Dr. Neelam A. Vashi is the Founder and Director of the Boston University Center for Ethnic Skin, Director of the Boston University Cosmetic and Laser Center, and an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. Dr. Vashi received her medical degree from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine where she was inducted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. After her internship in internal medicine at Northwestern University, Dr. Vashi came to the east coast to complete her dermatology residency at New York University (NYU) in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology.
Dr. Vashi is a recognized leader in medical and cosmetic dermatology in patients with skin of color. She has written extensively on the approach to cutaneous hyperpigmentation, disorders of pigmentation, and cosmetic treatments of dyschromic disorders. Dr. Vashi is widely published in the peer-reviewed literature, author of several book chapters, and is a frequent lecturer at both national and international dermatology meetings. She has published a new book, Beauty and Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Clinician’s Guide. In addition, she is lead editor of a new book, Dermatoanthropology of Ethnic Skin and Hair, slated to be published in January of 2017. She has been featured in the media, including Ebony Magazine, Prevention, Web Talk Radio, and Doctor Radio.
As one of the only few in the United States, Boston University’s Center for Ethnic Skin uniquely specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin and hair conditions unique to men and women from ethnic backgrounds. This center is led by Dr. Vashi who is specially trained to care for the cosmetic and medical issues unique to individuals with skin of color. She offers a comprehensive and personalized care plan that is individually designed for each patient's color, tone, and texture of skin and hair.
Dr. Vashi’s research interests include a wide variety of topics related to cosmetics and ethnic skin. She currently has many active projects including topics of skin hyperpigmentation, chemical peels, health literacy, and sun protection. She is also the Director of the International Training Program in Cosmetic Medicine in which she trains fellows from around the world in both cosmetics and ethnic skin care. Her most recently published work includes a letter in JAMA Dermatology that analyzed People magazine's World's Most Beautiful list to compare standards of beauty in 1990 with the present day. Dr. Vashi extracted information from the lists for age, sex, race, skin type, hair color, eye color and any visible dermatologic conditions and found what people consider beautiful has changed since the ‘90s.
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