Amy Paller Leads Department of Dermatology

Dermatology chair Dr. Amy Paller (center) shares her love of science with postdoctoral fellow Dr. Xiao Wang.

When it came to learning about pediatric dermatology, the new Walter J. Hamlin Professor and chair of the Department of Dermatology, Amy S. Paller, MD, GME '83, had very knowledgeable "parents" who taught her well. Pursuing graduate training in genetics before medical school, Dr. Paller was determined to specialize in an aspect of pediatrics that would complement her fascination with genetics.

"I was in the right place at the right time," explains this tenured professor of dermatology and pediatrics regarding her decision to become a pediatric dermatologist. "The ‘father’ [Alvin Jacobs, MD] of pediatric dermatology, a relatively new field of medicine, was on faculty at Stanford University where I attended medical school, and when I became serious about specializing in the area, everyone said I needed to train with the ‘mother’ [Nancy B. Esterly, MD] of pediatric dermatology at Children’s Memorial Hospital [CMH]." So Dr. Paller returned to her native Midwest—she grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of school teachers—for her postgraduate medical education.

After completing pediatrics residency at Northwestern in 1981, Dr. Paller stayed on for her dermatology residency and a stint as chief resident. Her attraction to the esoteric aspects of pediatrics and dermatology led her to a one-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) dermatology research fellowship at the University of North Carolina, where she studied immunodermatology and conducted research on epidermolysis bullosa, a genetic blistering disease.

Returning to the Chicago area and joining the faculty at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in 1984, Dr. Paller rejoined Northwestern in 1988 as associate professor of pediatrics and dermatology and carried on the work of her mentor, Dr. Esterly, as head of the Division of Dermatology at CMH. In 16 years' time she expanded the division from one to four full-time faculty members and developed a pediatric dermatology program that ranks among the best in the world. Appointed chair of the Department of Dermatology at the Feinberg School of Medicine last February, Dr. Paller has similar plans for her new post.

"My goal is to build this program to the top of its class in all aspects of an academic department," she remarks. "For example, we are currently 12th in NIH funding in the nation. It would be great to be in the top 10."

In addition to conducting research, Dr. Paller maintains a busy clinical practice, treating patients at Children's Memorial and Glenbrook Hospitals.

Expanding on the department's wide-ranging strengths in outpatient and inpatient services from Mohs micrographic surgery and cosmetic procedures to medical dermatology, Dr. Paller intends to add to the group’s already burgeoning clinical practice services. Specialty clinics already in place include the Pigmented Lesion Clinic, Contact Dermatitis Clinic, multidisciplinary Vein Clinic, and Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma Clinic. Her plans call for establishing several new specialty clinics, with a focus on cutaneous oncology, women’s skin health, and post-transplant disorders. Explains Dr. Paller, "People who have undergone transplant surgery are at high risk for developing skin cancers."

The recruitment of additional faculty members will also help the department reach greater heights. The department currently has 19 full-time faculty members—clinical and research—with plans to grow to 30 in the next three years. Dr. Paller hopes to welcome five to six new members this fall, shortly after the department moves into expanded office space at 676 North St. Clair Street in the summer. "We will have an entire floor housing both clinical and administrative offices," describes Dr. Paller. "The new space will help us build a more cohesive department."

Author of more than 200 journal articles and internationally renowned for research in the growth and mobility of keratinocytes, Dr. Paller also maintains a busy clinical practice and oversees clinical trials at CMH. Specializing in pediatric genetic and immune disorders, she juggles seeing patients at both CMH and Glenbrook Hospital with her administrative and research responsibilities and time spent with her husband, Etahn Cohen, a corporate lawyer, and their family of three boys: Joshua, 18; Max, 16; and Benjamin, 13.

A self-described "ultimate multi-tasker," this amateur singer and painter with an affinity for Japanese brush strokes will rely on her vast experience as a practicing academic dermatologist, NIH bench researcher, and former division chief to guide her in her new role. Her leadership positions with many professional societies including the American Academy of Dermatology, American Academy of Pediatrics, Society for Investigative Dermatology, and Society for Pediatric Dermatology, for which she currently serves as president, clearly demonstrate that she has a handle on her chosen specialty and subspecialty.

Says Dr. Paller, "My 25 years of clinical and advocacy activity in the Chicago and national dermatological communities gives me a perspective and a network in dermatology and will help to achieve our department’s goals."

Being a Northwestern "insider" and an investigator by nature has been helpful too. Shares Dr. Paller, "I was fortunate to know the department well before accepting the position, which allowed me to target areas of need and pinpoint priorities. We are already making good progress in recruiting new faculty members and building a strong interdepartmental research program.""