My Locations
About Me
I have two areas of clinical expertise: cutaneous lymphoma and hair disorders. In the area of cutaneous lymphoma, I have focused my research on clinical trials for new treatments and consensus building to establish standard guidelines for staging, evaluation, and treatment of patients, as well as the methodology used in clinical trials. My patients are invited to participate in my ongoing database, which captures their response to treatments. My goal is to find a cure for these cancers or, barring that, long lasting remissions. In the area of hair disorders, my goal is to help referring physicians diagnose and treat effectively multiple types of hair loss. My consultative practice is now focused on scarring alopecias, including frontal fibrosing alopecia and hair loss in African-American women in which causes are not obvious. My research focuses on collaborative work with multiple centers in the United States to help create knowledge and new treatments.
- Professor of Dermatology, Dermatology 1999
- Professor in Medicine, Medicine, Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy 2012
- Member of the Duke Cancer Institute, Duke Cancer Institute 1980
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Ratings and Reviews
The ratings and reviews are based on patient responses to the overall provider rating question from the survey. The question reads: “Using any number from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst provider possible and 10 is the best provider possible, what number would you use to rate this provider?” Responses are converted to a 5-point rating system and applied consistently to all providers. Learn more about our survey process. Patients who see some types of providers receive a different version of the patient satisfaction survey. Those results are not available on DukeHealth.org.
Training and Education
In the News
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Clinical Focus and Research
- USCLC National Cutaneous Lymphoma Registry awarded by US Consortium for Cutaneous Lymphomas 2025 - 2026
- USCLC Registry Grant awarded by US Consortium for Cutaneous Lymphomas 2024 - 2025
- Olsen, Elise A. “Hair Loss in Women.” N Engl J Med 393, no. 15 (October 16, 2025): 1509–20. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMcp2412146.
- Asare, C., J. Chen, P. Naidoo, C. Raymundo, M. Tawa, N. Khan, E. Olsen, et al. “Defining Core Concepts for Health-Related Quality of Life for Patients With Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome: A Systematic Literature Review.” JEADV Clinical Practice 4, no. 4 (September 1, 2025): 907–19. https://doi.org/10.1002/jvc2.70039.
- Olsen, Elise A., Rodney Sinclair, Maria Hordinsky, Natasha A. Mesinkovska, Neil Sadick, Jerry Shapiro, and Wilma Bergfeld. “Summation and recommendations for the safe and effective use of topical and oral minoxidil.” J Am Acad Dermatol 93, no. 2 (August 2025): 457–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2025.04.016.
- Olsen, E. A. “Hair Loss.” In Common Issues in Breast Cancer Survivors A Practical Guide to Evaluation and Management, 279–92, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75377-1_18.
- Olsen, E. A., and M. Iorizzo. “Hair Disorders.” In Harper S Textbook of Pediatric Dermatology, 2103–38, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119142812.ch159.
- Yeager, Caroline, and Elise A. Olsen. “Hair Disorders Associated with Anticancer Agents.” In DERMATOLOGIC PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE IN ONCOLOGY: CONDITIONS OF THE SKIN, HAIR, AND NAILS IN CANCER PATIENTS, 100–114, 2014.
- Svoboda, Ryan M., and Elise A. Olsen. “The necessity of a comprehensive physical examination in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: A series of three patients with occult Hodgkin's lymphoma.” In JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY, 81:AB286–AB286. MOSBY-ELSEVIER, 2019.
- Duvic, Madeleine, Ann Martin, Elise A. Olsen, David Fivenson, and Miles Prince. “Efficacy of Denileukin Diftitox Retreatment In Patients with Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma Who Relapsed After Initial Response.” In BLOOD, 116:1179–1179. AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY, 2010.
- Olsen, E. A., K. B. Reed, P. B. Cacchio, and L. Caudill. “Iron deficiency in female pattern hair loss, chronic telogen effluvium and control groups Hormones, Hair Growth and Pattern Hair Loss.” In EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, 19:572–572. WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC, 2010.
Insurance Accepted
Duke Health contracts with most major health insurance carriers and transplant networks, including the ones listed below.
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Aetna
- Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II
- Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice
- Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO
- Aetna Managed Choice POS
- Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP)
- Aetna Medicare Eagle Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Essential Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO)
- Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice
- Aetna Open Choice PPO
- Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS)
- Aetna Select HMO
- Aetna Traditional Choice
- Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan
- Aetna Whole Health – Duke WakeMed WKCC
- Aetna/CVS Health
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Ambetter
- Ambetter of North Carolina
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
- Blue Advantage
- Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*
- Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA)
- Blue Select
- NC State Employees Health Plan
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan.
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Cigna
- Cigna Behavioral Health (*Limited eligibility)
- Cigna Choice Plus
- Cigna Connect Individual Family Plan
- Cigna Open Access
- Cigna Open Access Plus
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*Please call Cigna Behavioral Heath to see if the provider is participating in your plan.
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Duke Group Plans
- Duke Basic
- Duke Select
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Experience Health
- Experience Health Medicare Advantage (HMO) Plan
- Gateway Health Alliance
- Healthgram
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Humana
- Humana Choice (PPO)
- Humana Choice - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana ChoiceCare - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana Gold Choice - Medicare Advantage (PFFS)
- Humana Gold Plus - Medicare Advantage (HMO)
- Humana Medicare Advantage Group Plan - NC State Retirees
- MedCost
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Medicare
- First Medicare Direct
- Medicare Part A
- Medicare Part B
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NC Medicaid
- AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina
- Carolina Complete Health
- Healthy Blue
- NC Medicaid Direct
- UHC Community Plan
- WellCare of North Carolina
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TRICARE
- TRICARE Prime
- TRICARE Prime Remote
- TRICARE Select
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United Healthcare
- AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2 (HMO-POS)
- AARP Medicare Complete (HMO, PPO)*
- AARP Medicare Complete Essential (HMO)*
- All Savers Alternate Funding
- All Savers Fully Insured
- United Healthcare (HMO, PPO, POS)**
- United Healthcare Charter/Charter Balance/Charter Plus
- United Healthcare Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Core/Core Essential
- United Healthcare Navigate/Navigate Plus/Navigate Balanced
- United Healthcare Option PPO
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Options PPO
- United Healthcare Select/Select Plus
- United Healthcare Shared Services - Harvard Pilgrim/UHC Options PPO Network
- United Medical Resources (UMR)
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan.
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**Duke Health does not participate in UHC plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Before scheduling your appointment, we strongly recommend you contact your insurance company to verify that the Duke Health location or provider you plan to visit is included in your network. Your insurance company will also be able to inform you of any co-payments, co–insurances, or deductibles that will be your responsibility. If you proceed in scheduling an appointment and your health insurance benefits do not participate with Duke, your out of pocket liability may be higher. We will contact you regarding your coverage and patient liability. If you are uninsured, learn more about our financial assistance policy.
External Relationships
- Affimed
- Arena Pharmaceuticals
- Citius
- Foundation for the Advancement of Hair Disorders
- Kintor
- Kyowa Hakko Kirin Pharma, Inc.
- Leirion Foundation
- Lilly
- Myovant Sciences, Inc
- Pfizer Inc.
- Southeastern Consortium for Dermatology
- Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
- United States Cutaneous Lymphoma Consortium
- UpToDate, Inc


Dr. Olsen was amazing. Careful, extremely competent making fully aware of everything
Dr. Olsen is my favorite doctor and I trust her expertise and knowledge. In addition she cares for her patients
Grateful to have been referred to this provider
She has proven to have been worth the wait, I am very excited to see how working with her changes my life.
Please see my earlier note. Dr. Olsen and her staff are, in the words of the original "Mary Poppins": supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
I am very lucky to have Dr. Olsen as my provider. It was a long wait to obtain the initial appointment and well worth it.
She’s such a lovely lady that explains everything well and made me feel at ease!
She is wonderful and knows her stuff!