Basic research programs
The small size of the HMS DOD relative to the other departments makes it impractical to establish self-contained basic research programs in all aspects of basic science related to medicine. However, research programs in several carefully chosen fields, such as immunodermatology and photobiology, allow the department to collaborate with larger HMS research programs.

Two large laboratories located at the Massachusetts General Hospital and one large laboratory located at the Harvard Institutes of Medicine constitute a large portion of the research activities of the Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School.

• Wellman Center for Photomedicine is one of the world's foremost research facilities in this field. These laboratories offer an interdisciplinary approach to basic and applied research emphasizing basic photobiology and laser technology and tissue reactions.
• The MGH/Harvard Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC), is a multidisciplinary research group conducting fundamental research relevant to the structure and function of the skin and cutaneous biology. It was established in 1989 with support from a grant from Shisedo Co., Ltd. of Japan.
• The Division of Dermatology Research Laboratories at Brigham and Women's Hospital including the Harvard Skin Disease Research Center (HSDRC) was established in 1994 with funding from the National Institutes of Health. The mission is to conduct research on the pathogenesis of skin disease.
• Clinical Unit for Research Trials in Skin (CURTIS) is a joint research unit in the Departments of Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's Hospitals. The director of this unit is Dr. Alexa B. Kimball, MD, MPH.

The skin is an extremely useful model system and substrate for diverse basic and biomedical research programs. Therapeutic applications resulting from the basic and clinical research programs of the Harvard Medical School, Department of Dermatology have played a key role in advancing dermatologic care around the world.

These research programs often crossover into other disciplines, making this a unique setting for discovery of therapeutic advances that will benefit all mankind. State-of-the-art research in cutaneous biology, photobiology, and skin diseases is an important component to the Harvard Medical School, Department of Dermatology.

In addition to these basic research programs, clinical research activities are ongoing throughout the department.