Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Welcome to the website of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. We invite you to explore our website and to learn more about our commitment to research, patient care, and training in pathology and laboratory medicine.

Department News

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Brady Jin-Smith recently named a recipient for the 2024 Goldwater Scholarship – Apr 16, 2024

Brady Jin-Smith, an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Liya Pi's lab was recently named a recipient for the 2024 Goldwater Scholarship, one of the oldest and most prestigious government awards for research in the sciences. As the only recipient in the state of Louisiana, Brady outshined other candidates with his proven track record for scientific brilliance. He has published three times (one first author) during his two years at Tulane and was awarded the 2023 Histochemical Society Capstone Grant (1 of 5 internationally awarded recipients) for his research in aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzyme dynamics in liver cancer. During the summer, Brady leads cyclic immunofluorescence research in colorectal cancer at the Knight Cancer Institute of Oregon Health & Science University. After graduating a year early, he plans to pursue an MD/PhD and continue his research endeavors in noninvasive tumor detection modalities.

New Pathology Residents 2024-2025 – Mar 18, 2024

Joining the Pathology department for the next academic year 2023-2024 will be:

2023 Match:

Dr. Dash developing possible blood test for early detection of Liver Cancer – Feb 28, 2024

Dr. Srikanta Dash has used the NanoSight NS300 to identify and quantify biomarkers in the blood samples of liver cancer patients, in the hopes of developing strategies for earlier detection. Click here to read more.

New research funding for pathology faculty members – Jan 29, 2024

The Department congratulates Dr. Chiung-Kuei Huang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology, for being awarded a 5-year R01 grant for a total of  $2,114,669  (direct and indirect cost) from the National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. His project titled “TET1 in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease development” starts on Feb 1, 2024, where his research focus will be to determine the role of DNA modification through TET1 in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Congratulations Dr. Gang Liu - October 06, 2023

The Department congratulates Dr. Gang Liu, who became an instructor in July this year, for receiving the 2023 George K. Michalopoulos Junior Faculty Scholar Award from the American Society of Investigative Pathology (ASIP). ASIP is one of the oldest societies devoted to the investigation of the mechanisms of diseases and publishes The American Journal of Pathology. The award will be presented to Dr. Liu in the 2023 ASIP meeting on Oct 23.

Welcome New Staff Members - October 06, 2023

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is pleased to welcome two new staff members who recently joined us.

Yolanda Jones worked previously in Pathology as a Billing Coordinator from 2008-2020. Ms. Jones has returned to the Department in the capacity of the Grants and Contracts Officer.

Genevieve “Evie” Burguieres holds a Bachelor of Science degree from James Madison University, a Masters of Preservation Studies from Tulane, and a Juris Doctorate from degree from New England Law, Boston, MA. Ms. Burguieres joins the Department as Administrative Program Coordinator—Education.

Welcome New Faculty Members - October 05, 2023

Dr. Mercedes Ficarra, who joins the Department as an Associate Professor, received her medical degree at the Facultad de Medicina of the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain in 1988. She completed her Pathology residency and Cytopathology fellowship at Tulane. Board certified in Cytopathology, and Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, she worked in various capacities as a pathologist and a director of laboratory within the HCA system before she joined us on September 15th.

Dr. Ibrahim Aburiziq joins the Department as an Assistant Professor on October 2nd. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the American University of Beirut (1993), and MBBS from Jordan University of Science and Technology (2003). He completed his residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Baylor University Medical Center (2012), and fellowships in Hematology (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 2014) and in Surgical Pathology (Washington University School of Medicine, 2015). He has provided general pathology services and laboratory directorship in several hospitals in Guam, and Savannah, GA before he joined the Tulane.

Taylor MacGowan, M.S., P.A. (ASCP), received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa (2018), and graduated from the Pathologists’ Assistant Program at Tulane University School of Medicine (2022). Ms. MacGowan has worked as a Pathology Technician (Boston Children’s Hospital, 2020), and a Grossing Technician at Quantum Pathology in Waltham, MA (2018-2020). She joins the Pathology faculty on Oct 9th as an Instructor.

Farewell to Dr. Yoxtheimer - October 05, 2023

The Department of Pathology held a farewell reception for Dr. Lorene Yoxtheimer, Assistant Professor, on September 28, 2023. Dr. Yoxtheimer joined the Department in 2019 and is relocating to a new position in Fargo, ND. We wish her every success in her new endeavor.

Congratulations to Dr. Di Tian and the COVID Testing Team for being awarded the Tulane Spirit Award - August 31, 2023

Dr. Di Tian and the COVID Testing Team were awarded the prestigious Tulane Spirit Award by President Fits in recognition of their unwavering dedication and exceptional contributions to both the cherished Tulane University and the broader local community.

Drs. Shams Halat and Matthew Stark have been named 2023 Top Doctors (Pathology) in New Orleans Magazine - August 1, 2023

Congratulations to Drs. Shams Halat and Matthew Stark for being named Top Doctors of Pathology in the New Orleans Magazine

Congratulations on forty-three years of service - July 20, 2023

Corlis Trepagnier, Administrative Program Coordinator for the Department of Pathology, celebrated forty-three (43) years of service working for Tulane University School of Medicine. Corlis first joined Tulane working in the Department of Ophthalmology and transferred to Pathology in 1992. The saying, “what would we do without her” clearly applies to Corlis as she continues to play a vital role augmenting patient care by providing administrative support to the clinical faculty. Her dedication to her duties, work ethic and seamless organizational skills have been a bedrock of reliability in the Department. We congratulate her on forty years of excellent service and pay special tribute to her professionalism which serves as an inspiration to us all.

Congratulations Dr. Shengmin Yan for receiving a Fred Sanfilippo-ASIP Visiting Lectureship - June 20, 2023

The Department congratulates Dr. Shengmin Yan, Instructor of Pathology, for being a recipient of the Fred Sanfilippo-ASIP visiting Lectureship by American Society for Investigative Pathology.

New research funding for pathology faculty members - May 1, 2023

The Department congratulates Dr. Chiung-Kuei Huang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology, for being awarded a R21 two-year grant for $401,267 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. His project titled “Aspartate beta-hydroxylase and DNA damage in chronic liver diseases” starts on May 1, 2023, where his research focus will be to determine the underlying mechanisms contributing to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) development and progression.

The Department congratulates Dr. Shengmin Yan, Ph.D., Assistant Proffessor of Pathology, for being awarded a 2023 Pinnacle Research Award in Liver Diseases from the AASLD Foundation. The award of $300,000 will be provided over three (3) years ($100,000 per year). The Pinnacle Research Award in Liver Diseases is intended to develop the potential of outstanding early career scientists and encourage research in liver physiology and disease. Dr. Yan’s award with the project title of “Roles and mechanisms of cholestasis in alcohol-associated hepatitis” will start on July 1, 2023.

Congratulations, again, to Dr. Zhen Lin M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology, who has been awarded another Ladies Leukemia League, Inc. one-year grant for $35,000 to help support their leukemia and lymphoma research projects. Dr. Lin’s grant titled “Development of a novel targeted therapeutic strategy for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated lymphoma” starts on June 1, 2023.

Acknowledgment of Roberto Diaz del Valle for his service - March 24, 2023

Roberto Diaz del Valle, Research Grant Specialist for the Department of Pathology, was recently recognized by Dean Lee Hamm for outstanding community service.  In response to a joint letter written by Drs. Michelle Sanchez and Annette Oertling, leaders of the Greater New Orleans Science Fair, Inc. detailing his service, Dean Hamm stated:

“Thank you for your note alerting me to this great service by Roberto. Our great colleagues like Roberto are Tulane's best assets. Brings honor to Tulane.”

In their glowing appreciation of his service, Drs. Sanchez and Oertling stated that Diaz del Valle’s long-time service to the youth of our area through the annual Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair endured for the past 17 years as he served in the capacity of official Award Ceremony Emcee. They praised the effective structure and entertainment that he provides, treating every winner with the same enthusiasm and respect, assuring that they and their parents feel the pride in their accomplishment. Further accolades included his treatment of each winner.   By displaying personal interest in each of their projects, the claimed, he positively impacts the students’ view of the reception of their science and engineering efforts.

Drs. Sanchez and Oertling also described his service on the advisory board of the organization for many years prior to Katrina when it was based at UNO, and outlined  the mission of the organization.  They stated:  “The mission of the Greater New Orleans Science & Engineering Fair, currently held every February at Tulane University, is to encourage independent student research in science and engineering and to encourage youth to pursue science, math, or engineering careers. It is through the dedication and commitment of people like Roberto Diaz del Valle that this mission is successfully accomplished, providing education and inspiration for our area students and a future workforce for science and engineering. “

Click here to learn more about Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair

New Pathology Residents and Fellows for 2023-2024  - March 17, 2023

Joining the Pathology department for the next academic year 2023-2024 will be:

Fellows:

• Yousif Al Rubaye, MD – Dermatopathology

Transferring Resident:

• Annette E. Hebert, MD – PGY 2 – Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans

2023 Match:

Welcome Dr. Matthew Hurford - March 6, 2023

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine welcomes Dr. Matthew Hurford as its newest faculty member, on February 1, 2023. Appointed at the rank of Clinical Associate Professor, Dr. Hurford is a well-established hematopathologist. Dr. Hurford has served as Chief of Hematopathology at Maimonides Medical Center and Staten Island University Hospital in the New York and Brooklyn areas, and at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. He likewise served as the Medical Director of Hematology and Coagulation Laboratories at all three facilities. Dr. Hurford has published a number of book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals. We welcome him to the Department where his expertise in hematopathology will contribute to both patient care and the education of students and residents.

Congratulations to this year's recipients of the Michael A. Gerber Prize for Pathology Research - March 3, 2023

The Michael A. Gerber Prize for Pathology Research at the Tulane Research, Innovation and Creativity Summit winners held on March 1 – 2, 2023 are:

Nikol Wahby – Dr. Khambu’l Lab
Wenbo Ma, PhD – Dr. Wu’s lab.

Congratulations Patricia Snarski for successfully competing for an international Mistletoe Research Fellowship - October 17, 2022

Congratulations to Patricia Snarski, Dr. Savkovic's Post-Doc, who has been selected for a 2022-2023 Mistletoe Research Fellowship. Patricia was selected as one of the 32 fellows out of 430 candidates.

Welcome Dr. Xiaojiang Xu to the department - October 6, 2022

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine welcomes Dr. Xiaojiang Xu, PhD to join our Department.  Dr. Xu is appointed as Associate Professor on tenure track, starting on Sept 1, 2022.  Dr. Xu is a well-established investigator with an expertise in genomics analysis using bioinformatics and experimental approaches. Before joining Tulane University, he was the Senior Bioinformatics Scientist at NIEHS, where he led a team to build pipelines for analysis of extra high-throughput single-cell RNA-sequencing data in more than 30 projects with excellent publications in leading journals.  We look forward to his continuous success at Tulane in the coming years. 

Dr. Shams Halat and Dr. Matthew Stark named one of the Top Doctors in New Orleans by New Orleans Magazine - August 5, 2022

Dr. Shams Halat, Director of Surgical Pathology, has been named one of the Top Doctors in New Orleans by New Orleans Magazine. It is an annual tradition for New Orleans Magazine to publish this list that recognizes area physicians for excellence in the practice of medicine. The survey is conducted by Castle Connolly, a national healthcare research company, and their physician-led team employs a rigorous nation-wide screening process to select the top doctors.

Dr. Matthew Stark, a pediatric pathologist at Children’s Hospital and an adjunct faculty of the Department, was also named for this honor. It should be noted that Drs. Halat and Stark were the only two area pathologists selected as top in their field.

https://www.myneworleans.com/best-doctors-new-orleans/

Congratulates Dr. Erik Flemington for winning two new R01 award from National Cancer Institute - July 12, 2022

The Department congratulates Dr. Erik Flemington for winning two new R01 award from National Cancer Institute, which starts on April 1st and July 1st, respectively. Dr. Flemington is also the PI for another R01, and a PI of a P01, which started this February. Dr. Flemington’s research focuses on the transcriptional regulation of EBV and its interaction with the host.

Zhen Lin MD, PhD shared a Ladies Leukemia League (LLL) grant, with two other Cancer Center researchers, Hua Lu, MD, PhD and Matthew Burow, PhD. - May 17, 2022

Zhen Lin MD, PhD, Associate Professor from Pathology, shared a Ladies Leukemia League (LLL) grant, with two other Cancer Center researchers, Hua Lu, MD, PhD and Matthew Burow, PhD. Each investigator was awarded $35,000 to help support their leukemia and lymphoma research projects.

Founded in 1969, the LLL is a volunteer organization of 225 women who have dedicated themselves to raising funds for leukemia and lymphoma research in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Since their founding, they have raised over $4.1 million, which they have distributed as "pilot" or "seed" money to research scientists working in leukemia and lymphoma research, or related fields.

In this LLL-funded project, Dr. Lin will evaluate a novel EBV-targeting strategy that simultaneously induces a latent form of the virus and then exposes it to an anti-viral drug to eliminate EBVaL in both cell and animal models. If successful, the findings will provide important preclinical insight into the implementation of this novel therapeutic strategy and its possible benefits for patients suffering from this deadly disease.

Congratulations to Dr. Craig for winning 2022 School of Medicine's Auxiliary Teaching Award - May, 17, 2022

Congratulations to Dr. Craig for winning 2022 School of Medicine's Auxiliary Teaching Award. Dr. Craig will use the award to support innovative medical teaching to bring the discipline of pathology to the close attention of medical students. This could bring more medical students to seriously consider practicing pathology as their clinical career, which has been diminishing in recent years. Dr. Craig will offer the opportunity to a selected group of medical students to work closely with him to observe how pathology is practiced and what the pathology impact is on patient care.

Pathologists' Assistant Program has been awarded 5 years of initial accreditation - May, 5, 2022

The Pathologists' Assistant (PA) Program has been awarded 5 years initial accreditation by NAACLS. This is the longest length of time a new program can be awarded for initial accreditation and no citations were noted which is rare. The first cohort of PA graduation rate is 100% and is 100% board exam pass rate per NAACLS standards. Eight of nine of the first cohort graduates have taken their ASCP board exam since they graduated in December 2021. All have passed and scored extremely well. The Department congratulates everyone involved in the process, particularly Sarah Garner, the Director of the program, for their outstanding works over the last 7 years.

Dr. Liya Pi on the cover of the April Issue of FASEB Journal - April, 13, 2022

Dr. Liya Pi has published an article with a cover photo on the April issue of FASEB Journal (volume 36, issue 4). Dr. Pi has found that activation of the transcriptional coactivator Yes-associated protein (YAP) in hepatocytes was necessary for not only liver regeneration but also served as a protective mechanism against alcohol-associated damage. Its transcriptional regulation of the detoxification gene acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (Aldh)1a1 represents a new link in liver regeneration and alcohol detoxification.

Welcome Ms. Lynette Desjarlais as a new Pathology Assistant - April, 13,2022

Welcome Ms. Lynette Desjarlais, MS, instructor Pathology, join the Department as a new Pathology Assistant. Ms. Desjarlais started on April 8th.

Congratulations to Dr. Erik Flemington, Ph.D, for being awarded NIH grant - March 22, 2022

Congratulations to Dr. Erik Flemington, Ph.D. and his team, who have been awarded a five-year NIH / National Cancer Institute grant titled “Programmed splicing derangement as new EBV host cell shut-off mechanism”! His project proposes to determine the mechanisms and roles of virus induced cell splicing derangement in diminishing cellular protein output in favor of viral protein production and infectious virus particles.

Dr. Flemington’s newest R01 grant is set to begin on April 1, 2022 and end on March 31, 2027. The total five-year awarded amount is for $2,132,330.

New Pathology Residents and Fellows for 2022-2023 - March 18, 2022

Joining the Pathology department for the next academic year 2022-2023 will be:

Fellows:

• Akannsha Singh, MD – Cytopathology
• Bing Han, MD – Dermatopathology

Department mourns the loss of Dr. John Charles Scharfenberg - March 15, 2022

A former and highly regarded colleague, Dr. John Charles Scharfenberg expired on March 10, 2022. Dr. Scharfenberg graduated from Tulane Medical School in 1963. He completed a Charity Hospital rotation on the Tulane Service from 1963-1964, and then served in the U.S. Army. Following his honorable discharge in 1966 he began a surgical residency at Charity Hospital but switched to Pathology and completed his residency in 1971 on the Tulane service. He joined the Pathology Department at Tulane and served as a Lecturer from 1971—1975. He was appointed as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pathology from 1976 to 1985, Adjunct Associate Professor from 1985 to 1996, and Clinical Professor from 1996 to 2004.

A funeral mass will be held at Holy Name of Jesus Church on Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 11:00 AM, with visitation from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be given to the charity of your choice, or to Holy Name of Jesus Church, 6367 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118

Dr. Tim Peterson teaches future physicians about transfusion medicine - January 20, 2022

In addition to being an assistant professor of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine he is also the medical director at The Blood Center, which serves the greater New Orleans area and Shreveport. Dr. Peterson manages 80% of the blood supply in the state. 

January is National Blood Donor Month and Tulane University School of Medicine is hosting a blood drive. Look for the Bloodmobile parked outside the Hutchinson Building January 31, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Register for an appointment here.

Happy New Year 2022

The year 2022 starts with a new surge of Covid-19, primarily due to the Omicron variant.  While we are returning to work from the holiday, we need to keep vigilant on the pandemic and follow the requirements from the CDC and the Tulane Campus Health. 

The CDC updated its guidance on reducing the spread of COVID-19. Tulane now requires all faculty, staff and students to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccine when they become eligible for one, which is generally six months after completing their COVID vaccine series. Evidence continues to mount that receiving a booster is one of the primary means of countering the spread of COVID-19 and especially the omicron variant. CDC guidance, among other things, also reduces the required isolation time following a positive test or exposure to COVID-19. The shortened period for isolation is based on the CDC’s recent finding that most transmissions occur 1 to 2 days before the onset of symptoms and 2 to 3 days after. To schedule an appointment to receive your booster at one of Tulane’s Vaccine Clinics, use this link. If you have any questions, please email covidvaccine@tulane.edu. Any students, faculty and staff who have already received a COVID-19 booster at a location other than one of the Tulane Vaccine Clinics, or who receive such a booster during winter break, must upload their records to Campus Health here.

 

 

Pathways newsletter returns

The Department has resumed the publication of its newsletter “PATHWAYS” this month.  The October issue can now be found here

Study on Covid-19 - August 19, 2021

Tulane researchers have published an impactful article in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. This article, with Dr. Di Tian and Dr. Zhen Lin, from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, as the first and second authors, analyzed Covid-19 testing data from 7,440 Tulane undergraduate students and concludes that the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 could not be predicated simply based on the amounts of viral materials detected in the nasopharyngeal swabs.  Instead, the study suggests that infected people with even a small amount of virus can be infectious, and thus need to avoid contact with others.  

The article can be found at Ct Values Do Not Predict Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Transmissibility in College Students - The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics
News comments can be found at Tulane study finds viral load is not a true indicator of COVID-19 transmission risk
Elsevier.com: https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/viral-load-is-not-a-true-indicator-of-sars-cov-2-transmission-risk 
EurekAlert: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/925575 

Dr. Halat and Dr. Stark recognized as 2021 Top Doctors in the category of Pathology - August 16, 2021

The Department congratulates Dr. Shams Halat, Director of Surgical Pathology, and Dr. Matthew Stark, Adjunct Faculty at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, for their recognition as the 2021 Top Doctors in the category of Pathology by New Orleans Magazine, which is the city magazine published monthly about the city.  The selection of Top Doctors is organized by Castle Connolly, a leading healthcare research company, which has done the selection for the past 25 years across the country for many local communities.  This year 79 Tulane physicians are among those selected in New Orleans.  However, Dr. Halat and Dr. Stark are the only pathologists bestowed with this honor in New Orleans.  Additional information can be found at the following website. https://www.myneworleans.com/top-doctors-8/.

Congratulations to Sarah Garner for being selected as one of the 2021 Digital Communications Fellows in Pathology - August 6, 2021

Congratulations to Sarah Garner, who has been selected by “the Pathologist” as one of the 2021 Digital Communications Fellows in Pathology, and listed on “The Pathologist Power List”, which celebrates the great and inspirational minds that underpin the medical laboratory.

Congratulations to Dr. Di Tian and Dr. Xiao-Ming Yin in being named a City Business Health Care Hero 2021 in the category of Professionals. - June 30, 2021

Dr. Di Tian and Dr. Xiao-Ming Yin received congratulations from Dr. Lee Hamm, the Dean of School of Medicine, for their recognition in being named a City Business Health Care Hero 2021 in the category of Professionals. City Business is a New Orleans news medium oriented to the business community. Started in 2007, Health Care Heroes honors health care professionals in the New Orleans area in the following categories: first responders, nursing, physicians, professionals and volunteers. Honorees are selected based on industry achievement and community involvement. This year, six Tulane physicians and one Tulane nurse have also been named in the category of “Physician”, and “Nurses”, respectively. The honorees will be celebrated at an event October 25 at the New Orleans Museum of Art. A publication featuring them will be inserted into the Oct. 22 issue of CityBusiness.

A complete list can be found here: City Business Health Care Hero 2021

RESIDENT AWARDS 2020-2021:

Determined by Pathology Faculty vote, the winners of the 2020-2021 Residents’ Awards are:  

• The Rokitansky Award for Excellence in Autopsy:        Robert Wood, Jr., MD.
• The Richard Reed M.D. Surgical Award:                       Estelle Oertling, M.D.
• The Nina Dhurandhar, M.D. Cytopathology Award:      Akannsha Singh, M.D.

Tulane News Comments on Dr. Yin as the Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Professionalism/Environment

Tulane University has implemented a program, the Professionalism/Environment of Learning Program to ensure professional conduct on the part of faculty members, learners and educator in their interactions with each other and subordinates. As part of the educational activity, the School of Medicine’s Professionalism Committee has presented a webinar by Dr. Mary Killackey, on June 3rd to the faculty, staff and trainees of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Click on the following link below that gives a comprehensive overview of the program that is available to all employees of Tulane University. Professionalism/Environment of Learning Program

2021 Research Awards - June 8th, 2021

The Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Department congratulates our following Faculty Researchers on their newly awarded (Drs. Savkovic and Lin) and transferred R01 grant awards (Drs. Li and Chen) from the National Institutes of HealthClick to see full list of awards...

In Memoriam

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine deeply mourns the loss of two former faculty members, Dr. Richard J. Reed, Professor Emeritus, and Dr. Ramesh Bhagat, Assistant Professor. Click here to read more.

Congratulations to Pathology MS Class of 2021!

The department of Pathology would like to express our congratulations to the Pathology MS class of 2021:

Molecular Medicine

• Sophie Alamilla: Sophie is interested in dental school and will be applying for the 2021-2022 cycle.

• Hena Brucia: Hena will be working as a Research Specialist in the New Orleans Bioinnovation Center (NOBIC) while applying for medical school.

• Meghan Dillon: Meghan is applying for medical school for the 2021-2022 cycle.

• Wendy Mauti: Wendy has been accepted to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and will start in July.

• Fola Okeyemi: Fola will be working as a Registered Behavioral Therapist at Individualized Intervention ABA in Houston, Texas, while applying for medical school.

• Vikrant Sharma: Vik is interested in medical school and will be applying for the 2021-2022 cycle.

• Mohammed Sahal: Mohammed will be working in Dr. Asim B. Abdel-Mageed’s lab at Tulane while preparing for his USMLE Step 2 exam. He will apply for Pathology residency this fall.

• Nicholas Van Otterloo: Nick will be working in Dr. Zhen Lin’s lab as a Research Specialist while applying for medical school for the 2021-2022 cycle.

Molecular and Cellular Pathobiology

• Niani Bailey: Niani completed her thesis titled “Expression Analysis of DEK Proteins in Normal and Autophagy-Deficit Liver” under the guidance of Dr. Bilon Khambu. After graduation, she will continue in Dr. Khambu’s lab as a Research Specialist while applying for medical school. Niani has recently won the Dr. Michael A. Gerber Prize for Research for her poster presentation during TUSOM’s Research Days 2021.

• Glory Ogunyingka: Glory completed her thesis titled “Role of Integrated Stress Response in the Progression of Liver Disease” under Dr. Srikanta Dash’s guidance. Glory will attend Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in July.

• Spencer Stubbs: Spencer completed their thesis in the lab of Dr. Ronald Veazey at the National Primate Center. The thesis was titled “Elucidating Causal Pathways for Restorative Gut Potential through Our Microbiome: Targeting, Identifying, and Characterizing the Lymphoid Tissue Inducer Cell in SIV-Pathogenesis”. Spencer will remain in Dr. Veazey’s lab after graduation while applying for the MD/PhD program.

OWL CLUB AWARDS 2020-2021

Ryan Craig, M.D., Ph.D, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology, received a Tulane University School of Medicine Owl Club Award for teaching excellence as a T2 Tutorial Facilitator.  Dr. Craig’s teaching involved image exam reviews of microscopic slides. Additionally, Dr. Craig taught Basic Science Projects that exposed students to the analysis of scientific literature as it applied to Pathology.

Sarah Garner, M.S., P.A., Pathology Instructor, and Director of the Pathologists’ Assistants Program in the Pathology Department is a recipient of a Tulane University School of Medicine Owl Club Award.  Ms. Garner, also the Gross Lab Director, received the highest average review score for T1 Lecturers, based on student evaluations, for her Gross Anatomy lecture series, Lower Extremities.
 

Department of Pathology annual awards to trainees - April 28, 2021

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine sponsors a number of honors and awards, including the Dr. Michael A. Gerber Prize for Research in conjunction with Tulane University School of Medicine’s annual Research Days, which was instituted by the late Dr. Gerber. The award is given to the author whose poster wins the highest number of votes. This year the award goes to Niani Bailey, a graduate student in the Master’s program of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, in recognition of her poster, The Role of DEK Protein in Normal and Autophagy-Deficient Liver

This year the Department’s Dr. George H. Hauser Award is given to Ashley L. Velucci, a medical student in Tulane School of Medicine for her outstanding performance in the course “Mechanism of Diseases”, having the highest grade in her class. The award is designed to encourage medical students to excel in the studies of pathology and pathogenesis-related courses.

Dr. Savkovic investigates possible link between obesity and colon cancer - April 27, 2021

Congratulations to Dr. Savkovic and her team, who have been awarded a five-year National Cancer Institute grant to continue her investigation on the connection between obesity and colon cancer.Read More...

Dr. David Brenner 2021 Gerber Lecture Guest Speaker April 14, 2021

Dr. David Brenner, Vice Chancellor of the University of California at San Diego Health Sciences, is this year’s esteemed guest speaker. As Vice Chancellor at UC Health Sciences, he leads the School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.Read More...