Columbia University- Department of Dermatology

The Department of Dermatology at the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University was one of the first academic units established in New York City around the middle of the 19th century. The department was previously located in the Vanderbilt Clinic at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center (established by the affiliation of Columbia University and the Presbyterian Hospital of the City of New York in 1911). Its faculty made numerous contributions to the development of dermatology including pioneering work in the early use of ionizing radiation, the treatment of syphilis, the expansion of basic knowledge in dermatological mycology including playing a major role in the discovery of the antifungal agent Nystatin. The department also helped to develop the concept of treating patients with pemphigus vulgaris with high dose corticosteroids. Subsequently the technique of photopheresis for cutaneous T cell lymphoma was developed in the department. The department has been and still remains a major center for basic science and clinical research.