Meet the Downtown Chicago Melanoma Team
The melanoma team in Dermatology at Northwestern Medicine consists of experts in the diagnosis and management of early melanoma. Our team includes:
Meet the Downtown Chicago Dermatologic Surgery Team
Our team works closely with our dermatologic surgery team. They provide Mohs surgery for people with lentigo maligna and melanoma in situ. The dermatologic surgery team includes:
Meet the Downtown Chicago Surgical Oncology Team
For patients with advanced melanomas, our dermatology team works closely with colleagues in surgical oncology focused in melanoma and medical oncology focused on melanoma care. This team includes:
Director of the Melanoma Clinic, IDP Foundation Professor of Skin Cancer Research, Professor of Dermatology, Pathology and Pediatrics
Pedram Gerami, MD
Primary Specialty: Dermatology
Dr. Gerami is the IDP professor of Skin Cancer Research. Selected to the Best Doctors in America 2019–2020, Dr. Gerami is the Director of the Skin Cancer Institute of Northwestern Medical Group (SCIN-Med). He is also the Director of the Melanoma Program in the Skin Cancer Institute and the Melanoma Clinic in the Department of Dermatology. His clinical and research interests mainly focus on melanoma skin cancer, atypical nevi and borderline melanocytic tumors. These include Spitz tumors, that may be difficult to classify. As a dermatologist, dermatopathologist and researcher focused in caring for patients with melanoma and atypical nevi, he has a unique perspective on the behavior of melanocytic neoplasms. His interests include how to use clinical, histologic and molecular methods to optimize diagnostic accuracy and best predict the behavior of melanocytic neoplasms. He is also interested in creating diagnostic methods for melanoma at its earliest and most curable stage. In clinic, he mainly cares for patients with melanoma or atypical nevi. He is recognized internationally for his expertise in the clinical and histologic diagnosis of melanoma. His expertise in the pathologic diagnosis of melanoma draws over 1,500 second opinion cases both from within and outside of the United States per year. As a researcher, he is focused on developing newer molecular-based methods to help distinguish melanoma from nevi and predict the behavior of melanoma. He is also interested in developing methods for diagnosis of melanoma at the earliest possible stage.
Assistant Professor of Dermatology
Xiaolong Zhou, MD
Primary Specialty: Dermatology
Dr. Zhou focuses on cutaneous oncology and complex skin diseases. He attends on the inpatient dermatology consult service and multidisciplinary cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) clinic. He is also a pigmented lesion specialist and co-manages the extracorporeal photopheresis unit. As a physician-scientist, he studies the role of the microbiome in skin cancer, with a current focus on skin lymphomas. He has been a recipient of the Dermatology Foundation Medical Dermatology Career Development Award and Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation Catalyst Grant. His research is supported by the Dermatology Foundation, Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation, NUCATS/NIH KL2 program and by an American Cancer Society institutional research grant. Dr. Zhou received his BA from Harvard University and his MD from Duke University School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine internship at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, dermatology residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital / University of Miami and T32 postdoctoral fellowship in cutaneous oncology at Northwestern University. He is experienced in surgical and non-surgical treatments for skin cancers and the use of conventional and novel therapeutics for complex skin diseases. He also serves as principal investigator for several clinical trials in dermatology.
Chief of Oncodermatology in the Department of Dermatology, Chief of Medical Dermatology in the Department of Dermatology
Jennifer N. Choi, MD
Primary Specialty: Dermatology
Dr. Choi is the Chief of the Division of Oncodermatology at Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. She specializes in providing skin care for patients undergoing cancer treatment. Her expertise includes recognizing and managing side effects from chemotherapy and radiation, including rashes, very dry skin, itching, nail and hair changes, cutaneous metastases, radiation dermatitis, infections in immunosuppressed patients. She also specializes in toxicities that may arise as a result of stem cell or solid organ transplantation, including graft-versus-host disease and advanced skin cancer. She directs the Inpatient Dermatology Consult service for the Cancer Center, as well as the comprehensive skin care and skin cancer surveillance program for high-risk patients and all cancer survivors. She also helps oversee Northwestern Memorial’s Extracorporeal Photopheresis Unit. In addition, she is the Director of Clinical Research Trials investigating the prevention and treatment of cancer therapy-related side effects. She believes strongly in treating patients with attentive care and true compassion. Dr. Choi also specializes in treating patients with skin cancer, including melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. She is Co-Leader of the Skin Disease Team and an integral member of the Northwestern Melanoma Unit. For all skin cancer patients, she conducts rigorous screening skin examinations on a regular basis to detect skin cancers and sun damage to optimize prevention and therapy. She is experienced with surgical treatment of skin cancers, as well as non-surgical methods to treat skin cancer and precancerous lesions. Dr. Choi also runs a full medical and surgical dermatology practice. She is experienced with the use of complex dermatologic therapy, including biologic therapy, immunosuppressive medications and phototherapy. Dr. Choi received her BA from Harvard University and her MD from Yale University School of Medicine. She completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and a residency in Dermatology at Yale, where she served as Chief Resident.
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