After medical training and during his dermatology residency at Cornell, Al Kopf became interested in melanoma. He went on to make a monumental impact upon the way we think about this skin cancer. He established the Malignant Melanoma Cooperative Group with NYU and four other universities. With the help of this group, he developed one of the earliest melanoma patient clinical databases which was designed to assess the effects of multiple variables on the survival of melanoma patients.
In addition, he focused efforts on early screening and developed, with others, the ABCDs of early melanoma. Dr. Kopf not only tirelessly educated the public concerning melanoma but he trained over twenty fellows, many of whom went on the make significant contributions to dermatology. Dr. Kopf’s work resulted in hundreds of publications.
Dr. Kopf is widely respected by his peers who elected him president of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and the American Dermatological Association. He is one of a handful of individuals who have been president of the AAD and a recipient of the AAD Gold medal. The World Health Organization recognized Dr. Kopf with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
