National Academy of Inventors names BMC dermatologist as 2012 Charter Fellow

Barbara Gilchrest, MD, professor and Chair Emeritus of the department of dermatology at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and dermatologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC), has been named a 2012 Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Gilchrest, a resident of Boston's North End, is among four faculty members at Boston University nominated to the NAI in 2012.

This year's charter fellows, who are elected by their peers, represent 98 innovators from 54 universities and non-profit research institutes. This professional distinction is accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.

Board certified in internal medicine and dermatology, Gilchrest received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed residencies in internal medicine and dermatology at Harvard-affiliated hospitals. Prior to her appointment as Chair, Gilchrest held academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and Tufts University School of Medicine. She has clinical and laboratory-based research interests in skin aging and pigmentation and has published extensively based on her pioneering work in these fields. Gilchrest is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and was cited in the book, 100 Best Doctors in America.

NAI Charter Fellows will be inducted by the U.S. Commissioner for Patents, Margaret A. Focarino, from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, during the 2nd Annual Conference of the NAI on Feb. 22, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. Fellows will be presented with a special trophy and a rosette pin.