The George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) and The GW Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) have appointed Adam Friedman, MD, to serve as chair of the Department of Dermatology. Friedman has served as interim chair for the department since February 2019.
“We are so fortunate to have Dr. Friedman take the reins of this department. A national leader in the discipline and a person of great integrity, Adam is an exceptional clinician, a passionate and innovative educator, and an accomplished translational research partner,” said Barbara L. Bass, MD, RESD ’86, vice president for health affairs, dean of SMHS, and CEO of GW MFA. “His vision for the future of the department is exciting, and I am certain he will lead the faculty to new heights in serving all of our missions.”
Friedman, who joined the clinical staff of the GW MFA and was appointed to the GW SMHS faculty in June 2015, has been a leader and innovator since his arrival at GW. He also serves as the founding director of the dermatology residency program, director of translational research in the Department of Dermatology, and director of the Supportive Oncodermatology Program at the GW Cancer Center.
Before his arrival at GW, Friedman served on the faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York after graduating medical school and completing his residency at the institution. During that time between 2010 and 2015, Friedman was the director of dermatologic research, director of the Translational Research Fellowship, and the associate program director.
Friedman’s clinical interests span the gamut of medical and pediatric dermatology. He has been named to the Washingtonian Top Doctors list every year since 2017. As an educator, he has distinguished himself in multiple arenas, most recently receiving the Journals of Drugs in Dermatology (JDD) Innovations in Residency Training Award. He hosts two online series, titled “Ask an Expert” and “Ask Dr. Friedman,” as well as the JDD podcast “Ask the Investigator.” He is the senior editor of Dermatology In-Review, Krazy Kodachromes, and the director of the Oakstone Institute’s Dermatology Board Review and Dermatology for Primary Care series. Friedman also serves as president of the Derma Care Access Network, a subgroup of the Alliance for Patient Access, and as the medical director for the Orlando Dermatology Aesthetic and Clinical Conference. He has appeared on television news programs such as Good Morning America and NBC News, and has been quoted in numerous leading publications, including WebMD, Health, Vogue, Elle, Allure, and Today.com, for his expertise.
As a physician scientist, he is currently investigating novel nanotechnologies that allow for controlled and sustained delivery of a wide spectrum of physiologically and medicinally relevant molecules, with an emphasis on treating infectious diseases, accelerating wound healing, immune modulation, and correcting vascular dysfunction. More recently, he has emerged as a leader in the field of medical cannabis in dermatology. He holds multiple patents derived from these investigations and has published over 200 papers/chapters and two textbooks on both his research, as well as a variety of clinical areas in dermatology with an emphasis on emerging medical therapies. Friedman has received multiple awards such as the American Dermatologic Association Young Leader Award, the Society for Dermatologic Surgery Cutting Edge Research Award, and the Elle Beauty Genius Award. He was recently inducted into the American Dermatologic Association.
During his time as interim chair of the department, he more than doubled the size of the Department of Dermatology and has continued to grow the bench and clinical research program. Under his leadership, the department has also received a number of awards, including a recent grant from Pfizer on expanding accessible teledermatology for atopic dermatitis patients in Washington, D.C.
“It’s an honor to continue leading the GW Department of Dermatology after doing so in an interim capacity,” Friedman said. “I am excited for the opportunity to continue working with our faculty in the Department of Dermatology and with leadership at GW MFA and SMHS to move the department forward.”
Friedman assumed the role of chair of the GW Department of Dermatology on March 11, 2021.
