Josiah Hanson, MD

“We can quickly change people’s day-to-day experience of living within their own skin and help prevent serious reactions, so patients can continue their cancer therapies while feeling much more comfortable.”

— Dr. Hanson

What do you hope it’s like for a patient to work with you?

I hope patients feel comfortable and like we’re making a personal connection during our visit. I want to help find solutions as a team, so we can work together to help them feel better.

I enjoy developing relationships with patients when I can see them over multiple visits, or even just once or twice, and find out what they value. I like answering questions and solving puzzles. It’s very rewarding to put a name to something.

What brought you to dermatology?

I was initially interested in dermatology because of the sheer number of diagnoses and conditions – both benign and cancerous – that can happen on the skin. There is a close tie-in with pathology and interpreting the microscopic findings of these diseases, which I also specialize in.

What really drew me in is our ability to make an impact on someone's life. I like helping patients feel more comfortable so it is less likely that their skin hinders them or gets in the way of them doing what they want to do.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Oncodermatology, skin cancers, dermatopathology

I am a physician who sees patients at the South Lake Union Clinic and UW Medical Center – Montlake.

My focus is on supportive oncodermatology and helping patients who are undergoing cancer treatments who experience skin side effects. I help manage symptoms so they can continue treatment, and I also diagnose and treat primary skin cancers and skin lymphomas. In addition, I am a dermatopathologist, so I interpret and read skin biopsies under the microscope to make a diagnosis of cancers, benign growths and to identify rashes.