Dr. Alam's Bio
Dr. Murad Alam is Vice-Chair of Dermatology; Professor of Dermatology, Otolaryngology, and Surgery; and Chief of the Section of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University, completed internship in internal medicine at the University of Michigan, and obtained residency training in dermatology at Columbia University. He subsequently pursued fellowship training in laser and cosmetic surgery in Boston, and in Mohs micrographic surgery, in Houston. After completing his MSCI (Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation) at Northwestern, he enrolled in the Kellogg School of Management, from which received an MBA.
An author of over 250 scientific publications, Dr. Alam is Editor of Archives of Dermatological Research, the oldest dermatology journal in the world, founded in 1869 as Archiv für Dermatologie und Syphilis. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Associate Editor of Lasers in Medical Science, Associate Editor of the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, and Assistant Editor of Dermatologic Surgery. He has previously served on the editorial board of JAMA Dermatology. Dr. Alam is series co-editor of the Procedures in Cosmetic Dermatology books, and overall has edited 20 books, including Evidence-Based Procedural Dermatology (1st and 2nd editions), Cosmetic Dermatology in Skin of Color, Requisites in Cosmetic Dermatology, Body Rejuvenation, Non-Surgical Tightening and Lifting, and Treatment of Leg Veins.
Dr. Alam is a current member of the Board of Directors of ASLMS. He is the ASLMS delegate to the Delegate to the United States Pharmacopeia Convention, an independent nonprofit organization that sets quality standards for medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements.
Dr. Alam has also served as President of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, and Treasurer of the Women's Dermatologic Society and is current Vice-President of the Illinois Dermatologic Society. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine, the American Academy of Dermatology, the Association of Professors of Dermatology, and the American Dermatological Association. He has previously served on the Boards of the American College of Mohs Surgery and of the Noah Worcester Society. Dr. Alam is the Dermatology Advisor to the American Medical Association-Current Procedural Terminology Committee; and a Voting Member on the General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Alam is vice-president of the Blade and Light International, an organization of volunteer dermatologic surgeons who perform medical mission work underserved countries.
Dr. Alam’s clinical practice includes the laser surgery and medicine, as well as cosmetic procedures. He serves as the director of the ASDS-approved fellowship training program in Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgery. For over a decade, Dr. Alam has been associated course director of Controversies and Conversations in Laser and Cosmetic Surgery, an annual symposium focused on discussion of current and pending clinical advances.
Dr. Alam's research, which includes clinical trials and multicenter cohort studies, addresses the effectiveness, side effects, and patient acceptance of different laser, cosmetic, and surgical treatments. Dr. Alam has a particular interest in evidence-based medicine, including the selection and measurement of outcomes. Dr. Alam is the chair of the US-based IMPROVED group, which is developing internationally applicable core outcome sets pertaining conditions that can be treated with cosmetic and laser interventions. He is also the director of CISTERN, an international collaboration for the development of clinical practice guidelines.