Mount Sinai physician promises $5 million bequest to dermatology department

The Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has announced a $5 million bequest promised by the school’s clinical professor of dermatology, according to a press release.

Kenneth L. Edelson, MD, has served as a physician at Mount Sinai for the past 14 years. The $5 million bequest is a testament to his dedication to the institution, as well as his commitment to advancing new discoveries in dermatology.

“Dr. Edelson’s gift will be extremely beneficial to the Waldman Department of Dermatology and its groundbreaking skin cancer research and treatments,” Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, Waldman Professor and system chair of dermatology at Mount Sinai, said in the press release.

According to the release, the gift will fund an endowed professorship; a need-based medical student scholarship; a research fund for skin cancer research; annual lectureships in two specialties; cosmetic dermatologic surgery and psoriasis; and a dermatology exam room and patient room at The Mount Sinai Hospital.

Edelson has a longstanding history with Mount Sinai, having received his medical degree from the institution in 1972 as part of the first 4-year graduating class. In addition to his work at Mount Sinai, Edelson has been internationally recognized as a pioneer for the bolus technique of injecting calcium hydroxylapatite for hand rejuvenation.

Edelson credits his motivation for the donation to the faculty members at Mount Sinai.

“It’s a way of giving back to what Mount Sinai has done for me, which is everything, and I hope others will follow my lead,” he said in the release.