Dr. Vincent Piguet Appointed Dermatology Division Director Effective July 2017
Dr. Piguet trained at the School of Medicine, University of Geneva, graduating in 1995. He spent two years doing research in virology and immunology at the Salk Institute in San Diego, USA before obtaining his MD and PhD in 2000/2001 and specialist certification in dermatology and venereology in 2004 from the Swiss Medical Association. He received a prestigious fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation in 2003 and was subsequently promoted to assistant and then associate professor at the University of Geneva.
In 2010, Dr. Piguet joined Cardiff University in the UK as Professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology and Wound Healing. He was also appointed Consultant Dermatologist at the University Hospital of Wales. In 2011, he obtained UK certification in dermatology and in 2014 became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. In 2011, he was appointed Director of the School of Medicine Institute of Infection and Immunity and in 2015, Director of the School of Medicine Division of Infection and Immunity.
Dr. Piguet has authored more than 135 publications in the fields of dermatology, dendritic cells, HIV, gene therapy, immunology and vaccination in a range of highly cited peer review journals such as Cell, Immunity, The Lancet, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Blood, and Nature Medicine. He has received numerous grants (including as principal investigator from the Human Frontier Science Program and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) to further his research including in the areas of HIV, psoriasis, melanoma and immunology.
Dr. Piguet gave the 'Rudi Cormane Lecture' at the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) in 2014 and has given more than 100 lectures at national and international meetings, including at the World Congress of Dermatology and HIV Keystone meetings. He received a merit award in 2014 from the Society for Arts, Science and Technology in Wales, The Welsh Livery Guild. He received an ACCEA NHS Bronze Award awarded by the Department of Health for England and Wales for outstanding services to medicine in 2014.
Dr. Piguet is an excellent academic citizen, most notably serving on the editorial boards of several journals, including the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (Deputy Editor) and the British Journal of Dermatology. He is a past-president of the European Society for Dermatology Research and current executive board member, treasurer and president-elect of the European Dermatology Forum, a not for profit organization dedicated to improving the healthcare needs of dermatology patients in Europe.
Dr. Piguet’s laboratory will be housed in the Medical Sciences Building and his clinical and administrative offices will be based at Women’s College Hospital. This recruitment reflects a true partnership and I would like to take the opportunity to personally thank Dean Trevor Young, Paula Harvey, Women’s College Hospital Physician-in-Chief and Rupert Kaul, Department Division Director, Infectious Diseases, most sincerely for their support. I would also like to thank Dr. Shear for the excellent leadership he has provided to the division over the past decade.
Congratulations once again to Dr. Vincent Piguet and many, many thanks to Dr. Neil Shear. The dermatology community has much to celebrate and the University of Toronto has much to be excited about with such a stellar researcher joining the fold.
Dr. Gillian Hawker
Sir John and Lady Eaton Professor and Chair of Medicine
