1932 - 1990
Theodore (Ted) Tromovitch was born on April 1, 1932, in Edwardsville, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1953 and received his medical degree from Boston University in 1957. After completing a period of research in dermatology at New York, he came to San Francisco where he interned at San Francisco General Hospital in 1957 and 1958. He then completed a residency year in dermatology at Charity Hospital, Tulane University in New Orleans in 1959. He returned to New York University Skin and Cancer Unit as a Research Fellow in 1959-1961.
Dr. Tromovitch returned to San Francisco as the recipient of the Skin Cancer Fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, in 1963-1965. Here he began his pioneering work in the treatment of difficult skin cancers, utilizing his modification of the work initiated by Dr. Frederick Mohs of Wisconsin. Dr. Tromovitch, together with his associate Dr. Samuel Stegman, developed the fresh-tissue modification of Mohs chemosurgery, now call Mohs micrographic surgery, an advanced surgical and pathological technique for eradication of recurrent skin cancer. The fresh tissue modification of Mohs surgery essentially became the Mohs surgery that we know today.
Dr. Tromovitch was a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. He was active in teaching of dermatologic surgery, and many of his students became directors of similar programs at major universities in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
He was a founder and served at President of the American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology. He was also a founder and president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. He received the Goldman award from the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery. In addition, Dr. Tromovitch was an early advocate for fellowships where physicians could be trained in the Mohs technique.
Dr. Tromovitch authored more than one hundred articles and monographs in the medical literature. Together with his associates, Dr. Samuel J Stegman and Dr. Richard G Glogau, he authored three outstanding textbooks in dermatologic surgery.
Besides pioneering the fresh tissue technique for Mohs surgery, Dr. Tromovitch is remembered for advancing all aspects of dermatologic surgery. By not using Mohs paste when performing Mohs surgery, immediate reconstruction became possible. Dr. Tromovitch was innovative and acquired great expertise in reconstructions which he passed on to other dermatologists with his popular lectures and publications.
Dermatologic surgeons who were not the first in their area of the country or the world will not understand the importance of the first few pioneers who practiced dermatologic surgery. There were many battles to fight as organized medicine, both on a national, international, and local level, was slow to recognize the subspecialty. Having so many outstanding, dedicated generational physicians who could represent the field was not only fortunate, but critical. Ted Tromovitch was one of those physicians. Younger Mohs surgeons could see themselves in him and it is often said that he gave the specialty “self-esteem”. Certainly, Ted Tromovitch was on the right side of history.
