George Cotsarelis New Chair of Dermatology at Penn

George Cotsarelis, MD has been appointed chair of the Department of Dermatology. Cotsarelis succeeds John Stanley, MD, under whose leadership the department has consistently ranked in the top tier of dermatology departments in terms of NIH grant funding, publications, and academic leadership positions.

An internationally recognized expert in hair and scalp disorders, Cotsarelis was the first to identify stem cells in the corneal and hair follicle epithelium. His findings in the cornea changed the way ophthalmologists perform certain types of corneal transplants. His work on regenerating hair follicles, published in Nature, documents the first successful regeneration of a mammalian organ.

Cotsarelis is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology as well as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the International Society for Stem Cell Research. Cotsarelis has been recognized as a “top doc” by Philadelphia magazine and Best Doctors, Inc.