NYU Langone Hospital--Long Island Appoints Mario E. Lacouture, MD, as the New Chief of Dermatology

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Dec 01, 2023, 09:00 ET

MINEOLA, N.Y., Dec. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a national search, NYU Langone Health is pleased to announce that Mario E. Lacouture, MD, has been named the new Chief of the Dermatology Division, Department of Medicine, Long Island. Dr. Lacouture will receive an academic appointment as Professor of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and will serve as the Medical Director of the Symptom Management Program at the Perlmutter Cancer Center on Long Island.

Dr. Mario Lacouture headshot

"We are pleased to have Dr. Lacouture joining us as a foremost expert in oncodermatology, a subspecialty that focuses on the dermatological side effects of cancers and how to manage these symptoms in patients," said Joseph J. Greco, MD, Senior VP and Chief of Hospital Operations at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island.

"The opportunity to lead NYU Langone Dermatology on Long Island aligns with my commitment to high-quality, accessible care and my fondness for the people of the Island," said Dr. Lacouture. "In addition, at the Perlmutter Cancer Center, I will build on our experience improving cancer patients' quality of life by preventing and treating skin issues during treatment, so that now more people can access our compassionate, specialized care for side effects, with a focus on the whole patient."

Before joining NYU Langone Health, Dr. Lacouture was an Attending Physician and Program Director of Oncodermatology and Research in the Dermatology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in Manhattan. He was also a Professor in the Department of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.

After receiving his MD degree from Javeriana University in his native country of Colombia, Dr. Lacouture completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in Immunology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He then trained as an intern in General Surgery at Cleveland Clinic, followed by a residency in Dermatology at the University of Chicago. At Northwestern University in Chicago, Dr. Lacouture created the first clinical and research program in oncodermatology, establishing a distinct subspecialty within dermatology and oncology, dedicated to the science and care of skin, hair, and nail conditions in cancer patients and survivors. This oncodermatology model has been adopted by nearly 70% of National Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

The author of more than 300 medical publications, Dr. Lacouture is also the editor of the textbook Dermatologic Principles and Practice in Oncology and a patient resource called Dr. Lacouture's Skin Care Guide for People Living with Cancer. He oversees the most extensive portfolio of clinical trials in oncodermatology and was the principal investigator for the STEPP trial, a practice-changing study in the prevention of skin side effects to antibodies targeting EGFR in cancer; the CHANCE study, which defined skin, hair, and nail aftereffects from treatments in breast cancer survivors; and he is the co-principal investigator of an NCI/NIAMS UO1 investigating therapeutic targets to treat side effects from immunotherapies.

Dr. Lacouture is a past member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Oncodermatology Study Group for the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and is currently on the Guidelines Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. In 2021, Dr. Lacouture founded the Oncodermatology Society and now serves as its inaugural president. Since 2014, he has been named a Top Doctor by New York Magazine.

SOURCE NYU Langone Health