News Release: School of Medicine
Oct. 10, 2008
Emory School of Medicine Names Chair of Department of Dermatology
Thomas J. Lawley, MD, dean of the Emory University School of Medicine, has announced the appointment of Robert A. Swerlick, MD, as new chair of the Department of Dermatology. Dr. Swerlick has served as interim chair since April 2007.
"I have followed Dr. Swerlick's work over many years, first at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and then at Emory, and have utmost confidence in his skills, judgment and integrity," says Lawley.
"Dr. Swerlick is known for his wisdom and many accomplishments," Lawley continues. "His track record of leadership, enthusiasm and vision for the department in his role as interim chair impressed Emory's faculty and leaders. We all look forward to working with Dr. Swerlick as he leads the Department of Dermatology forward in what promises to be an exciting future."
Swerlick received his MD degree from the University of Virginia and completed residency training in dermatology at the University of Virginia Medical Center. He then served on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, joining the NIH in 1985 as a medical staff fellow in the Dermatology Branch of the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Swerlick joined the Emory School of Medicine faculty in 1988.
Swerlick is a clinician-investigator whose research interests focus on the regulation of the expression of proteins that mediate inflammation in the skin. His areas of clinical expertise include the treatment of immunologically mediated skin diseases, pruritic skin disorders and allergic contact dermatitis. He maintains a well-funded, active research lab and collaborates frequently with other scientists at Emory, Georgia Tech and Morehouse School of Medicine.
During his tenure in Emory's School of Medicine, Swerlick has held many leadership positions, including service as director of the Cutaneous Immunofluorescence Laboratories, director of the Molecular Analysis Core in the Emory Skin Diseases Research Center, chief of dermatology at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, director of the Dermatology Residency Program and vice-chair of the Department of Dermatology.
Swerlick currently serves as secretary-treasurer of the Society for Investigative Dermatology, and has served as President of the Southern Society for Investigative Dermatology and of the Georgia Society of Dermatologists.
In addition to his appointment as chair, Dr. Swerlick will also serve as chief of Dermatology Services for Emory Healthcare, the clinical arm of the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University, which focuses on patient care, education of health professionals, research addressing health and illness, and health policies for prevention and treatment of disease. At the heart of this system is the Emory University School of Medicine, which has been at the forefront of medical knowledge and research, pioneering many advances and procedures that have changed the face of medical history.
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The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focused on missions of teaching, research, health care and public service. Its components include schools of medicine, nursing, and public health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; the Emory Winship Cancer Institute; and Emory Healthcare, the largest, most comprehensive health system in Georgia. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center has a $2.3 billion budget, 17,000 employees, 2,300 full-time and 1,900 affiliated faculty, 4,300 students and trainees, and a $4.9 billion economic impact on metro Atlanta.
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