Thomas J. Russell, MD: Named the Dermatology Foundation's 2003 Clark W. Finnerud Honoree

Thomas J. Russell, MD, was honored with the Dermatology Foundation's Clark W. Finnerud Award as an exceptional member of the specialty. This distinguished award was presented to Dr. Russell on February 7, 2004 at the Foundation's Annual Meeting during the annual convention of the American Academy of Dermatology in Washington, DC.

This award was named in honor of the late Clark W. Finnerud, MD, symbolizing his commitment to excellence during his 47 years at Rush Medical College in Chicago as teacher, practitioner, researcher, and committed supporter of the specialty. In addition, his generosity helped launch the Dermatology Foundation in 1964.

Dr. Russell attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI as an undergraduate and then a medical student (at what is now the Medical College of Wisconsin, or MCW). After interning at Minneapolis General Hospital in Minneapolis, MN, he completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic and spent the next two years as dermatologist and allergist at the U.S. Air Force Base in Shreveport, LA. He returned to Milwaukee in 1968, where he has remained, joining the Department of Dermatology at MCW and establishing a thriving private practice that has evolved to a large group. He is now clinical professor of dermatology and has twice served as Acting Chairman of the department. Dr. Russell is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, received the Taub International Memorial Award for psoriasis research after his innovative work documenting the immunogenetics of this disease, was chosen by medical school faculty to receive the 2002 Marvin Wagner Preceptor Award for dedication and excellence in teaching, and has repeatedly earned public honors as a top clinical dermatologist both locally and with inclusion in Best Doctors in America. His weekly clinics have long been "a favorite of the residents." Dr. Russell's active contributions to clinical photography and promulgation of high standards are widely acknowledged. He has been president of the Dermatology Photographic Society Milwaukee Academy of Medicine and the Wisconsin Dermatologic Society.

The Dermatology Foundation is a nonprofit organization created in 1964 by concerned dermatologists to provide a national organization for advancing patient care through funded research, and is now second only to the federal government as a source of funding for investigative dermatology. The Foundation raises funds from within both the specialty and from the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and surgical industries to support a research program of the highest quality that is also exceptional in its breadth and depth.