The Herman Beerman Professorship of Dermatology

Herman BeermanThe combined efforts of friends, residents, colleagues and grateful patients helped to establish the Professorship in 1991 to honor Herman Beerman, MD (1901–1995), a distinguished alumnus of the Perelman School of Medicine Class of 1927, who served on Penn’s faculty for over half a century.

Dr. Beerman was Chairman of the Department of Dermatology for over 18 years and, in 1970, became Professor Emeritus. Throughout his career, Dr. Beerman was recognized nationally and internationally for his achievements in dermatopathology and morphology. His intense dedication and allegiance to Penn are expressed in Tradition of Excellence: A History of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania, which Dr. Beerman co-authored while in retirement. Among his many awards and honors were the Thomas Parran Award and the Stephen Rothman Gold Medal.

rosalie elenitsasCurrent Chairholder
Rosalie Elenitsas, MD

Dr. Rosalie Elenitsas is the Herman Beerman Professor of Dermatology and Pathology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Elenitsas has been a faculty member at Penn since 1991 and has been director of the Dermatopathology Fellowship Program since 1998. She also has been director of Penn Cutaneous Pathology Services since 1999.

She is an internationally recognized expert in melanocytic lesions, and she has published more than 200 manuscripts/chapters, and has given more than 100 invited lectures, many related to dermatopathology and melanocytic lesions. Dr. Elenitsas has served as associate editor of Lever’s Histopathology of the Skin and a coauthor of the textbook Synopsis & Atlas of Lever's Histopathology of the Skin. She is the past president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Dermatology and past president of the American Society of Dermatopathology (ASDP). Selected by peers, she was awarded the Nickel Award for teaching in Dermatopathology by the ASDP, and also elected to the Academy of Master Clinicians at Penn Medicine, a coveted honor for practicing physicians in the Penn health system.

Previous Chairholders

  • George F. Murphy, MD 1991–1996
  • Bernett L. Johnson, Jr., MD 1997–2002