R. Rox Anderson

Dr. R. Rox Anderson, MD, FAAD, is the inaugural Lancer Endowed Chair in Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School, Adjunct Professor at MIT, and Director of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at MGH, the world's largest laboratory dedicated to biomedical uses of light. He is an inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He earned his BS in Life Sciences from MIT and his MD magna cum laude from the joint MIT-Harvard medical program. He co-developed the concept of selective photothermolysis with John Parrish in 1983, which revolutionized how lasers are used in dermatology and forms the basis for virtually all modern laser treatments. He conceived and developed many of the non-scarring laser treatments now in widespread use, including treatments for birthmarks, vascular and pigmented lesions, tattoo removal, permanent hair removal, and fractional laser treatment. He co-invented selective cryolipolysis, the technology that became CoolSculpting. He has also contributed to treatments for vocal cords, kidney stones, glaucoma, heart disease, and photodynamic therapy for cancer and acne. He has authored over 250 scientific papers and books and holds over 60 national and international patents. He practices dermatology at MGH and teaches at both Harvard and MIT. He specializes in laser dermatology, photomedicine, selective photothermolysis, fractional laser treatments, cryolipolysis, photodynamic therapy, and the full spectrum of laser and energy-based skin treatments.