Melissa Gill, MD

Academic Qualifications:

• Brown University School of Medicine (1997-2001)
  • Doctor of Medicine
• New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center (2001-2005)
  • Resident in Anatomic Pathology
  • Post-Doctoral Residency Fellow Studying the Genetics of Nevi and Melanoma
• New York-Presbyterian Hospital at the New York Weill Cornell Center & Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (2005 - 2006)
  • Dermatopathology Fellow

Certifications:

• American Board of Pathology:
  • Anatomic Pathology (2005)
  • Dermatopathology (2006)
• New York State Department of Health:
  • Laboratory Director, Histopathology General (2009)

Research and Clinical Interest Summary:

As a resident in Anatomic Pathology, my subspecialty interests were Cytogenetics/Molecular Pathology and Dermatopathology. As a passionate researcher, I seized the opportunity to merge these interests with an in parallel Post-Doctoral Residency Fellowship studying the genetics of nevi and melanoma, for which I was awarded the House Staff Award Clinical Research Grant in 2003. During my research fellowship, I also participated in clinical evaluation and germline mutation analysis of patients with genodermatoses, such as Brooke-Spiegler syndrome, multiple familial trichoepithioma, familial cylindromatosis, Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, familial atypical multiple mole melanoma syndrome, and dysplastic nevus syndrome; experience which later became an asset both while assisting in the dermatology clinics during my Dermatopathology Fellowship and as a practicing Dermatopathologist, who serves high risk practices.  

My research focus transitioned to non-invasive diagnostics and diagnostic imaging of the skin during my Dermatopathology Fellowship after being recruited into the field of Reflectance Confocal Microscopy by the world’s leading expert, Dr. Salvador Gonzalez. Soon thereafter, Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Allan Halpern (both of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) invited me to co-edit the first textbook on Reflectance Confocal Microscopy.  As one of the few Dermatopathology-trained experts in this emerging subspecialty (diagnostic imaging of the skin), my research goal is to collaboratively pioneer more efficient, higher quality, safer care via non-invasive optical imaging, sparing patients unnecessary invasive biopsies and, for lesions that require removal, enabling same day diagnosis and definitive therapy, minimizing direct and indirect (time) cost to both healthcare system and patient.

PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS:

Ho G*, Gill M*, Grant-Kels J, Schwartz RJ, Pellacani G, Gonzalez S, Alessi-Fox C, Guitera P. International expert recommendations on image acquisition for in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy of cutaneous tumors. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2024 Mar;90(3):537-544. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2023.09.086. Epub 2023 Oct 26. PubMed PMID: 37898340. *Co-first authors

Byers C*, Gill M*, Kurtansky NR, Alessi-Fox C, Harman M, Cordova M, Gonzalez S, Guitera P, Rotemberg V, Marghoob A, Chen CJ, Dy J, Kose K, Rajadhyaksha M, Sahu A. Tertiary lymphoid structures accompanied by fibrillary matrix morphology impact anti-tumor immunity in basal cell carcinomas. Front Med (Lausanne). 2022;9:981074. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.981074. eCollection 2022. PubMed PMID: 36388913; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9647637. *Co-first authors

Sahu A, Kose K, Kraehenbuehl L, Byers C, Holland A, Tembo T, Santella A, Alfonso A, Li M, Cordova M, Gill M, Fox C, Gonzalez S, Kumar P, Wang AW, Kurtansky N, Chandrani P, Yin S, Mehta P, Navarrete-Dechent C, Peterson G, King K, Dusza S, Yang N, Liu S, Phillips W, Guitera P, Rossi A, Halpern A, Deng L, Pulitzer M, Marghoob A, Chen CJ, Merghoub T, Rajadhyaksha M. In vivo tumor immune microenvironment phenotypes correlate with inflammation and vasculature to predict immunotherapy response. Nat Commun. 2022 Sep 9;13(1):5312. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-32738-7. PubMed PMID: 36085288; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9463451.

Saknite I, Gill M, Alessi-Fox C, Zwerner JP, Lehman JS, Shinohara MM, Novoa RA, Chen H, Byrne M, Gonzalez S, Ardigo M, Tkaczyk ER. In Vivo reflectance confocal microscopy of cutaneous acute graft-versus-host disease: concordance with histopathology and interobserver reproducibility of a glossary with representative images. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2022 Jul;36(7):1034-1044. doi: 10.1111/jdv.18004. Epub 2022 Mar 22. PubMed PMID: 35175678; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9232909.

Gill M, Sahu A, Alessi-Fox C, Cordova M, Gonzalez S, Iftimia N, Aleissa S, Navarrete-Dechent C, Dusza S, Rossi A, Marghoob AA, Rajadhyaksha M, Chen CJ. Angulated small nests and cords: Key diagnostic histopathologic features of infiltrative basal cell carcinoma can be identified using integrated reflectance confocal microscopy-optical coherence tomography. J Cutan Pathol. 2021 Jan;48(1):53-65. doi: 10.1111/cup.13871. Epub 2020 Oct 12. PubMed PMID: 32989842; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7755835.

Kose K, Bozkurt A, Alessi-Fox C, Brooks DH, Dy JG, Rajadhyaksha M, Gill M. Utilizing Machine Learning for Image Quality Assessment for Reflectance Confocal Microscopy. J Invest Dermatol. 2020 Jun;140(6):1214-1222. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2019.10.018. Epub 2019 Dec 12. PubMed PMID: 31838127; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7967900.

Saknite I, Gill M, Alessi-Fox C, Byrne M, Jagasia M, Gonzalez S, Ardigo M, Tkaczyk ER. Features of cutaneous acute graft-versus-host disease by reflectance confocal microscopy. Br J Dermatol. 2019 Oct;181(4):829-831. doi: 10.1111/bjd.17921. Epub 2019 Jul 15. PubMed PMID: 30927259; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6766422.

Gill M, Grant-Kels JM, Fox CA. Absence of lesional features on reflectance confocal microscopy: Quality control steps to avoid false-negative results. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019 Sep;81(3):e71-e73. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.03.047. Epub 2019 Mar 23. PubMed PMID: 30914337.

Sahu A, Yélamos O, Iftimia N, Cordova M, Alessi-Fox C, Gill M, Maguluri G, Dusza SW, Navarrete-Dechent C, González S, Rossi AM, Marghoob AA, Rajadhyaksha M, Chen CJ. Evaluation of a Combined Reflectance Confocal Microscopy-Optical Coherence Tomography Device for Detection and Depth Assessment of Basal Cell Carcinoma. JAMA Dermatol. 2018 Oct 1;154(10):1175-1183. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.2446. PubMed PMID: 30140851; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6179925.

Ardigo M, Longo C, González S, Agozzino M, Debarbieux S, Bénite P, Di Stefani A, Gerittsen MJ, Gill M, Hofmann-Wellenhof R, Kline M, Malvehy J, Menezes N, Moscarella E, Pellacani G, Puig S, Rao B, Segura S, Soyer P, Stanganelli I, Ulrich M, Venturini M.  Multicenter study on inflammatory skin diseases from The International Confocal Working Group (ICWG): specific confocal microscopy features and an algorithmic method of diagnosis.  Br J Dermatol.  2016 Aug;175(2):364-74.

Friedman DC, Friedman PC, Gill M.  In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy as an effective diagnostic tool for dermatophytic infections of the skin. Cutis. 2015;95(2):93-7.

Gill M, Longo C, Farnetani F, Cesinaro AM, Gonzalez S, Pellacani G.  Non-invasive in vivo dermatopathology: identification of reflectance confocal microscopic correlates to specific histological features seen in melanocytic neoplasms. J Eur Acad Dermatol and Venearol. 2014;28:1069-78.

Guitera P, Scolyer RA, Gill M, Akita H, Arima M,  Yokoyama Y, Matsunaga K, Longo C; Bassoli S, Bencini JPL, Giannotti R, Pellacani G, Alessi-Fox C, Dalrymple C.  Reflectance confocal microscopy for diagnosis of mammary and extramammary Paget’s disease. J Eur Acad Dermatol and Venearol. 2013;27(1):e24-9.

Pellacani G, Farnetani F, Gonzalez S, Longo C, Cesinaro AM, Casari A, Beretti F, Seidenari S, Gill M.  In vivo confocal microscopy for detection and grading of dysplastic nevi.  J Am Acad Dermatol. 2012 Mar; 66(3):e109-21.

Agero AL,* Gill M,* Ardigo M, Myskowski P, Halpern AC, Gonzalez S.  In-vivo reflectance confocal microscopy of mycosis fungoides.  J Am Acad Dermatol 2007; 57(3):435-41.  *Co-first authors

REVIEWS:

Gill M, Alessi-Fox C, Kose K. Artifacts and landmarks: pearls and pitfalls for in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy of the skin using the tissue-coupled device. Dermatol Online J. 2019 Aug 15;25(8). Review. PubMed PMID: 31553856.

Gill M, González S.  Enlightening the Pink: Use of Confocal Microscopy in Pink Lesions. Dermatol Clin.  2016;34:443- 458.

BOOKS:
Gonzalez S, Gill M, Halpern AC, eds.  Reflectance Confocal Microscopy of Cutaneous Tumors: An Atlas with Clinical, Dermoscopic and Histological Correlations.  London, UK: Informa UK Ltd, 2008.

A complete list of published peer-reviewed articles is available through NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/1Zsv7hxUCdSkS/bibliography/50648520/public/?sort=date&direction=ascending