Dekker Deacon
Rating: 5.0 of 5
( out of 234 reviews )

Dekker Deacon, FAAD, MD, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Clinical Locations

Huntsman Cancer Institute - Cancer Hospital South

Clinic 2C, Dermatology/Melanoma
Salt Lake City
801-587-7000
Directions

University of Utah Hospital

Dermatology, Area E
Salt Lake City
Directions

  • Dekker C. Deacon, MD, PhD, FAAD, completed his residency in dermatology at the University of Utah and has a special interest in the genetics of skin cancer and skin cancer treatment, including Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Melanoma and others. He is a member of the Melanoma Disease Center, and regularly participates in a weekly melanoma multidisciplinary treatment planning conference. In addition to skin cancer, which he treats at both The Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of Utah Hospital clinics, Dr. Deacon sees general dermatology patients for a wide range of conditions including Actinic Keratoses, Acne, Warts, Psoriasis, Dermatitis, Rosacea, Hives, Rashes, Skin Lesions, Cysts, Skin Infections, Excessive Sweating, Hair and Nail Disease, and Drug Reactions. In his free time, he enjoys spending time hiking, biking, and skiing with his wife.

    Specialties

    Patient Rating

    Rating: 5.0 out of 5
    5.0 /5
    ( out of 234 reviews )

    The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers.

    The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

    Patient Comments

    Patient comments are gathered from our patient experience survey and displayed in their entirety. For the convenience of our visitors, some patient comments have been translated from their original language into English while preserving their original meaning as accurately as possible. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

    August 28, 2025
    UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
    Rating: 5 out of 5

    Excellent

    August 21, 2025
    UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
    Rating: 5 out of 5

    Dr. Deacon was thorough, personable, and very knowledgeable. I felt no sense of being rushed and had every question answered effectively and to my satisfaction. His MA and his NP were as credible and personable.

    August 17, 2025
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER
    Rating: 5 out of 5

    Dr Deacon was awesome. I was bothered by a skin barnacle and he suggested freezing it off. I am so glad I found him for my future dermatology issues.

    August 15, 2025
    UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
    Rating: 5 out of 5

    Excellent interaction, extremely attentive and informative

    August 15, 2025
    UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
    Rating: 5 out of 5

    He was very attentive and a great mind reader. Made me feel comfortable about the procedure and answered all my stupid questions even the ones I couldn't put into words.

    August 10, 2025
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER
    Rating: 5 out of 5

    Dr Deacon is kind and devotes plenty of time to listen.

    August 07, 2025
    UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
    Rating: 5 out of 5

    Friendly, knowledgeable, compassionate

    August 04, 2025
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER
    Rating: 5 out of 5

    Great doctor.

    August 03, 2025
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER
    Rating: 5 out of 5

    Dr. Deacon is smart without falling short on the other important things, such as kind, patient and thoughtful. He was great with my daughter and thoughtful of those around him, including his staff.

  • Dekker C. Deacon, MD, PhD, FAAD, completed his residency in dermatology at the University of Utah and has a special interest in the genetics of skin cancer and skin cancer treatment, including Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Melanoma and others. He is a member of the Melanoma Disease Center, and regularly participates in a weekly melanoma multidisciplinary treatment planning conference. In addition to skin cancer, which he treats at both The Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of Utah Hospital clinics, Dr. Deacon sees general dermatology patients for a wide range of conditions including Actinic Keratoses, Acne, Warts, Psoriasis, Dermatitis, Rosacea, Hives, Rashes, Skin Lesions, Cysts, Skin Infections, Excessive Sweating, Hair and Nail Disease, and Drug Reactions. In his free time, he enjoys spending time hiking, biking, and skiing with his wife.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Dermatology -Assistant Professor (Clinical)

    Education history

    Chief Resident Dermatology - University of Utah School of Medicine Chief Resident
    Residency Dermatology - University of Utah School of Medicine Resident
    Internship Internal Medicine Preliminary Year - University of Utah School of Medicine Intern
    Post Graduate Training Biomedical Sciences - University of California, San Diego Ph.D.
    Professional Medical Medical Scientist Training Program - University of California, San Diego School of Medicine M.D.
    Undergraduate Molecular Biology and Biochemistry - Middlebury College B.A.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Jiang A, Huntsman A, Becker C, Feng BJ, Marks K, Donigan J, Duffy KL, Frigerio A, Grossman D, Neklason DW, Judson-Torres RL, Deacon DC (2025). Assessing MC1R Variants in Lentigo Maligna Melanoma Within the Utah Population. Cancer Res Commun, 5(7), 1228-1234. (Read full publication)
    2. Letchworth R, Tanaka M, Barnes AA, Lum L, Hughes S, Schlauderaff G, Chaudhary P, Ng KM, Superville D, Luna CM, Gonzalez M, Deacon DC, Grossmann A, Reeves MQ (2025). CIT tumor lines: A novel series of immunogenic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell lines derived from chemical carcinogenesis. bioRxiv. (Read full publication)
    3. Deacon DC, Stubben C, Marcacci E, Stone CJ, Birdsall M, Florell SR, Boucher K, Grossman D, Judson-Torres RL (2025). Classification of Cutaneous Melanoma and Melanocytic Nevi with microRNA Ratios is Preserved in the Acral Melanoma Subtype. J Invest Dermatol, 145(3), 707-709. (Read full publication)
    4. Chhibber T, Scherzer MT, Prokofyeva A, Becker C, Zitnay RG, Smith E, Khurana N, Skliar M, Deacon DC, VanBrocklin MW, Ghandehari H, Judson-Torres RL, Jafari P (2025). Transdermal delivery of ultradeformable cationic liposomes complexed with miR211-5p (UCL-211) stabilizes BRAFV600E+ melanocytic nevi. J Control Release, 381, 113586. (Read full publication)
    5. Smith EA, Belote RL, Cruz NM, Moustafa TE, Becker CA, Jiang A, Alizada S, Prokofyeva A, Chan TY, Seasor TA, Balatico M, Cortes-Sanchez E, Lum DH, Hyngstrom JR, Zeng H, Deacon DC, Grossmann AH, White RM, Zangle TA, Judson-Torres RL (2024). Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibition leads to regression of acral melanoma by targeting the tumor microenvironment. J Exp Clin Cancer Res, 43(1), 317. (Read full publication)
    6. Basurto-Lozada P, Vzquez-Cruz ME, Molina-Aguilar C, Jiang A, Deacon DC, Cerrato-Izaguirre D, Simonin-Wilmer I, Arriaga-Gonzlez FG, Contreras-Ramrez KL, Dawson ET, Wong-Ramirez JRC, Ramos-Galguera JI, lvarez-Cano A, Garca-Ortega DY, Garca-Salinas OI, Hidalgo-Miranda A, Cisneros-Villanueva M, Martnez-Said H, Arends MJ, Ferreira I, Tullett M, Olvera-Len R, van der Weyden L, Del Castillo Velasco Herrera M, Roldn-Marn R, Vidaurri de la Cruz H, Tavares-de-la-Paz LA, Hinojosa-Ugarte D, Belote RL, Bishop DT, Daz-Gay M, Alexandrov LB, Snchez-Prez Y, In GK, White RM, Possik PA, Judson-Torres RL, Adams DJ, Robles-Espinoza CD (2024). Ancestry and somatic profile predict acral melanoma origin and prognosis. medRxiv. (Read full publication)
    7. McMahon M, Deacon DC (2024). Spatial sequencing reveals transcriptional variation between amelanotic and pigmented acral melanoma. Br J Dermatol, 191(4), 483-484. (Read full publication)
    8. Kenyon CM, Kelly BG, Bowen AR, Gumbleton M, Deacon DC (2024). Lichen striatus as an immune-related adverse event following ipilimumab/nivolumab and COVID-19 infection in an adult. JAAD Case Rep, 52, 34-37. (Read full publication)
    9. Fastner S, Rahman H, Gutierrez J, Shen N, Florell SR, Florell A, Stubben CJ, Boucher KM, Deacon DC, Judson-Torres RL, Grossman D (2024). MicroRNA Signatures Associated with Basal Cell Carcinoma Subtypes. JID Innov, 4(4), 100286. (Read full publication)
    10. Scherzer MT, Deacon DC, Judson-Torres RL (2023). Perilesional Epigenomes Distinguish Melanocytic Nevus Subtypes. J Invest Dermatol, 143(9), 1631-1633. (Read full publication)
    11. Kelly BG, Liu T, Deacon DC (2023). Persistent Green-Blue Plaque in a Healthy Woman. JAMA Dermatol, 159(3), 335-336. (Read full publication)
    12. Kuceki G, Deacon DC, Secrest AM (2022). Amelanotic Melanoma Treated as Fungal Infection for Years. Case Rep Dermatol Med, 2022, 2598965. (Read full publication)
    13. Sahni DR, Deacon DC, Madigan LM (2022). The impact of seasonal temperature variation on the incidence of pernio during the COVID19 pandemic. JAAD Int, 10, 3-5. (Read full publication)
    14. Deacon DC, Smith EA, Judson-Torres RL (2021). Molecular Biomarkers for Melanoma Screening, Diagnosis and Prognosis: Current State and Future Prospects. Front Med (Lausanne), 8, 642380. (Read full publication)
    15. Deacon DC, Madigan LM (2020). Inpatient teledermatology in the era of COVID-19 and the importance of the complete skin examination. JAAD Case Rep, 6(10), 977-978. (Read full publication)
    16. Grossman D, Okwundu N, Bartlett EK, Marchetti MA, Othus M, Coit DG, Hartman RI, Leachman SA, Berry EG, Korde L, Lee SJ, Bar-Eli M, Berwick M, Bowles T, Buchbinder EI, Burton EM, Chu EY, Curiel-Lewandrowski C, Curtis JA, Daud A, Deacon DC, Ferris LK, Gershenwald JE, Grossmann KF, Hu-Lieskovan S, Hyngstrom J, Jeter JM, Judson-Torres RL, Kendra KL, Kim CC, Kirkwood JM, Lawson DH, Leming PD, Long GV, Marghoob AA, Mehnert JM, Ming ME, Nelson KC, Polsky D, Scolyer RA, Smith EA, Sondak VK, Stark MS, Stein JA, Thompson JA, Thompson JF, Venna SS, Wei ML, Swetter SM (2020). Prognostic Gene Expression Profiling in Cutaneous Melanoma: Identifying the Knowledge Gaps and Assessing the Clinical Benefit. JAMA Dermatol, 156(9), 1004-1011. (Read full publication)
    17. Topham C, Deacon DC, Bowen A, Cipriano SD (2019). More than goosebumps: A case of marked skin dimpling in an infant. Pediatr Dermatol, 36(3), e71-e72. (Read full publication)
    18. Deacon DC, Happe CL, Chen C, Tedeschi N, Manso AM, Li T, Dalton ND, Peng Q, Farah EN, Gu Y, Tenerelli KP, Tran VD, Chen J, Peterson KL, Schork NJ, Adler ED, Engler AJ, Ross RS, Chi NC (2019). Combinatorial interactions of genetic variants in human cardiomyopathy. Nat Biomed Eng, 3(2), 147-157. (Read full publication)
    19. Veevers J, Farah EN, Corselli M, Witty AD, Palomares K, Vidal JG, Emre N, Carson CT, Ouyang K, Liu C, van Vliet P, Zhu M, Hegarty JM, Deacon DC, Grinstein JD, Dirschinger RJ, Frazer KA, Adler ED, Knowlton KU, Chi NC, Martin JC, Chen J, Evans SM (2018). Cell-Surface Marker Signature for Enrichment of Ventricular Cardiomyocytes Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cell Reports, 11(3), 828-841. (Read full publication)
    20. Hashem SI, Perry CN, Bauer M, Han S, Clegg SD, Ouyang K, Deacon DC, Spinharney M, Panopoulos AD, Izpisua Belmonte JC, Frazer KA, Chen J, Gong Q, Zhou Z, Chi NC, Adler ED (2015). Brief Report: Oxidative Stress Mediates Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis in a Human Model of Danon Disease and Heart Failure. Stem Cells, 33(7), 2343-50. (Read full publication)
    21. Zhang K, Deacon DC, Rao F, Schork AJ, Fung MM, Waalen J, Schork NJ, Nievergelt CM, Chi NC, OConnor DT (2014). Human heart rate: heritability of resting and stress values in twin pairs, and influence of genetic variation in the adrenergic pathway at a microribonucleic acid (microrna) motif in the 3'-UTR of cytochrome b561 [corrected]. J Am Coll Cardiol, 63(4), 358-68. (Read full publication)
    22. Qiao H, Prasada Rao HB, Yang Y, Fong JH, Cloutier JM, Deacon DC, Nagel KE, Swartz RK, Strong E, Holloway JK, Cohen PE, Schimenti J, Ward J, Hunter N (2014). Antagonistic roles of ubiquitin ligase HEI10 and SUMO ligase RNF212 regulate meiotic recombination. Nat Genet, 46(2), 194-9. (Read full publication)
    23. Yoshioka N, Gros E, Li HR, Kumar S, Deacon DC, Maron C, Muotri AR, Chi NC, Fu XD, Yu BD, Dowdy SF (2013). Efficient generation of human iPSCs by a synthetic self-replicative RNA. Cell Stem Cell, 13(2), 246-54. (Read full publication)
    24. Deacon DC, Nevis KR, Cashman TJ, Zhou Y, Zhao L, Washko D, Guner-Ataman B, Burns CG, Burns CE (2010). The miR-143-adducin3 pathway is essential for cardiac chamber morphogenesis. Development, 137(11), 1887-96. (Read full publication)
    25. Ward JO, Reinholdt LG, Motley WW, Niswander LM, Deacon DC, Griffin LB, Langlais KK, Backus VL, Schimenti KJ, OBrien MJ, Eppig JJ, Schimenti JC (2007). Mutation in mouse hei10, an e3 ubiquitin ligase, disrupts meiotic crossing over. PLoS Genet, 3(8), e139. (Read full publication)

    Review

    1. Chhibber T, Deacon DC, Ghandehari H, Judson-Torres RL (2025). Recent advances in gene delivery for melanocyte-associated disorders. [Review]. Adv Drug Deliv Rev, 115703. (Read full publication)
    2. Lyon J, Huntsman A, Pavek A, Deacon DC, Stump TK (2025). A comprehensive review of 21 common dermatology smartphone applications: evaluating socioeconomic and geographical barriers. [Review]. Arch Dermatol Res, 317(1), 423. (Read full publication)

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