Joseph Skitzki, MD
Primary Location
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
- Appointment:
- 216.444.6665
- Desk:
- 216.444.8345
- Fax:
- 216.445.7653
Treatment & Services
- Excisions
- Malignant Soft Tissue Tumor Surgery
- Sentinel Node Biopsy
- Skin Biopsies
- Soft Tissue Biopsy
Specialty in Diseases & Conditions
- Basal Cell Carcinoma
- Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans
- Melanoma
- Merkel Cell
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Insurance
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View All PlansAbout Joseph Skitzki, MD
My clinical and research career are rooted in surgical oncology and tumor immunology. I have been incredibly fortunate to witness the revolution of immunotherapy for cancer, specifically in melanoma. Virtually all stages of melanoma were once the domain of surgery, but now the use of immunotherapy and small molecule inhibitors has created a paradigm shift. Melanoma patients who faced desperate odds only a decade ago are now able to receive treatments that can offer long-term survival and cures while surgery can be de-escalated to cause less harm. My goal is to bring evolving treatment options to all the patients I serve and to create and extend multidisciplinary approaches and clinical trials to further improve outcomes. As a surgical oncologist, my focus is melanoma and cutaneous oncology. My research is highly translational and addresses a major reason why immunotherapy protocols fail by defining the molecular requirements for trafficking of anti-tumor lymphocytes to tumor sites. Specifically, I investigate the ability to alter the tumor microenvironment to enhance existing systemic immunotherapy approaches. In the middle of my surgical residency at Case Western Reserve University, I completed an NIH T32 fellowship in surgical oncology while at the University of Michigan. I gained experience in dissecting molecular mechanisms governing lymphocyte trafficking and began preclinical work to elucidate the mechanisms underlying migration of adoptively transferred T cells to tumor lesions. This work was expanded upon during my formal surgical oncology fellowship at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center where I began using intravital microscopy (IVM) to dissect lymphocyte-tumor endothelial interactions in real-time. I purposefully extended this fellowship for a total of 3 years with half of the time committed solely to research in areas that dovetail with my clinical interest in melanoma and immunotherapy. My background as a surgeon and research scientist has allowed for translation from the lab to the clinic and I have directed several investigator-initiated clinical trials. As Director of Melanoma and Cutaneous Oncology Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, I am committed to every patient having the best possible outcomes.
Education & Professional Highlights
Appointed
2024
Education & Fellowships
Fellowship - Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Surgical Oncology
Buffalo,
NY
2009
Residency - Case Western Reserve Univ. Hospitals of Cleveland
General Surgery
Cleveland,
OH
2006
Internship - Case Western Reserve Univ. Hospitals of Cleveland
General Surgery
Cleveland,
OH
2000
Medical Education - Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Hershey,
PA
1999
Certifications
- General Surgery
Awards & Honors
- 2019 Golden Apple Award – Teaching Award, Department of Surgical Oncology,
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center - 2017 Invited Plenary Speaker first ever joint meeting of British Microcirculation Society
(BMS) and UK Cell Adhesion Society (UKCAS) University of Birmingham, UK - 2016 Inducted Member of RPMI (Roswell Pride in Member Ingenuity) Club
(Faculty Recognition Society) - 2013 Faculty Research Recognition Award, Department of Surgery, State University of
New York at Buffalo - 2012 American Surgical Association Foundation Fellowship Research Award, Finalist
and Recipient - 2012 Golden Apple Award – Teaching Award, Department of Surgery, State University
of New York at Buffalo - 2010 Golden Apple Award – Teaching Award, Department of Surgical Oncology,
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center - 2008 Invited participant – AACR/ASCO Vail Workshop, Methods in Clinical Cancer
Research - 2008 Roswell Fellowship Basic Science Award
- 2007 Invited participant - Cancer Education Consortium Molecular Oncology Workshop
- 2005/2006 Case Western Department of Surgery Chief Resident Teaching Award
- 2006 Case Western Department of Surgery, ABSITE Award
- 2006 Cleveland Surgical Society, Resident Research Competition, 2nd Place – Clinical
- 2006 Annual Resident Surgeons Competition, 1st place – Clinical, American College
of Surgeons Ohio Chapter - 2004 Resident Research Competition 1st Place – Experimental, Cleveland Surgical Society
- 2003 Robert V. Danto Cancer Research Award, American College of Surgeons Michigan
Chapter, Annual Resident Surgeons Competition - 2001-2003 Dudley P. Allen Scholar Award, Case Western Department of Surgery
- 2000-2001 Junior Resident Teaching Award, Case Western Department of Surgery
- 1999 Alpha Omega Alpha
- 1999 Lange Medical Publishing Award for excellence in academic work
- 1999 Howard E. Morgan Award for outstanding achievement in basic research
- 1999 Annual Student Research Symposium Award
- 1996-1998 Hammond Memorial Scholarship for academic excellence
- 1996-1997 Luzerne County Medical Society Scholarship
- 1994 Summa cum Laude Graduate, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA
- 1990-1994 Presidential Academic Scholarship, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Innovations & Patents
- Inventor: Clinical Intravital Microscope, Serial No. 61/988,626
- Inventor: Methods for Improving Tumor Chemotherapy, Serial No. 62/416,965
- Inventor: Shaking Device, System, and Method, Serial No. 61/984,509
Research & Publications
See publications for Joseph Skitzki, MD.
(Disclaimer: This search is powered by PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. PubMed is a third-party website with no affiliation with Cleveland Clinic.)
Industry Relationships
Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists may collaborate with the pharmaceutical or medical device industries to help develop medical breakthroughs or provide medical expertise or education. Cleveland Clinic strives to make scientific advances that will benefit patient care and support outside relationships that promise public benefit. In order for the discoveries of Cleveland Clinic physicians' and scientists' laboratories and investigations to benefit the public, these discoveries must be commercialized in partnership with industry. As experts in their fields, Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists are often sought after by industry to consult, provide expertise and education.
To assure professional and commercial integrity in such matters, Cleveland Clinic maintains a program that reviews these collaborations and, when appropriate, puts measures in place to minimize bias that may result from ties to industry. Cleveland Clinic publicly discloses the names of companies when (i) its physicians/scientists receive $5,000 or more per year (or, in rare cases, equity or stock options) for speaking and consulting, (ii) its physicians/scientists serve as a fiduciary, (iii) its physicians/scientists receive or have the right to receive royalties or (iv) its physicians/ scientists hold any equity interest for the physician's/scientist's role as inventor, discoverer, developer, founder or consultant.* In publicly disclosing this information, Cleveland Clinic tries to provide information as accurately as possible about its physicians' and scientists' connections with industry.
As of 11/19/2024, Dr. Skitzki has reported no financial relationship with industry that is applicable to this listing. In general, patients should feel free to contact their doctor about any of the relationships and how the relationships are overseen by Cleveland Clinic. To learn more about Cleveland Clinic's policies on collaborations with industry and innovation management, go to our Integrity in Innovation page.
Public Health Service-Reportable Financial Conflicts of Interest. Cleveland Clinic scientists and physicians engage in basic, translational and clinical research activities, working to solve health problems, enhance patient care and improve quality of life for patients. Interactions with industry are essential to bringing the researchers' discoveries to the public, but can present the potential for conflicts of interest related to their research activities. Click here to view a listing of instances where Cleveland Clinic has identified a Public Health Service (PHS)-Reportable Financial Conflict of Interest and has put measures in place to ensure that, to the extent possible, the design, conduct and reporting of the research is free from bias.
* Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists subscribe to the guidance presented in the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals and the AdvaMed Code of Ethics on Interactions with Health Care Professionals. As such, gifts of substantial value are generally prohibited.
