Philip E. Shapiro, MD
Dr. Shapiro completed his bachelor’s degree in biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (magna cum laude) and received his M.D. degree from Albany Medical College in 1982. After remaining at Albany Medical Center for a medical internship, he completed his dermatology residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York in 1986 followed by two fellowships, first in the Department of Dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, dealing with molecular aspects of autoimmunity and melanocyte biology, and second at New York University where he trained in dermatopathology in the laboratory of Drs. A. Bernard Ackerman and Hideko Kamino. Subsequently, he joined the full-time faculty at Yale in the Departments of Dermatology and Pathology for seven years, where he served as the Director of Dermatopathology and the Director of the Dermatopathology Fellowship Training Program.
In 1995, he founded the Dermatopathology Laboratory of New England, P.C. as a private laboratory designed to provide the highest quality diagnostic services for diseases of the skin. Highlights of his research interests, which revolve mostly around clinical-pathologic correlation and include over 40 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, are the initial description of a variant of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma termed interstitial mycosis fungoides, and the discovery of pseudomelanocytic nests, which are nested structures that can cause a resemblance to malignant melanoma in situ in diseases that are actually benign, such as lichen planus-like keratoses and interface inflammatory processes like lichen planus pigmentosus. He also was the first to describe (with colleagues at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center) a variant of juvenile xanthogranuloma that has been named eponymously for him.
When not working at Dermatopathology Laboratory of New England, he enjoys spending time with his wife Kim and two grown children. He also has a great love for dogs and the game of tennis.
Alicia C. Sigal, MD
Dr. Alicia C. Sigal is a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist and an Associate of the American Academy of Dermatology. After graduating from Cornell University, Dr. Sigal received her medical degree at Tufts University School of Medicine where she was awarded the American Medical Women’s Association Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Award for graduating first in her class.
Following medical school, Dr. Sigal completed her internship at Henry Ford Hospital and then completed her dermatology residency training at Henry Ford Hospital. She then went on to complete a dermatopathology fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine. She is passionate about going above and beyond for her patients and clinicians and enjoys the challenge of solving difficult clinical cases. Dr. Sigal is an active member of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the American Society for Dermatopathology (ASDP), and the The Connecticut Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgical Society.
Dr. Sigal and her husband have two children and reside on the Connecticut shoreline. Besides mothering and doctoring, she enjoys running, cooking, reading, and spending time with the family dogs.
Jonathan R. Zirn, MD
Dr. Jonathan Zirn is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical School. After finishing his internship in internal medicine at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, he went on to complete dual residencies in Anatomic/Clinical Pathology and Dermatology, also at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. He completed his training by performing a Fellowship in Dermatopathology at the New York University Medical Center.
Dr. Zirn is one of the few nationwide dermatologists who is triple-boarded in dermatology, pathology, and dermatopathology. Because of his unique background, he possesses a particular expertise in the management of both inflammatory disorders of the skin and skin cancer. Dr. Zirn is also a practicing dermatologist at Advanced DermCare located in Danbury, CT.