Eugene J. Van Scott, MD was the last remaining survivor of the team of ten who founded the Dermatology Foundation. A physician-scientist, academic and entrepreneur, he consistently demonstrated his commitment to the specialty and to the Foundation’s role within it through every accomplishment.
Of the Foundation he once said that while it was founded to foster research that otherwise might not be possible, “In two other ways [however] the Foundation’s importance may be greater. One is to show the world that dermatologists consider it imperative to encourage outstanding and dedicated minds to do research. The other is to confirm for ourselves, in our time, our intention to have dermatology persist as a vigorous specialty today and for upcoming generations”.¹
A pioneer and legend
It’s no small wonder that Dr. Eugene Van Scott was affectionately known as the “Thomas Edison of dermatology.”
His pioneering work led to discoveries that reshaped dermatology.
Van Scott led a decade of research with longtime collaborator Dr. Ruey J. Yu, a dermatopharmacologist and skin chemist, which led to a breakthrough: the discovery of the benefits of alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) for skin diseases such as ichthyosis and for skin rejuvenation. This achievement, arguably his most significant contribution, paved the way for Van Scott and Yu to co-found NeoStrata, the company that would become a leader in dermocosmetics, in 1988.
Training and leadership
After earning his undergraduate degree (1945) and medical degree (1948) from the University of Chicago (Chicago), Van Scott trained in dermatology at both Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania. In 1953, the newly established dermatology branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) recruited him. At just 31 years old, he became its first chief, a position he would hold for the next 15 years while shaping the institute’s research objectives.
Van Scott left the NCI in 1968 to join Temple University as a professor and deputy chair of the Department of Dermatology at the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, where he remained until 1989; after which he returned to private practice until his retirement.
The ground-breaking research of Dr. Van Scott (left) and Ruey Yu, PhD led them to create NeoStrata, a skin care company. Photo courtesy of First.
He also received Honorary Awards from the Foundation: the DF Distinguished Service Award (2003), and Van Scott and Yu received a joint DF Discovery Award (2010). He was also a member of the Foundation’s Thomas B. Fitzpatrick Legacy Fund.
Upon learning of his death, Foundation Chair Elizabeth McBurney, MD said: “In life and in legacy, Dr. Van Scott and his dermatology colleagues certainly ensured the future of dermatology with the establishment of the Dermatology Foundation 60 years ago. He was a visionary and left an unending legacy for our specialty.”
Van Scott died July 21, 2025 at the age of 93.
¹The Dermatology Foundation 1978 Annual Report