Announcement About Dr. David Bickers
Dear Colleagues,
David Bickers, MD, the Carl Truman Nelson Professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology at VP&S and director of the Dermatology service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) has decided to step down as chair effective July 1, 2022, after 28 years in these leadership positions.
Dr. Bickers has been a member of our medical center community since 1994. After receiving his MD degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, followed by a residency in Dermatology at the Skin and Cancer Unit of the New York University Langone Medical Center, Dr. Bickers became Professor and Chair of the Dermatology department at Case Western Reserve University before assuming his current position here. We are deeply grateful for his leadership and service. He will remain on the faculty, and we are pleased that he will continue his research activities as a physician-scientist.
During his tenure here, Dr. Bickers has trained more than 100 residents and fellows, many of whom have become leaders in the field. Dr. Bickers has had a major research interest in the prevention and treatment of cutaneous cancers, including basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. His research has been continuously funded by the NIH since early in his career. In 2019, he became the Founding Director of the Herbert and Florence Irving Center for Skin Cancer Research at CUIMC. He has pioneered skin cancer chemoprevention strategies by identifying drug-susceptible targets in mechanism-driven carcinogenic pathways leading to abrogation of tumor growth. This strategy has led to clinical trials validating the concept of preventing skin cancers in highly susceptible human populations.
Dr. Bickers has held leadership positions in numerous national and international organizations related to the specialty. He served as President of the American Board of Dermatology as well as the Society of Investigative Dermatology. He is an Honorary member of the American Academy of Dermatology and the Society for Investigative Dermatology.
I am delighted to share that Faramarz Samie, MD, PhD, has agreed to serve as interim chair of the Department of Dermatology at VP&S and director of the Dermatology Service at NYP/CUIMC as of July 1, 2022. Dr. Samie is the J. Lowry Miller Professor of Dermatology at CUIMC and vice chair of the department, where he oversees the clinical service. Dr. Samie is internationally known for his expertise in the treatment of skin cancers, including the application of Mohs micrographic surgery.
On behalf of everyone at VP&S, CUIMC, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, I extend our gratitude to Dr. Bickers for his numerous contributions to the field of Dermatology and for his nearly 30 years of leadership as department chair and wish him all continued success.
All my best,
Katrina Armstrong, MD
Chief Executive Officer, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Dean, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons