Biography

Dr. Robert Sarkany is Consultant Dermatologist and senior Photodermatology Consultant at St John's Institute of Dermatology at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital , London.

He was previously Consultant Dermatologist at Mayday Hospital (1999-2002) and then at St Georges Hospital and Medical School (2002-2006) before taking up his current post.

He is an experienced Dermatologist for skin diseases of all types in children and adults. He is an international authority on sunlight sensitivity, sun allergy, and ultraviolet light therapy, and lectures around the world and writes widely on these subjects.

He led the Photodermatology Unit at St John's Institute of Dermatology from 2006-2023, one of the leading centres in the world for the treatment of skin diseases and of research into them, and is currently the senior Consultant in the Photodermatology Unit. He established the National Xeroderma Pigmentosum Centre there in 2010, the largest such centre in the world, and was one of the founders of the Rare Disease Centre at St Thomas' Hospital.

Dr Sarkany trained at St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School, qualifying as a Doctor in 1986.

After Junior Doctor posts at London Hospitals, including St Thomas’ Hospital, Brompton Hospital for chest diseases , the National Hospital for Neurological Diseases, and Hammersmith Hospital and Postgraduate Medical School, he was accepted by examination as a Hospital Specialist Physician (Membership of the Royal College of Physicians, 1989). After a period of research in Cambridge (1990-1994) during which he was awarded a Doctorate in Medicine for his research into sunlight sensitivity due to Porphyria, he trained as a Dermatologist in Cambridge.

After another period of research in the molecular biology of porphyria in Heidelberg , Germany, he became Consultant Dermatologist at Mayday Hospital in 1999. In 2002 he was invited to move to become consultant Dermatologist at St George’s Hospital and Medical School. In 2006 he was invited to become the Head of the Photodermatology Unit of St John’s Institute of Dermatology, based at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. This is one of the biggest and oldest established Units for the treatment of and research into skin diseases caused by allergic reactions to sunshine, and into the treatment of other skin diseases by ultraviolet light therapy (‘phototherapy’).

Under Dr Sarkany’s leadership the Unit grew and in 2010 he also established a new National Centre for the treatment of patients with Xeroderma Pigmentosum funded by the Department of Health. He remains as the senior Consultant working in the Photodermatology Unit, having stepped down from the role of Lead in 2023. He is one of the founders of the Rare Disease Centre, which opened at St Thomas' Hospital in 2017.

He is an international authority on sunlight sensitivity, sun allergy, inherited photodermatoses and ultraviolet light therapy, lectures around the world, writes widely on these subjects and heads a large scale research programme funded by the National Institute for Health Research. He is a busy and active Consultant Dermatologist looking after a large number of patients of all ages with the full range of skin diseases and skin cancers.

Dr Sarkany sees patients with the following conditions: all skin rashes, skin lesions, skin cancers, hair and nail problems in children and adults of all ages; sunlight allergy; ultraviolet light therapy (Phototherapy).

• Chairman of the British Photodermatology Group,
• Trustee of the British Skin Foundation
• Head of the Grants Allocation Committee of the British Skin Foundation
• Editorial Board Member, ‘Photodermatology Photoimmunology Photomedicine’ journal
• Associate Editor, Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology , 11th (current) Edition
• President of the European Xeroderma Pigmentosum Society
• Co-chairman of the British and Irish Porphyria Network
• Member, NHS England Clinical Reference Group for Dermatology.

• BSc (Hons) , University of London, 1983
• MBBS(Hons), University of London, 1983
• MRCP (Member of Royal College of Physicians of London (1989)
• FRCP (Fellow of Royal College of Physicians of London) (2003)
• MD (Doctoral Thesis in Medicine), University of London , 1995
• CCST (Certificate of completion of Specialist Training) in Dermatology, UK Specialist Training Authority, 1997

• Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine
• Member, British Association of Dermatologists
• Member, British Society of Investigative Dermatology
• British Photodermatology Group (Chairman 2011-2016)
• British Skin Foundation (Trustee)
• Member, British Medical Association
• General Medical Council Registration Number: 3183847