History

NYU Langone Medical Center’s "Center of Excellence in Cancers of the Skin" is comprised of a large group of physicians, scientists and physician-scientists from the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology along with colleagues from many other Departments and Institutes at NYU including the Cancer Institute, Environmental Medicine, Cell Biology and Human Genetics, as well as at NYU’s School of Dentistry.

Cancers of the skin are divided into Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers. For melanoma, despite improvements in early detection, mortality continues to climb, in part due to the refractory nature of advanced melanoma. Regarding Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers, the number of cases in the United States of basal and squamous cell carcinomas exceeds that for all other cancers combined. Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers represents a significant public health issue for an aging population and a critical problem for organ transplant recipients in whom aggressive Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers are a major cause of death. The social and economic cost of caring for patients with cancers of the skin represents a major challenge.

The goal of this Center of Excellence is to bring together individuals working on issues of fundamental importance to the biological underpinnings and clinical management of diseases caused by the malignant transformation of cells that reside in the skin. Through interaction, translational research that moves from the bench to the clinic and from the clinic “informing” the bench is fostered. The manifold benefits include better patient care, increased visibility on an international level, greatly augmented grant funding, and a magnet for philanthropy.

Success at fostering multidisciplinary translational research integrated with patient care is epitomized by the NYU Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group (IMCG), which vertically integrates melanoma prevention, detection, and treatment with state-of-the-art translational research. The IMCG, already a successful “center without walls”, forms the nexus of the Melanoma Program of the Center of Excellence.

The Steering Committee for the Center of Excellence in Cancers of the Skin includes established scientists, physician-scientists and other investigators. Led by Dr. Seth Orlow, Chairman, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, the Committee is comprised of Dr. William Carroll, Director, NYU Cancer Institute, Dr. Max Costa, Chairman, Environmental Medicine, Dr. Iman Osman, Director, IMCG, Dr. Harry Ostrer, Director, Human Genetics Program, Dr. David Polsky, Director, Pigmented Lesion Service and Dr. Tung-Tien Sun, Cell Biology and Dermatology.