Christopher K Bichakjian, MD

Dr. Christopher Bichakjian is a professor of dermatology and chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Dr. Bichakjian is a foremost expert in the field of cutaneous surgery and oncology. He has a special interest in Merkel cell carcinoma and established one of the first multidisciplinary programs in the world for this rare skin cancer in 2006. He has presented over 100 national and international invited lectures and visiting professorships, and authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications with a focus on skin cancer.

Dr. Bichakjian received his medical degree from Radboud University in the Netherlands before completing residency in dermatology and fellowship in Mohs surgery and cutaneous oncology at Michigan Medicine. Following fellowship, he practiced Mohs surgery in private practice in New York City and served as adjunct faculty at Weill Medical College at Cornell University. In 2004, Dr. Bichakjian returned to Ann Arbor to join the faculty in the Department of Dermatology at Michigan Medicine. He served as director of the Multidisciplinary Merkel Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma Programs, and chief of the Division of Cutaneous Surgery and Oncology. After initially serving as interim chair, Dr. Bichakjian was appointed chair of the Department of Dermatology in 2020.

Dr. Bichakjian has been heavily involved with the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) to improve and develop optimal staging and clinical practice guidelines in cutaneous oncology, for which he was awarded the AAD Presidential Citation Award in 2018. Dr. Bichakjian is past-president of the Michigan Dermatological Society and currently serves a nine-year term on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Dermatology.

Global health is one of Dr. Bichakjian's primary interests. Since becoming chair, Dr. Bichakjian has helped to establish educational, clinical and research partnerships throughout the world. The Department of Dermatology at Michigan Medicine has active collaborations with partners in India, China, Rwanda, Burundi, and Jamaica, and is building future partnerships with Mexico, Brazil, Dominican Republic and others.

Dr. Bichakjian has a longstanding clinical research interest in the management of skin cancer, with a focus on melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. He has contributed extensively to multiple national clinical practice guidelines and continues to advocate strongly for the importance of evidence-based care. In recent years, Dr. Bichakjian has focused his research interest on the de-escalation of low-value care in the management of skin cancer, motivated by a strong conviction to avoid overtreatment and do no harm.