently numbers over 150 dermatologists, who along with our staff of 25 residents and 10 fellows, render both generalized and highly specialized skin care to over 100,000 ambulatory and hospitalized patients each year. Services are provided throughout the general and specialty clinics of the Charles C. Harris Skin and Cancer Unit at Tisch Hospital and the Departmental Faculty Group Practices, and at Bellevue Hospital Medical Center and the New York Harbor Health Care System - Manhattan Veterans Administration Hospital. The Department’s Dermatopathology laboratory is internationally recognized and evaluates over 100,000 skin biopsy specimens annually, including consultations from all over the word.

The Department’s mission is fourfold: 1) to deliver the highest quality of care to patients with skin disorders, by applying the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases in an atmosphere of compassion and respect; 2) to train medical students, dermatology residents, graduate dermatologists, and other physicians both to render the highest quality of patient care and to extend the clinical and basic-science boundaries of medicine; 3) to advance the frontiers of knowledge concerning the mechanisms and treatment of skin diseases, applying cutting-edge science to skin-related research questions; and 4) to study our patients' behaviors and identify risk factors that contribute to skin diseases, and to communicate this information to the public in lay journals, lectures in community settings, and dermatologic health-care screenings.

We welcome you to tour our website, review our programs and services and learn about our educational activities and research initiatives. Thank you for your interest and should you require additional information, please contact us at 212-263-5245.

Warmest regards,

Seth J. Orlow, M.D., Ph.D.
Chair of Dermatology
Samuel Weinberg Professor of Pediatric Dermatology
Professor of Cell Biology and of Pediatrics
Director, Program in Cutaneous Biology and Center of Excellence in Cancers of the Skin