Overview
Diana Bolotin, MD, PhD
Chief, Section of Dermatology
Section Chief's Welcome
The Section of Dermatology at The University of Chicago has a long and distinguished history. It is my pleasure and pride to direct it, building upon the robust foundation already in place while developing new areas of medical, research and educational excellence. We aim to enrich lives through a culture of discovery that advances health, inspires well-being and follows our guiding principles of caring, trust, collaboration, innovation and positivity. Our group is comprised of full-time clinical faculty, part-time dermatologists, and full-time senior research faculty listed on this webpage. Faculty expertise spans a wide range including dermatopathology, dermatologic surgery, including Mohs surgery and cosmetic dermatology, cutaneous lymphoma, pediatric dermatology, supportive oncodermatology, pigmented lesions and melanoma, autoimmune skin disease, blistering diseases, women’s dermatology, complex and general medical dermatology. In addition, the Section has long-established ACGME-approved training programs in Dermatology (10 residents) and dermatopathology (up to 2 fellows). We take great pride in training and educating future clinicians, leaders, researchers and educators in the field and invite you to explore our website and contact us to learn more about our Section.
About the Section
Dermatology has a proud heritage at The University of Chicago, dating back to the 1930s, making it one of the oldest sections in the Department of Medicine. Among its distinguished chiefs are Dr. Samuel Becker, who was one of the pioneers of American Dermatology; Dr. Stephen Rothman who wrote the first modern textbook on the basic science of the skin and Dr. Keyoumars Soltani who has over 50 years of service in the field of Dermatology. Our trainees have included Dr. Eugene Van Scott, a renowned physician-scientist and entrepreneur who led Dermatology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 1953 to 1968. Dr. Van Scott’s pioneering work led to groundbreaking discoveries such as the use of methotrexate to treat psoriasis, use of nitrogen mustard to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and use of alpha-hydroxy acids for skin diseases such as ichthyosis and for skin rejuvenation.
Research Accomplishments
Dermatologic research at the University of Chicago encompasses a wide range of topics, including biology of skin cancer and UV-mediated damage, effective skin cancer treatment development through the targeting of specific cellular pathways, and cell responses to radiation and chemicals from internal or external sources that may cause cancer. Our growing clinical trials group is home to multiple investigator-initiated studies as well as sponsored clinical trials. Dermatology faculty have had their research published in top-notch clinical, translational and basic science journals, serve on prominent journal editorial boards, national guideline development panels and have gained substantial grant funding for their work.
Education and Training
Our faculty play a major role in medical education of students, residents and fellows. The Section provides critical experience for medical students in ambulatory Dermatology practice and on the inpatient consult service across a broad spectrum of patients and skin diseases spanning both pediatric and adult dermatology. Residents in other medical specialties routinely rotate through Dermatology to gain hands-on experience in practice of Dermatology as well as Dermatologic Procedures. Our Dermatology residency program is fully accredited by the ACGME and has graduated hundreds of successful clinicians and medical educators over its long history. The Section's highly sought-after ACGME-accredited Dermatopathology fellowship program trains both Dermatology and Pathology physicians for further specialization in histologic diagnosis of skin diseases.
Patient Care
Dermatology faculty are committed to serving a large and diverse patient community, providing the highest levels of care in a wide range of Dermatology sub-specialties. We provide ambulatory Dermatology services at our main outpatient clinic, located on the campus of the University of Chicago as well as several satellite locations both in downtown Chicago and suburbs and practices routinely see over 25,000 patient visits per year. The faculty also provides Dermatology consultations on inpatients admitted to all services at The University of Chicago Medical Center. A busy Dermatologic Procedures unit is staffed by board-certified dermatologists and board-certified Mohs Micrographic surgeons and provides exceptional procedural care for benign, malignant and aesthetic concerns of our patients. In addition to the clinical Dermatology practice, the Section maintains a busy Dermatopathology service, providing a full range of Dermatopathology services to our patients and network of referring physicians. Please visit the Clinical Programs section of our website to learn more about the sub-specialty programs of excellence led by our faculty.