Education

The overarching goal of our department’s academic program in Dermatology is to train the leaders of tomorrow by providing a broad-based educational experience that will foster the intellectual growth and development of trainees to develop expertise in managing patients with diseases of the skin, hair, and nails. We aim to accomplish this goal by recruiting and retaining outstanding teaching faculty (both full-time and voluntary) who are sensitive to the multi-cultural dimensions of our diverse patient populations.

Columbia dermatology has a long and rich history that began over 150 years ago in the middle of the nineteenth century. During this time, we have had a sustained commitment to serving our local New York Community in Washington Heights. In addition, for the past 15 years, our residency training program has had a strong affiliation with the dermatology department at the James J Peters Veterans Administration Medical Center in the Bronx as well. We offer fellowship training in Mohs Micrographic Surgery, dermatologic surgery, pediatric dermatology, cutaneous oncology, and clinical research. 

Our department is also home to a world-renowned Research Division which strives to make translational research a key part of the training experience.  Our researchers are funded by the NIH, the Department of Defense, and many other foundations.  They are experts in the genetic basis of skin diseases, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as alopecia areata, psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and atopic dermatitis, biomedical engineering of skin structures and therapeutic devices, and skin immunology.  Our centerpiece program in the area of skin cancer spans both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, as well as cutaneous lymphomas. This thriving research base powers local collaborations on the CU campus, at other institutions, and across the globe.

Dermatology as a specialty has grown exponentially over the past several decades and the future is bright. In all that we do, our clinical, educational, and research missions are grounded in the principles of diversity and inclusion for all trainees, faculty, staff, and especially the patients we serve. We aim to build on our proud historical accomplishments and our existing excellence by attracting the best and the brightest residents and fellows who will become future leaders of the next generation of dermatologists.