Samie named chair in the Department of Dermatology
LaTanya J. Love, MD, dean of McGovern Medical School and H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences, has appointed Faramarz H. Samie, MD, PhD, as chair of the Department of Dermatology, effective Sept. 1, 2026.
Samie is a nationally recognized academic dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon whose career reflects clinical excellence, innovative care delivery, and a deep commitment to teaching and mentorship.
He succeeds Ronald Rapini, MD, who has served as chair since 2002 and recently announced that he would be stepping down at the end of this fiscal year. Under Dr. Rapini’s leadership, the department has experienced tremendous growth and success, and we are deeply grateful for his dedication to his patients, faculty, students, and our school.
Samie joins McGovern Medical School from Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he serves as the J. Lowry Miller Professor of Dermatology and vice chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Dermatology. He previously served as interim chair of the department and has held several leadership roles, including director of Mohs Micrographic Surgery.
Prior to his time at Columbia, Samie was a member of the faculty at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, where he served as director of Mohs Micrographic Surgery at Dartmouth‑Hitchcock Medical Center.
A physician-scientist by training, Samie earned both his MD and a PhD in Pharmacology, with distinction, from SUNY Upstate Medical University after graduating summa cum laude in bioengineering from Syracuse University. He completed an internship in internal medicine and a dermatology residency at the University of Rochester, followed by fellowship training in Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Samie is widely recognized for his technical expertise in dermatologic surgery and for developing care models that improve access, quality, and patient experience. At Columbia, he led the development of new workflows and team structures within the Mohs unit, expanded its capabilities, and improved efficiency and safety. He also advanced multidisciplinary approaches to complex skin cancer care, integrating dermatology, oncology, surgery, radiation oncology, and dermatopathology to streamline care planning for patients.
His academic work reflects the same patient-centered focus. He has studied outcomes and complications in Mohs surgery and reconstruction, developed improved models for delivering high-quality care at scale, and evaluated outcomes for both common and rare skin cancers using national datasets. More recently, he has focused on the responsible and effective use of artificial intelligence in dermatology, including its potential to enhance clinical documentation.
Equally important is Samie’s longstanding commitment to education. He has led Columbia’s Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship and its Dermatology Residency Program, reflecting his broad administrative and educational leadership. He has strengthened training programs to enhance both surgical and clinical preparation for residents and fellows and has mentored numerous trainees throughout his career. His excellence in teaching has been recognized with multiple institutional awards.
Samie is board-certified by the American Board of Dermatology and holds subspecialty certification in Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery. He has been recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor and has served in national leadership and advisory roles, including with the ACGME and the American College of Mohs Surgery.
“Please join me in welcoming Dr. Samie to his new role,” Love said. “We are excited to bring his expertise, energy, and vision to McGovern Medical School and look forward to working with him to advance our mission of excellence in education, research, and patient care.”