Kelly L Harms, MD, PhD

 portrait of Kelly Harms
Lewis and Lillian Becker Professor of Dermatology
Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology
Section Head, Dermatology
Medical Director, Medical School
University of Michigan
Department of Dermatology
1500 E. Medical Center Drive 1910 TC
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Available to mentor
Kelly L Harms, MD, PhD
portrait of Kelly Harms
Clinical Associate Professor
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  • Qualifications
  • Recent Publications

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    • About

    Kelly L. Harms, MD, PhD is the Lewis and Lillian Becker Professor of Dermatology and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology at Michigan Medicine. Board-certified in dermatology and Mohs micrographic surgery, she specializes in the comprehensive management of rare and high-risk skin cancers, including basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, and other complex cutaneous malignancies.

    As Division Chief of Cutaneous Surgery and Oncology and Director of the Multidisciplinary Cutaneous Oncology Program, Dr. Harms leads advanced clinical care at the Rogel Cancer Center. Her clinical practice focuses on Mohs micrographic surgery and associated reconstruction, as well as the complex multidisciplinary management of care for patients with advanced skin cancer. She is a nationally recognized expert who actively contributes to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network clinical care guidelines for Merkel cell carcinoma.

    Dr. Harms' research portfolio encompasses skin cancer biology, epidemiology, and therapeutic interventions, with a primary goal of advancing diagnostic and treatment strategies for rare and high-risk skin cancers. Her scholarly work includes more than 45 peer-reviewed publications that provide critical insights and guidance for physicians, patients, and healthcare teams.

    She completed her medical education through the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Alabama, earning both her MD and PhD. Her postdoctoral training, including dermatology residency and Mohs micrographic surgery fellowship, was completed at Michigan Medicine, where she now leads innovative clinical and research programs in dermatologic oncology.

    Qualifications
    • M.D., Cell Biology
      University of Alabama School of Medicine, Medical Student Services VH100, 1720 2nd Ave S, Birmingham, AL, 35294-0019, United States
      2000 - 2008
    • Ph.D., Cell Biology
      University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
      2000 - 2007
    • B.S., Molecular Biology, magna cum laude with honors
      Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
      1996 - 2000

    Recent Publications

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    • Presentation
      Outside the Norm: Practical Guidance for Managing Rare & Large Tumors
      Ahn C, Harms K, Kibbi N, Lawrence N. 2026 Apr 30;
    • Presentation
      Outside the Norm: Practical Guidance for Managing Rare & Large Tumors
      Ahn C, Harms K, Kibbi N, Lawrence N. 2026 Apr 30;
    • Presentation
      Case-based discussion #2: Adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy for MCC (STAMP)
      Harms KL. 2026 Apr 30;
    • Presentation
      Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Diagnosis, Management, and Controversies
      Harms K. 2026 Apr 30;
    • Presentation
      Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Diagnosis, Management, and Controversies
      Harms K. 2026 Apr 30;
    • Journal Article
      Clinical practice guidelines for the management of basal cell carcinoma in Gorlin syndrome
      Cahn BA, Zhang R, Sidwell AM, Adam CM, Tiv J, Murrar R, Koh J, Griffin T, Nadir U, Yi MD, Ahmed A, Ma M, Koza E, Haq M, Shi V, Bale AE, Lewin JM, Christensen SR, Waldman A, Harmon CB, Alt-Holland A, Arkin LM, Morrison JC, Bogart K, Gregory MD, Lohman ME, Rossi A, Marghoob AA, Goldberg L, Jiang SB, Giordano CN, Choi JN, Teng JMC, Mittal BB, Vidimos AT, Leffell DJ, Xu YG, Haber R, Storrs PA, Tsoukas M, Samie FH, Bickers DR, Nehal KS, Mosterd K, Billingsley EM, Epstein EH, Elston D, Hodge T, Breneiser J, Spiegel BA, Bissell S, Stephenson AG, Daum NS, Roth KB, Michalowski M, Shelley C, McGoldrick P, Nadin C, Weiss M, Rubenstein R, Kibbi N, Worley B, Chang ALS, Harms KL, Pearlman R, Hirner J, Kim J, Schwartz RA, Bailey RK, Freites-Martinez A, Mirza AN, Castner N, Levenson JL, Whitson R, Golda N, Akin RS, Lawrence N, Demer A, Scott JF, Beveridge MG, Deng L, Sauder MB, Baumann BC, Bermudez R, Gill JG, Lambert WC, Cognetta AB, Krakowski AC, Blalock TW, Wasserman DI, Harper C, Dunbar-Jacob J, Patel AB, Chu EY, Sarin KY, Tang JY, Ruiz ES, Duffy K, Merritt B, Grushchak S. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2026 Feb 1; 94 (2): 485 - 494. DOI:10.1016/j.jaad.2025.10.076
      PMID: 41396574
    • Journal Article
      Nodal Cellular Blue Nevus in Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy: A Case Report With Emphasis on Avoiding Misdiagnosis of This Important Mimicker of Metastatic Melanoma
      Velez K, Breglio K, Petroze RT, Warren SJ, Harms PW, Harms KL, Plotzke JM. Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, 2026 Feb 1; 53 (2): 153 - 157. DOI:10.1111/cup.70006
      PMID: 41183565
    • Journal Article
      Abstract A018: Investigating the fibroblastic phenotype of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans in primary tumors and non-fusion-bearing fibroblasts
      Aqeel J, Kondrachuk O, Syed TA, Holtz CE, Harms KL, Angeles CV, Dlugosz AA, Pedersen EA. Cancer Research, 2026 Jan 15; 86 (1_Supplement): a018 - a018. DOI:10.1158/1538-7445.fusionpositive26-a018