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Dr. Murakawa George Murakawa, MD, PhD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Dermatology and Syphilology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. In addition, he serves as associate professor of dermatology and holds the Hermann K.B. Pinkus, MD, Endowed Chair in Dermatology. As a WSU department chair, he concurrently holds the position of dermatology specialist-in-chief for the Detroit Medical Center. Dr. Murakawa’s appointment was effective October 1, 2000, following a national search to replace Ken Hashimoto, MD, who retired from the chairmanship in 1999. “Wayne State University is an exciting place with great potential,” said Dr. Murakawa who, at age 39, is the youngest chair in the School of Medicine. “Wayne State has a well-established dermatology program and I am eager to provide new guidance and invigorate growth for all aspects of the department.” Because dermatologists are in such high demand, Dr. Murakawa has two immediate goals: to provide quality training for new doctors, and to expand patient care through an additional dermatology clinic. “Only 300 dermatologists graduate from residency programs each year in this country. On average, there are approximately three dermatologists for every 100,000 people,” he said. “It is my goal to ensure that WSU dermatologists have a broad-based and intensive learning experience to best serve their patients.” He intends to improve the dermatology clinic and create subspecialty clinics at the University Health Center in Detroit, and is also investigating opening an ancillary dermatology clinic. Dr. Murakawa joins WSU from Albany Medical College in New York, where he had been since 1998, serving as assistant professor and chief of dermatology. He also directed Albany’s dermatology residency program, the Phototherapy Unit, the Mycoses Fungoides Clinic and the Dermatologic Surgery Clinic. From 1982 to 1998, Dr. Murakawa held five research positions at such prestigious institutions as University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Stanford, Harvard, City of Hope, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In these positions, he served as a clinical instructor and AIDS dermatologist. His research interests include: Staphylococcus aureus and skin interactions; the pathogenesis of Bartonellae henselae (cat scratch disease); expression of human insulin in transgenic mice; PCR detection of RNA for clinical detection of HIV; and mechanisms of the E. coli lac operon. Still committed to research, Dr.
Murakawa brings with him to WSU a National Institutes of Health Clinical
Investigator’s Award, which is funded through 2004. He is also a
reviewer for the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Dr. Murakawa received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1992. He earned his doctorate in microbiology in 1988 from UCLA. From 1990 to 1997, Dr. Murakawa completed clinical training in pathology at Beth Israel Hospital, and in internal medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He completed his residency and a fellowship in dermatology at UCSF. “Dr. Murakawa is a bright and energetic young man who brings great administrative, clinical, and research experience to Wayne State University,” said Dr. John Crissman, dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine. “Under his guidance, the Department of Dermatology and Syphilology is well-equipped to contribute important scientific research, produce the best-trained dermatologists, and provide high-level consultation and care to patients in our community.”
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