June K. Robinson

Robinson then took on administrative positions and became Director of the Division of Dermatology at Loyola University in Chicago from 1998 till 2004. In the following year, she served as Section Chief of Dermatology at Dartmouth- Hitchcock Medical Center before rejoining Northwestern University in 2005, as a Research Professor of Dermatology at Feinberg School of Medicine.

Robinson’s research focuses on skin cancer, with special emphasis on early detection and primary prevention of melanoma. She has authored over 270 research publications. She has spent over 20 years as an advocate for regulating indoor tanning, which resulted in its successful restriction for minors in Illinois and other US states. Her efforts led to the passing of a resolution by the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association to restrict the non-medical use of tanning devices in 1994.

Robinson has conducted significant research regarding early detection and primary prevention of skin cancers, with special emphasis on melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. In 1994, she advocated for Medicare coverage for preventive care for skin cancer screening by physicians in testimony at the Institute of Medicine given on behalf of the American Academy of Dermatology. She has also been actively involved in advocating restricted indoor tanning. Additionally, she refined facial reconstructive surgical concepts such as maintaining the patency of the nasal valve during reconstruction of the nose, using the cosmetic units of the face to plan reconstruction and using suspension sutures in facial reconstruction.

Robinson conducted seminal research on immunoperoxidase staining of frozen sections to detect skin cancer in surgical specimens. By staining with an anti-keratin stain, this technique improved the detection of squamous cell carcinoma cells among inflammatory infiltrated frozen sections of the margins of resection of tumors. Her research led to improved cure rates and reduced the amount of tissue resected with Mohs surgery. Similarly, in 1994 she reported the use of antibodies to HMB-45 to delineate the margins of melanoma in situ in frozen tissue resected with Mohs surgery.

Robinson studied a series of cases in which resecting skin cancer in the nasal area led to nasal valve malfunction when the resection was located in the alar crease at the junction of the sidewall of the nose. The resulting nasal stuffiness or difficulty getting air into the nose was alleviated by the novel technique of creating a cartilage batten to restore the lost cartilage prior to placing the flap. In 1985, she defined the cosmetic units of the face by their surface attributes of pigmentation, texture, hair, pore size, density of sebaceous glands and response to blush stimuli as well as the deeper characteristics of elasticity and mobility in the text, Fundamentals of Skin Biopsy. She implemented the reconstruction theory of the facial cosmetic units with suspension sutures to fix the closure line at the junction of cosmetic units and placed tension bearing suspension sutures to repair the alar facial junction. In 2004, she demonstrated restoration of facial contours without distortion of surrounding structures in 500 cases repaired by moving the tissue to place the closure line at the junction of cosmetic units.

As she followed patients who had basal cell carcinoma surgically resected, Robinson observed that many patients developed another basal cell carcinoma. In 1980, she established a database and did a 5-year prospective study of the incidence of another basal cell carcinoma after the index lesion was resected. Her research established that 36% of patients developed a second basal cell carcinoma within 3 years.

Robinson started off as an Instructor of Dermatology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and at New York University before joining Northwestern University Medical School as an Assistant Professor of Dermatology in 1979, and of Surgery, in 1980. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 1985 and taught as a Professor from 1991 until 1998.

Robinson graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 1970 and received her Doctoral degree from University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1974. She then completed her Residencies at Greater Baltimore Medical Center and Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center. She was the Chief Resident at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center from 1977 until 1978. She completed her fellowship from New York University Skin and Cancer Clinic in 1978-1979.