R. Rox Anderson, M.D., Chairman
Director of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Anderson has performed extensive research on various areas of dermatology, including treatment by laser irradiation. Many of the laser treatments now used for skin originated with Dr. Anderson’s research. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a medical degree from the Harvard Medical School, where he is currently a Professor. He is also the Director of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, a leading institution in biomedical optics and the world’s largest academic research facility focused on the therapeutic and diagnostic use of light. Under his leadership, the center has contributed to groundbreaking technologies in skin treatment, cancer detection, and imaging.
He is most widely recognized for co-developing the principle of selective photothermolysis, which allows lasers to precisely target specific skin structures, such as pigmented lesions or blood vessels, while sparing healthy tissue. This innovation laid the foundation for a range of treatments, including laser hair removal, pulsed dye laser therapy for port-wine stains, and non-ablative skin resurfacing (e.g., Fraxel lasers). Dr. Anderson has also been a key contributor to the development of cryolipolysis, a non-invasive fat-reduction technique commercialized through Zeltiq Aesthetics as CoolSculpting. His technologies have become standard in dermatology practices around the world and have been used in treatment of millions of patients.
Throughout his career, Dr. Anderson has authored over 250 scientific articles and holds more than 80 U.S. patents. He has received several prestigious honors, including the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery’s Ellet H. Drake Memorial Award and the Society for Investigative Dermatology’s Stephen Rothman Memorial Award. In 2022, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his contributions to laser medicine. He is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a past recipient of the William F. Friedman Visiting Professorship in Dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic.
Beyond academia, Dr. Anderson has co-founded multiple biotechnology companies, including Follica (focused on hair follicle regeneration), Olivo Labs (developers of second-skin technologies), and Freedom-2 (creators of removable tattoo ink InfinitInk). He also serves as an advisor to various regulatory and scientific bodies. His work has had global impact, including the establishment of humanitarian laser clinics in Armenia, China, Russia, and Vietnam. His contributions bridge basic science, clinical innovation, and real-world application—redefining how light is used to heal, diagnose, and transform care in dermatology and beyond.