Maria L. Wei, MD, PhD

Dr. Maria L. Wei is a dermatologist who specializes in melanoma and disorders of pigmentation, both acquired and inherited. She directs the UCSF Pigmented Lesions/Melanoma Surveillance Clinic, which cares for individuals with melanoma as well as patients at high risk for developing melanoma – a group that includes those with a family history of melanoma, those with genetic test results indicating a risk, and those with many moles or large congenital moles.

Wei leads a research laboratory that studies melanoma, investigating the biology of melanin-producing cells and how melanomas become resistant to treatment. The laboratory also seeks to understand the gender disparity in melanoma outcomes (why men and women have different outcomes) and is investigating novel biomarkers for melanoma (measurable substances that indicate the disease).