About the Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Dermatology

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." - Helen Keller

It is an honor to join you as the new Chair of our exceptional Dermatology Department. This is an exciting time for all of us—a moment to celebrate our collective achievements, embrace new opportunities, and chart a path forward together. I am inspired by the passion, expertise, and dedication everyone brings to our shared mission, and I am excited to build on the remarkable excellence that defines this department.

I am privileged to follow the transformative tenure of Dr. Kenneth Gordon who served as our chair for the past 8 years. Under Dr. Gordon’s leadership our department grew tremendously in all of our missions. I am delighted that Dr. Gordon will be remaining with the department continuing to impart his wisdom in clinical care, research, and education. He is dedicated to mentoring faculty and residents to grow our department and dermatology for the future.

My overwhelming goal is to build on our past successes to continue to create a department that is one of the key leaders in dermatology locally, nationally, and internationally. Our success to date is made possible by a phenomenal team who have made outstanding contributions to our department and the world of dermatology and medicine. Our faculty have enthusiastically transitioned into new leadership opportunities that will continue the growth in excellence in our department. Dr. Stephen Humphrey has transitioned from the Associate Residency Program Director to becoming the Program Director. To fill his shoes in his prior position, Dr. Kassandra Holzem and Dr. Gretchen Roth, will share the roles of Associate Program Directors and Directors of Medical Student Education. We are thrilled that our educational offerings have grown with our new Mohs micrographic surgery fellowship under the direction of Dr. Julia Kasprzak who is now mentoring our very first Mohs fellow, Dr. Katherine Thompson. To round out our educational team, Dr. Leah Lalor’s leadership in the Pediatric Dermatology Program has been instrumental, and she also has been serving as our Director of Continuing Medical Education.

While education has been an area of great change in the past year, we continue to lead in Wisconsin and nationally in our other missions including clinical care, research, and community engagement. Dr. Yvonne Chiu, Vice Chair of Pediatric Dermatology, is a national leader in her field, driving outstanding care and leading one of the most well-known and largest pediatric dermatology divisions in the country. Dr. Kara Young has been serving as both Medical Director and Director of Dermatopathology, and she has been instrumental in our exciting expansion in dermatopathology with new clients that we will be serving. With all our amazing clinicians taking care of patients within our academic and community practices and at the VA medical center, we have a team to deliver the highest clinical care to our patients.

Our research efforts also continue to grow and evolve, Dr. Shanthi Narla is assuming the role of mentorship of our medical students interested in research, which dovetails well with her position to advances clinical trials. On the pediatric side, Dr. Kristi Holland also has been an instrumental leader in pediatric clinical trials and helping expand our research. Importantly, Dr. Shola Vaughn has been instrumental in strengthening our community engagement, ensuring our mission has a lasting and equitable impact on underserved populations.

Growth in our clinical programs is the foundation for our ability to serve the community and supporting all of our other missions. We continue to develop new faculty as we welcome two new faculty members, Dr. Jesse Kasim, a talented graduate of our residency program, and Dr. Katherine Kondratuk, an amazing pediatric dermatologist with interest in autoinflammatory disorders and genodermatoses, both of whom bring fresh ideas and energy to our team.

The Department of Dermatology has a tradition of outstanding contributions in all of our missions, and I am looking forward to building on this legacy. We recently completed a strategic retreat, where we came together to envision the future of our department. The retreat highlighted the power of collaboration, as we celebrated progress, brainstormed innovative ideas, and identified key areas for growth. The energy and insights shared during this retreat will help guide our department’s path forward, ensuring our continued success.

As I take on this role, I am deeply committed to fostering a culture of positivity, community, and growth. Together, we will advance our shared mission of excellence in clinical care, education, research, and community engagement and shape a future defined by innovation, inclusivity, and a profound impact on our patients, trainees, and communities. If you are interested in contributing and being involved in anyway, please let me know!

With gratitude and optimism,

Karolyn Wanat, MD