- Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University
Dr. Matthew Vesely is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Yale School of Medicine and a physician-scientist with specialized training in immunology, molecular biology, genetics, and clinical dermatology. His career integrates fundamental immunology with clinical dermatology, with a particular focus on the role of costimulatory and inhibitory immune receptors in cancer immunity, autoimmune pathogenesis, and immunotherapy.
Dr. Vesely trained in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Washington University in St. Louis, where he conducted research in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Schreiber investigating key molecular regulators of cancer immunoediting. He completed his dermatology residency at Yale School of Medicine, where he further expanded his research in immune checkpoint pathways under the mentorship of Dr. Lieping Chen, a pioneer in PD-1 axis-targeted cancer immunotherapy. This work deepened his focus on novel immune regulatory mechanisms, including programmed death receptor-1 homolog (PD-1H), also known as VISTA.
His current research pursues two interconnected directions: identifying novel immune checkpoints — such as PD-1H/VISTA — in cutaneous malignancies including melanoma and keratinocyte carcinomas; and elucidating the inhibitory immune landscape of chronic inflammatory skin disorders including psoriasis, eczema, lichen planus, and cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Through this work, Dr. Vesely aims to develop new immunotherapeutic strategies for both cancer and inflammatory skin disease.