Robert L. Modlin MD

Robert L. Modlin, M.D. completed his undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, received his medical degree at the New York University School of Medicine, was a pediatrics intern at NYU, and a dermatology resident at Los Angeles County/University of Southern California School of Medicine. Dr. Modlin’s primary research mentor is Barry R. Bloom, although the training has been unofficial, it began in 1983 by telephone and fedex, then continued by fax and email. Since 1990, Dr. Modlin has been at UCLA, presently as the Klein Professor of Dermatology, Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Chief of the Division of Dermatology and Vice Chair for cutaneous medicine and dermatologic research in the Department of Medicine.

Dr. Modlin’s interest in leprosy began during his dermatology residency at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center, learning from Dr. Thomas Rea. The goal of his research is centered on the study of leprosy as a model to learn about mechanisms of host defense in humans. As such, Dr. Modlin’s laboratory has made fundamental insights into T cell subsets, cytokine patterns, antigen presentation, innate immunity and antimicrobial mechanisms in the human immune response to infection. He has been awarded three patents for this research.