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Affiliated Provider
Affiliated providers provide medical care at an NYU Langone location or a private practice, and are not employed by NYU Langone Health.

Andrew G. Franks, MD

Affiliated Provider
Affiliated providers provide medical care at an NYU Langone location or a private practice, and are not employed by NYU Langone Health.
  • Specialties: Dermatology, Rheumatology
  • Treats: Adults
  • Language: English
  • Phone: 212-475-2312
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I was born and raised here in Manhattan, just a few blocks away from NYU Langone Medical Center. In the early ’60s, I watched Tisch Hospital being built with my father, who graduated from NYU School of Medicine in 1932. Through his influence, I discovered early in life the tremendous joy of helping others, which led me to pursue medicine.

As both a dermatologist and a rheumatologist, I work with people who have autoimmune conditions that affect their skin, including lupus, dermatomyositis, morphea, scleroderma, and Raynaud’s disease. Additionally, I conduct both clinical and translational research and focus on introducing novel therapeutics that can ease the burden of these rare diseases.

I approach each day with the same enthusiasm I had when I was an intern more than 46 years ago. My secret to happiness is spending a great deal of time listening, examining, and truly connecting with my patients. I’m not a mechanic, I’m a caregiver who provides basic human healing contact. The most rewarding feeling is making a difference in someone’s life by utilizing the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic interventions available.

In 1978, I began teaching at NYU School of Medicine in the departments of dermatology and medicine and the division of rheumatology, specializing in autoimmune diseases, particularly lupus erythematosus. I hope to continue teaching medical students, residents, fellows, and younger physicians for many years to come.

My most cherished recognitions include NYU School of Medicine’s Outstanding Teacher Award from the Alpha Omega Alpha chapter and the Career Achievement Award from the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology.

Medicine is not just my profession—it’s my passion and a central part of my life. My wife Linda is also a dermatologist at NYU Langone, and I could not be happier. Three of our children have medical careers, and I hope, our two grandchildren will also pursue the same path.


Conditions and Treatments

Conditions
  • anca-associated vasculitis
  • chilblains
  • cutaneous lupus
  • dermatomyositis
  • lichen planus
  • morphea
  • photosensitivity
  • raynaud's disease
  • sarcoidosis
  • scleroderma esophagus
  • sjögren's syndrome

Board Certifications
  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Rheumatology), 1978
  • American Board of Dermatology - Dermatology, 1977
  • American Board of Internal Medicine - Internal Medicine, 1975
Education and Training
  • Fellowship, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Rheumatology, 1977
  • Fellowship, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Dermatology, 1976
  • Residency, Beth Israel Medical Center, Internal Medicine, 1974
  • Residency, New York Medical College, Internal Medicine, 1973
  • MD from New York Medical College, 1971

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Please call the office for information about accepted insurance plans.

Andrew G. Franks, MD does not accept insurance.

Locations and Appointments

Gramercy Park Dermatology

60 Gramercy Park North, New York, NY 10010

Phone

212-475-2312

Fax

212-475-3542

Interests

Cutaneous Lupus, Raynaud’s Disease, Morphea, Dermatomyositis, Autoimmune Disease

Research Summary

Dr. Franks' initial research in autoimmune disease began in 1979 with a publication in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology on the effects of fibrinogen degradation products on lymphocytes, particularly in systemic lupus erythematosus. This was performed under the mentorship of Dr. Dorothy Estes, in the laboratory of Dr. Jane Morse at both Rockefeller University and Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. In 1982, working under Dr. E. Carwile Leroy at The Scleroderma Center at Columbia Presbyterian, he published in The Lancet on the appropriate use of topical nitroglycerin for the treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon and digital ulcers, receiving international recognition and an Exceptional Research Award presented at the University of Hamburg. In 2012, he added another innovative treatment and published his research in the "Cutting Edge" section of the Archives of Dermatology on the use of botulinum toxin for treatment of aggressive secondary Raynaud's in patients with scleroderma and other autoimmune disease. He was an early advocate, as of the 1980's, of the use of azathioprine in recalcitrant cutaneous lupus erythematosus and published his research in both the Archives of Dermatology as well as the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Dr. Franks’ interest in novel treatments for cutaneous lupus erythematosus has recently led to his introduction of a human monoclonal antibody directed against interleukin 12 and interleukin 23 for the treatment of resistant lupus including subacute cutaneous lupus (SCLE), published in the "Cutting Edge" section of The Archives of Dermatology in 2011. This was followed in 2012 by the introduction and publication in The Journal of Drugs in Dermatology (2012) of the first successful trial of the novel oral small molecule apremilast to be utilized in the treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. He also participated in the early outcome assessment of belimumab, a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits BAFF(BlyS), a breakthrough treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus published in 2012 in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

In the late seventies, working with Dr. Richard Edelson at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Dr. Franks became knowledgeable in the use of photopheresis for T-Cell lymphoma. He then collaborated on the use of extracorporeal photopheresis in the treatment of fibrosis in scleroderma. This research led to one of the first papers on its positive benefit and was published in 1993 in The International Journal of Dermatology. He has recently re-entered fibrosis research and has collaborated with Drs. Bruce Cronstein and Edwin Chan in the NYU Translational Research Department on the effects of the pro-fibrotic cytokines IL-33 and IL-13 and how they modulate dermal fibrosis via the A2A adenosine receptor. This work has been published (2012, 2013) in The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, and Arthritis and Rheumatism. As a co-Principal Investigator with the Research Division of NYU Langone’s Department of Radiology, he is also currently involved in an innovative, breakthrough study to determine therapeutic outcomes in patients with amyopathic dermatomyositis utilizing revolutionary diffusion MRI.

These focus areas and their associated publications are derived from PubMed and the MeSH term library. *
represents one publication
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*Due to PubMed processing times, the most recent publications may not be reflected in the timeline.

  • Functional muscle kinematics in dermatomyositis with diffusion MRI

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View All Research Studies (1)

Read All Publications (128)