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Caroline Nelson, MD, FAAD

Assistant Professor of Dermatology
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Additional Titles

Director of Inpatient Dermatology, Dermatology

Director of Grand Rounds, Dermatology

About

Titles

Assistant Professor of Dermatology

Director of Inpatient Dermatology, Dermatology; Director of Grand Rounds, Dermatology

Biography

Caroline Nelson, MD is a medical dermatologist and Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Medicine. She is the Director of Inpatient Dermatology and Grand Rounds. She also sees outpatients at the Yale Medicine Dermatology New Haven and Branford clinics.

“As a medical student, what inspired me to go into dermatology was seeing the negative impact of skin diseases on quality of life. I wanted to make a difference, particularly for critically ill patients,” she says. Following her dermatology residency at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Nelson completed a fellowship in complex medical dermatology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute of Harvard Medical School.

At Yale, Dr. Nelson attends on the consult service and focuses her clinical and research activities on severe cutaneous adverse reactions, such as drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) and Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN). She also has expertise in neutrophilic skin disorders and paraneoplastic syndromes. In her outpatient clinics, Dr. Nelson performs skin cancer screenings and treats patients with a variety of skin problems, including acne, psoriasis, and eczema.

Dr. Nelson is passionate about medical education. She teaches the inpatient dermatology curriculum at Yale and has published a comprehensive board review and practice examinations to prepare residents for the American Board of Dermatology in-training and certification examinations. She finds particular fulfillment in her role as a longitudinal coach for Yale medical students. “Teaching is not simply about communicating facts,” she says, “it is about demonstrating how the doctor-patient relationship can improve the lives of patients with skin diseases.”

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Fellow
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University (2019)
Resident
University of Pennsylvania (2018)
Intern
New York University (2015)
MD
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (2014)
BA
University of Chicago (2006)

Research

Overview

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Dermatology; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Education, Medical; Inpatients; Paraneoplastic Syndromes

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Caroline Nelson's published research.

Publications

2023

2022

2020

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    Advances in DRESS Syndrome Research

  • honor

    Medical Education Fellowship

  • honor

    American Academy of Dermatology Presidential Citation

  • honor

    Oscar Colegio Excellence in Dermatology Resident Teaching Award

  • honor

    American Academy of Dermatology Leadership Forum

Clinical Care

Overview

Caroline Nelson, MD is a medical dermatologist at the Yale School of Medicine. She treats patients at Yale New Haven Hospital and at the Yale Medicine Dermatology New Haven and Branford clinics.

“As a medical student, what inspired me to go into dermatology was seeing the negative impact of skin diseases on quality of life. I wanted to make a difference, particularly for critically ill patients,” she says. Following her dermatology residency at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Nelson completed a fellowship in complex medical dermatology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute of Harvard Medical School.

At Yale, Dr. Nelson attends on the consult service and focuses her clinical and research activities on autoimmune blistering, granulomatous, and neutrophilic skin disorders. These include pemphigus, pemphigoid, sarcoidosis, Sweet syndrome, and pyoderma gangrenosum. She has expertise in treating patients with paraneoplastic syndromes and skin side effects of cancer therapies. In her outpatient clinics, Dr. Nelson also performs routine skin cancer screenings and treats patients with a variety of skin problems, such as acne.

Dr. Nelson is passionate about medical education. She teaches the inpatient dermatology curriculum at Yale and is writing and illustrating a review book to prepare residents for the American Board of Dermatology in-training and certification examinations. “Teaching is not simply about communicating facts,” she says, “it is about demonstrating how the doctor-patient relationship can improve the lives of patients with skin diseases.” An emerging area of interest for Dr. Nelson is exploring how dermatologists can work synergistically with cutting-edge technologies to improve patient care while preserving the human doctor-patient relationship.

Clinical Specialties

Dermatology

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Dermatology

    Certification Organization
    AB of Dermatology
    Original Certification Date
    2018

Yale Medicine News

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Contacts

Appointment Number

Administrative Support

Locations

  • Patient Care Locations

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