Matthew Vesely

Matthew Vesely, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Yale School of Medicine. He holds primary appointments in the Department of Dermatology and is affiliated with multiple Yale programs including the Autoimmune Skin Disease Program, Cancer Immunology Program, Chen Lab, Dermatology Human and Translational Immunology Program, Janeway Society, Psoriasis Treatment Program, Yale Cancer Center, and Yale Medicine.

Dr. Vesely is a physician-scientist with specialized training in immunology, molecular biology, genetics, and clinical dermatology. His educational background includes a BS in Biology, Theology, and History from Creighton University (2003), MD and PhD in Immunology from Washington University School of Medicine (2013), internship at Barnes Jewish Hospital (2013-2014), and dermatology residency at Yale School of Medicine (2014-2017).

His research focuses on immune inhibitory receptors (immune checkpoints) in autoimmune skin diseases and skin cancer, with particular emphasis on PD-1H/VISTA in cutaneous malignancies and inflammatory skin disorders. The Vesely Lab employs cutting-edge technologies such as spatial proteomics and transcriptomics to analyze human patient samples and mouse models of disease. Primary research areas include autoimmune skin diseases like cutaneous lupus erythematosus and lichen planus, chronic inflammatory conditions like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, and cancer immune evasion mechanisms in melanoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Analysis of Dr. Vesely's publication record shows a strong focus on spatial transcriptomics/proteomics approaches to understand immune checkpoint pathways in skin diseases, with increasing emphasis on translational applications of these findings for therapeutic development. His work bridges fundamental immunology with clinical dermatology to develop new immunotherapeutic strategies.

Dr. Vesely has received numerous awards including the Young Physician Scientist Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation (2025), Dermatology Fellows Award from Melanoma Research Alliance (2019), and Physician-Scientist Career Development Award from the Dermatology Foundation (2019).

He currently advises Postgraduate Associate Anjali Jaiswal and Postdoctoral Associate Ummugulsum Yildiz-Altay. His lab receives funding from multiple sources including the Dermatology Foundation, Melanoma Research Alliance, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), and the Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale Ventures. Dr. Vesely is actively recruiting for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, computational biologists, and experimental staff scientists.

The Vesely Lab is located at the West Campus Molecular Innovations Center in West Haven, CT, while his academic office is in the Hunter Building at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT.