Leadership Team

Our Team

R. Rox Anderson, MD
Program Consultant

R. Rox Anderson, MD, graduated from MIT, and then received his MD degree magna cum laude from the joint MIT-Harvard medical program, Health Sciences and Technology. After completing his dermatology residency and an NIH research fellowship at Harvard, he joined the faculty where he is now Harvard Medical School Professor in dermatology, Director of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Mass General and adjunct Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at MIT. Dr. Anderson conceived and developed many of the non-scarring laser treatments now widely used in medical care. These include treatments for birthmarks, microvascular and pigmented lesions, tattoo and permanent hair removal. He has also contributed to treatment for vocal cords, kidney stones, glaucoma, heart disease, photodynamic therapy for cancer and acne, and optical diagnostics.

Dr. Anderson practices dermatology at Mass General and teaches at Harvard and MIT. Active research includes diagnostic tissue imaging and spectroscopy, photodynamic therapy, mechanisms of selective laser-tissue interactions, adipose tissue biology and novel therapy for skin disorders. Dr. Anderson has been awarded over 60 national and international patents, and has co-authored over 250 scientific books and papers. Dr. Anderson is the founder of the Magic Wand Initiative (MWI) and currently serves as consultant for all the MWI related programs.

Lilit Garibyan, MD, PhD
Program Director

Lilit Garibyan, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School and a Physician-Scientist at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Mass General. Her research focuses on innovative biomedical translational discoveries aimed at identifying novel treatments for dermatologic diseases and beyond. She is an inventor on many patents, some of which has led to the development of startup companies. She is also the co-founder and the Director of the Magic Wand Initiative (MWI) and the Virtual Magic Wand (VMW) programs, which aim to promote and empower clinician-led research and innovation, by teaching them the process of innovation. These programs empower and teach clinicians on how to identify unmet-clinical needs and collaborate with research faculty and industry in finding solutions to these problems. Due to the measurable success that these programs have achieved they have now become nationally and internationally recognized initiatives.

Dr. Garibyan has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed original publications. She has lectured at national and international level and has developed a reputation as an expert and leader in dermatology and biomedical innovation.

As a humanitarian, Dr. Garibyan has pioneered and established sustainable, medical laser clinics in Armenia for effective treatments of scars and vascular anomalies. Her team has taken several lasers to Armenia and has trained Armenian physicians on the use of laser technology to treat life altering skin diseases. Dr. Garibyan recently founded and serves as the President of a nonprofit organization called “Face of Angel” to continue the mission of this humanitarian work.

Dr. Garibyan received her B.S. summa cum laude from University of California Los Angeles, her MD from Harvard Medical School and her PhD from Harvard University in Experimental Pathology/Immunology.

Yakir Levin, MD, PhD
US Program Co-Chair

Yakir Levin, MD, PhD, is an instructor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School and physician scientist in the Department of Dermatology and at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Mass General. He practices laser and cosmetic dermatology at MGH’s Laser and Cosmetic Center, as well as medical dermatology. Dr. Levin’s research focuses on new technologies to treat disfiguring birthmarks such as large congenital melanocytic nevi and port wine stains, and on challenging skin diseases, such as hyperhidrosis. He has published numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts and has lectured widely at national and international meetings.

Dr. Levin graduated from the Medical Scientist Training Program at Stanford University, where he completed his MD at the Stanford School of Medicine, and his MS and PhD degrees in the department of Electrical Engineering at the Stanford School of Engineering. He completed his residency at Boston University, where he served as chief resident and received the Marie-France Demierre Award for Humanism.

Following completion of his residency, Dr. Levin completed a two year laser, cosmetic and research fellowship at Mass General. In addition to treating children in the context of his practice at Mass General, Dr. Levin treats children abroad, including in Israel and Vietnam, and has educated physicians in those countries.

Kachiu Lee, MD, MPH
US Program Co-Chair

Kachiu Lee, MD, MPH is in private practice in the Philadelphia area. She is also an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Temple University, Philadelphia PA.

Dr. Lee is a board-certified dermatologist who trained at Brown University, where she also served as Chief Resident. Afterwards, she completed her fellowship at Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Mass General, Harvard University.

Dr. Lee is dedicated to staying abreast of new developments in the field of cosmetic dermatology. She participates in several clinical trials investigating the use of photodynamic light therapy, tattoo removal, and quality of life after cosmetic procedures. She is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 20 book chapters on Internal Medicine and Dermatology.

Merete Haedersdal, MD, PhD, DMSc
European Program Ambassador

Merete Haedersdal, MD, PhD, DMSc is clinical professor of dermatology at University of Copenhagen, senior consultant at Dept of Dermatology, Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Dr. Haedersdal directs the Laser Dermatology Clinic at Bispebjerg University Hospital, and she is affiliated visiting scientist at Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Mass General, Harvard Medical School, pioneering “laser-assisted drug delivery” together with Dr. R. Rox Anderson and his team.

Dr. Haedersdal has published over 200 scientific papers and lectures internationally. Her research team focuses on translational medicine in the field of laser dermatology, fractional laser-assisted drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, and treatment of skin cancer with light-based devices.