ColumbiaDoctors Welcomes Faramarz Samie As Dermatology Vice-Chair, Mohs Service Director

Faramarz Samie, MD, PhD, an expert in Mohs micrographic surgery for skin cancer, joined the Department of Dermatology this month as vice-chair for clinical affairs and associate professor of dermatology at CUIMC. Dr. Samie now serves as director of dermatologic and Mohs micrographic surgery at Columbia.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Samie to Columbia,” said David R. Bickers, MD, Carl Truman Nelson Professor and Chairman of the Department of Dermatology. “He is dedicated to providing the best-possible care for his patients, and to finding personalized treatment regimens, which will provide the best-possible outcome for each individual.”

“His expertise in Mohs surgery as as well in dermatologic surgery and cutaneous oncology will be a tremendous asset to our department and to CUIMC,” Dr. Bickers said.

Dr. Samie comes to Columbia from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in New Hampshire, where he was the director of the Mohs Micrographic Surgery Unit as well as the director of the micrographic surgery and dermatologic oncology fellowship. He completed an advanced fellowship in Mohs micrographic surgery and cutaneous oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.

Leading the service, Dr. Samie works closely with Jesse Lewin, MD, who practices Mohs surgery, as well as general and cosmetic dermatology.

Mohs micrographic surgery is the most precise surgical treatment available for skin cancer today. It is particularly useful in tumors that are difficult to remove because of their anatomic location or growth pattern. After excision of the visible portion of the skin cancer, the Mohs surgeon then maps out and removes a thin layer of normal-appearing tissue at the edges of the previous visible cancer, which is processed and microscopically examined for remaining malignancy. The surgeon repeats this step until all samples are cancer-free. Mohs micrographic surgery technique has a success rate above 98%, even in patients who have failed other treatments.

New initiatives in the department include expansion of Mohs surgery availability to five days a week and the re-launch of our cosmetic and laser services.  Most of the services offered by ColumbiaDoctors Dermatology are available for same-day or next-day appointments. Mohs surgery will be offered at the Herbert Irving Pavilion on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at ColumbiaDoctors Midtown on Wednesdays and Fridays. Beginning in March, 2017, Mohs services at ColumbiaDoctors Midtown will move to ColumbiaDoctors’ newest location at 880 3rd Avenue.

The cosmetic services include chemical peels, variety of fillers, Botox, lasers (for hair removal, pigmented lesions, tattoo removal, skin rejuvenation, and vascular lesions), and earlobe repairs and piercing.

For patient appointment scheduling, call 212-305-5293. For Mohs surgery scheduling, call 212-305-3625. If physicians need immediate assistance with scheduling, call 212-305-5550. Dr. Samie can be reached at fs2614@cumc.columbia.edu or 212-342-1321.