Lyn McDivitt Duncan, MD

Dr. Duncan received her MD and Anatomic Pathology training at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, and Dermatopathology Training at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She became a member of the Mass General Dermatopathology Unit faculty in 1991. She serves on the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program advisory board and institutional director of the Harvard Medical School Dermatopathology Fellowship Program. With expertise in the diagnosis of skin cancer, Dr. Duncan's research has led to revised classifications of cutaneous B-cell lymphoma and identification of new biomarkers for malignant melanoma. She reported one of the first series of extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa associated lymphoid tissue type (MALT) in the skin, and elucidated the diagnostic features that distinguish this tumor from benign lymphoid infiltrates. Her contributions to the melanoma field include the discovery of the melanocyte specific biomarker Melastatin (TRPM1/MLSN), a prognostic factor for early stage melanoma, the development of a collaborative Skin SPORE tissue microarray platform that has been used internationally to evaluate melanoma biomarkers and the development of a more sensitive analytical platform for melanoma detection in sentinel lymph nodes, in place at the Mass General since 1995. Dr. Duncan's current work is focused on the elucidation of prognostic factors including biomarkers and analytical platforms that inform patient care as predictors of patient outcome and response to therapy. Her mission in the clinical realm is toward more efficient and cost-effective laboratory processing integrated with an expert consultative diagnostic service.