Ruth Ann Vleugels, MD, MPH, MBA, named Penn Medicine Dermatology Chair
Ruth Ann Vleugels, MD, MPH, MBA, a leading expert in autoimmune connective tissue diseases and emerging therapies, has been named chair of the department of Dermatology at Penn Medicine. She will begin her new role on September 1, 2026, following her tenure as the Heidi and Scott C. Schuster Distinguished Chair in Dermatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), the Senior Medical Director in the Office of the Chief Operating Officer at Mass General Brigham (MGB), and a professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School.
“Dr. Vleugels is a forward-thinking leader whose clinical expertise and business acumen will come together to further propel Penn Dermatology’s tremendous impact globally and at home,” said Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “She has a proven record of developing innovative strategies within an integrated system that both increase access to care and meet patients where they are.”
A leader in skin health and education
Vleugels has served on the Harvard faculty since 2008, where she has demonstrated strong leadership in the field of dermatology as well as a deep commitment to medical education. Vleugels leads numerous clinical programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, including those for autoimmune skin disease, connective tissue disease, dermatomyositis, and atopic dermatitis, and co-directs the Rheumatology-Dermatology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. She also developed and directs the Dermatology-Rheumatology Fellowship at BWH, the only formal training program of its kind nationwide. Vleugels has also led infusion strategy and operations at MGB.
“Dr. Vleugels is an exceptional fit to lead in an institution like Penn Medicine, where we build excellence with multidisciplinary collaboration and data-driven strategies,” said Jonathan A. Epstein, MD, Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System. “She brings with her an impressive track record for launching innovative programs that have strengthened the institutions she served—the kind of inventive spirit that will make her a key part of Penn Medicine’s future.”
Vleugels is the immediate past president of the Rheumatologic Dermatology Society and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Dermatology, the world’s largest dermatologic society. She also is a past president of the New England Dermatologic Society.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vleugels completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia and also holds a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Master of Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.
Vleugels will succeed George Cotsarelis, MD, who served as the department chair for 15 years. He grew the department in both size and scope across all mission areas, and led teams that produced new technologies, treatments, and clinical practice paradigms that help people affected by skin disease across the world.
Founded in 1874, the Department of Dermatology at Penn was the first academic dermatology department in the United States. It is a leading center for dermatology research worldwide and is one of only six centers in nation designated as a Skin Biology Disease Research Center by the National Institutes of Health.