Dr. Anderson graduated from MIT, then received his MD degree magna cum laude from the joint MIT-Harvard medical program, Health Sciences and Technology.  After completing residency in dermatology at Harvard and an NIH research fellowship, he joined the Harvard Medical School faculty.  Professor Anderson is the inaugural Lancer Endowed Chair in Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and an adjunct faculty member of MIT.  He is Director of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, a prolific Thematic Research Center at MGH that encompasses all biomedical aspects of light.  Wellman Center is the birthplace of many innovations widely used around the world, and the largest center in its field, with a pipeline of new capabilities.

Dr. Anderson conceived and developed many of the non-scarring laser treatments for medical care. In dermatology, these include treatments for birthmarks, vascular and pigmented lesions, scars, aging skin, tattoos, permanent hair removal, acne and more. He also contributed to treatments for vocal cords, kidney stones, glaucoma, heart disease, photodynamic therapy for cancer and acne, and optical diagnostics including the first confocal microscope for human use.  Dr. Anderson’s research has advanced the basic knowledge of human skin photobiology, drug photosensitization mechanisms, tissue optics, and laser-tissue interactions. He has authored over 300 scientific papers or books.  He is an inventor on more than 80 issued patents.  Dr. Anderson has received many awards for his research contributions, teaching, leadership and impact in medicine.  He was recently inducted into the US Patent Office’s Hall of Fame.  His laboratory invented and developed cryolipolysis, a treatment using cold to induce permanent, selective loss of fat, and currently the leading source of royalty revenues at MGH.  In addition to research, he practices dermatology at MGH and teaches at Harvard and MIT. Active research includes diagnostic tissue imaging and spectroscopy, mechanisms of selective tissue interactions with physical agents, cutaneous treatment of neurofibromatosis, mechanisms underlying photobiomodulation, and novel therapy for skin and eye disorders.