Rox Anderson, M.D.


Director
Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
Lancer Endowed Chair in Dermatology
Massachusetts General Hospital
Professor of Dermatology
Harvard Medical School
Professor of Health Sciences and Technology
Harvard Medical School
MD Harvard Medical School 1984
aminolevulinic acid; hair removal; laser surgery; laser therapy; laser therapy low-level; lasers; photochemotherapy; photodynamic therapy; pigmented lesions; selective photothermolysis; skin; tattoo removal; tattooing

Dr. Anderson graduated from MIT, and then received his MD degree magna cum laude from the joint MIT-Harvard medical program, Health Sciences and Technology. After completing his dermatology residency and an NIH research fellowship at Harvard, he joined the faculty where he is now Harvard Medical School Professor in dermatology, Director of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine; and adjunct Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at MIT. Dr. Anderson conceived and developed many of the non-scarring laser treatments now widely used in medical care. These include treatments for birthmarks, microvascular and pigmented lesions, tattoo and permanent hair removal. He has also contributed to treatment for vocal cords, kidney stones, glaucoma, heart disease, photodynamic therapy for cancer and acne, and optical diagnostics.

Dr. Anderson's research has advanced the basic knowledge of human skin photobiology, drug photosensitization mechanisms, tissue optics, and laser-tissue interactions. In addition to research at the Wellman Center, he practices dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital and teaches at Harvard and MIT. Active research includes diagnostic tissue imaging and spectroscopy, photodynamic therapy, mechanisms of selective laser-tissue interactions, adipose tissue biology and novel therapy for skin disorders. Dr. Anderson has been awarded over 60 national and international patents, and has co-authored over 250 scientific books and papers.