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David J Leffell, MDCM

David P. Smith Professor of Dermatology and Professor of Surgery (Otolaryngology and Plastic)
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Additional Titles

Section Chief, Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology

Contact Info

Dermatology

40 Temple Street,

New Haven, CT 06510

United States

About

Titles

David P. Smith Professor of Dermatology and Professor of Surgery (Otolaryngology and Plastic)

Section Chief, Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology

Biography

A graduate of Yale College and the McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal, Leffell completed his residency training in internal medicine at Cornell Cooperating Hospitals and then in dermatology at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He completed an NIH post-doctoral research fellowship in dermatology at Yale followed by a clinical fellowship in dermatologic surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. Author of the popular book "Total Skin," Leffell is an expert clinician, specializing in skin cancer and melanoma diagnosis and surgical treatment using the Mohs micrographic technique. The Cutaneous Oncology Unit that he founded in 1988 now performs specialized surgical treatment on more than 3,500 patients annually. His major clinical interest is the management of skin cancer, including basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer and melanoma. In 1996 Leffell was a member of the research group that discovered the skin cancer gene known as PTCH. In addition, he has conducted collaborative research clarifying the role of ultraviolet radiation in skin cancer and skin aging. Author of more than 200 publications, Leffell has also done research on epidemiologic aspects of skin cancer and wound healing. Dr. Leffell was the first CEO of the Yale Medical Group (now Yale Medicine) and served as Deputy Dean for Clinical Affairs at Yale for almost a decade.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Fellow
University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI (1988)
N.I.H Postdoctoral Fellow
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (1987)
Resident
Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT (1986)
Resident
Cornell Cooperating Hospitals (1984)
Intern
Cornell Cooperating Hospitals (1982)
MDCM
McGill University (1981)
BS
Yale College, Biology (1977)

Research

Overview

When I founded the Dermatologic Surgery program at Yale in 1988, my goal was to combine state of the art patient care with clinical research. We often talk about bench to bedside as the framework for discovery in medicine but in fact most innovations related to disease proceed the other way: from bedside to bench. A doctor recognizes a pattern in a particular disease or makes a novel observation in a patient and that raises questions for investigation in the laboratory. Early in my career I observed an increase in basal cell cancer in young women. This was unusual for a disease typically noted in older men. Investigation into sun practices and related issues became the basis for a component of a SPORE grant that the department was awarded. Because we treat a very large number of skin cancers and melanoma and perform reconstructive surgery, a large focus of our research has also been on wound healing. We have published on the use of artificial skin substitutes to facilitate healing and I am involved with a commercial entity with a connexin43 molecule currently in clinical trials. In a broad sense my research collaborations extend from skin cancer in the immune compromised, to the biology of skin cancer in general and its epidemiology to the development of innovative treatments.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Carcinoma, Basal Cell; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Epidermis; Genes, p53; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Keratosis, Actinic; Melanoma; Mohs Surgery; Skin Neoplasms; Ultraviolet Rays; Wound Healing

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of David J Leffell's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

2022

2020

2019

2018

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • honor

    Best Doctors in America

  • honor

    Connecticut Magazine Top Docs 2016

  • honor

    Best Cancer Doctors in America

  • honor

    Best Doctors in New York

  • activity

    Society for Investigative Dermatology, Committee on Resident/ Fellow Programs

Clinical Care

Overview

David J. Leffell, MD, is an internationally recognized expert in skin health and the founder and chief of the Dermatologic Surgery Program at Yale Medicine. The program, which began in 1988, is a national leader, combining the highest level of patient-focused care with ongoing research into the causes of skin cancer and melanoma.

“I was privileged to be able to pursue my vision of providing exceptional patient care, research and training,” says Dr. Leffell.

Dr. Leffell has treated over 35,000 skin cancer and melanoma patients in his 30-year career. By specializing in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of skin cancer, melanoma and rare skin tumors, he has developed a unique expertise which he has been able to share with generations of future doctors.

Dr. Leffell, a professor of dermatology, plastic surgery and otolaryngology at Yale School of Medicine, derives great satisfaction from the daily opportunity to pass on his knowledge and skill to fellows and other doctors in training. He emphasizes the importance of communication in the doctor-patient relationship. “Everything central to being a doctor flows from that: compassion, understanding, and effectiveness as a healer,” he says.

An internationally known researcher in the field of skin cancer, Dr. Leffell was involved with the discovery of the gene (PTCH) for the most common form of skin cancer, called basal cell cancer.

He has collaborated in research focused on understanding skin cancer in young women. Important new research into why women are developing skin cancer more often than expected was triggered following Dr. Leffell’s observation of the phenomenon. He holds three patents, including one for a laser device which measures aging of skin.

In addition to his clinical and research work, Dr. Leffell has published over 170 papers and has been an editor of the world’s leading textbook of dermatology, Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology in General Medicine. He is the author of Manual of Skin Surgery and Total Skin: The Definitive Guide to Whole Skin Care for Life.

Beauty and creativity also inform his personal life. In his spare time, Dr. Leffell builds furniture from locally harvested wood, and is an avid photographer. He recently published a collection of photographs of northwest Connecticut titled Connecticut Pastoral.

“Art, scientific research and clinical diagnosis—at the microscope or with the patient—all have in common the fundamental element of seeing or extracting a pattern. Once you can see the pattern, you can understand,” says Dr. Leffell.

Clinical Specialties

Mohs Surgery; Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery

    Certification Organization
    American College of MOHS Surgery
    Original Certification Date
    1988
  • Dermatology

    Certification Organization
    AB of Dermatology
    Latest Certification Date
    2009
    Original Certification Date
    1987
  • Internal Medicine

    Certification Organization
    AB of Internal Medicine
    Original Certification Date
    1984

Yale Medicine News

Get In Touch

Contacts

Appointment Number
Clinic Fax Number
Mailing Address

Dermatology

40 Temple Street,

New Haven, CT 06510

United States

Administrative Support

Locations

  • Yale Dermatologic Surgery

    Academic Office

    Temple Medical Center

    40 Temple Street, Ste 5A

    New Haven, CT 06510

  • Patient Care Locations

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