Department of Pathology
Granzyme K (GzmK), a family of granzymes implicated in age-associated inflammatory disease, plays a key role in driving chronic inflammation by causing cell death. Despite its significant impact on diseases like asthma, psoriasis and atherosclerosis, current therapies lack focus on GzmK.
Several Research and Clinical Experience in Pathology (RaCE4Path) students presented posters at the 2025 UAB Heersink School of Medicine Dale J Benos Medical Student Research Day on September 15 and the UAB Undergraduate Research Expo on July 24.
In 2016, the rare disease Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim, or ZTTK Syndrome, was discovered by Erin Eun Young Ahn, Ph.D., a professor in the UAB Department of Pathology’s Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, alongside her research team. ZTTK is primarily identified in children and is characterized by intellectual disability, delayed musculoskeletal development and multi-organ anomalies, and is caused by loss of function in the SON gene. This gene creates a DNA and RNA binding protein, SON, that is required for the body to grow and develop naturally.
The UAB Department of Pathology boasts a long legacy of fostering physician-scientists who are skilled both in clinical practice and research. These practitioners bridge the crucial gap between the lab and patient care, using clinical experience to drive research leading to new treatments and therapies. Their efforts target individualized medicine, propel public health breakthroughs and ensure that scientific discoveries are translated directly to the bedside.
The Department of Pathology is pleased to announce the promotion and tenure of eight of our esteemed faculty colleagues for 2025, effective October 1, 2025.
Falone Amoa, M.D., M.S., PGY5, and Damien Roland, M.D., M.S., PGY3, were recently named 2025 Future of Pathology Award recipients by the National Medical Association. The Future of Pathology Award was established in 2020 with the goal to recognize and reward minority students and trainees who have a special interest in the field of pathology.
Rati Chkheidze, M.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Neuropathology, has been appointed section head of neuropathology, effective July 1. Chkheidze joined the UAB Department of Pathology in 2020 from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he completed a neuropathology fellowship following his anatomic and clinical pathology residency. Originally from the country of Georgia, he graduated from Tbilisi State Medical University in 2007. Before joining the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, he worked as a senior visiting scientist in the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics until 2014. His research interests focus on image analysis and machine learning applications in neurodegenerative and tumor neuropathology, and brain banking.
Peter Anderson, D.V.M., Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, delivered one of the inaugural lectures for a new certificate program offered by the Association of Academic Pathology (AAPath) at its annual meeting in Denver, Colorado, in July. This program is designed for health science faculty at all levels of experience who seek professional development to enhance their teaching effectiveness, expand their knowledge and expertise in curricular development and advance their careers as health science educators.
Adeyi Oyedele, M.D., FRCPC, Division Director, Anatomic Pathology, will serve as section head of Gastrointestinal Pathology and director of the GI fellowship program, effective July 15.
Falone Amoa, M.D., M.S., a PGY5 and Ph.D. candidate in the UAB Department of Pathology, has recently been named a Society of '67 Kinney Scholar by the Association for Academic Pathology (AAPath). This award is for pathology residents and medical students who demonstrate the potential for leadership in academic pathology. Amoa is 1 of 5 residents and 8 medical students selected from across the United States.
The Department of Pathology is thrilled to announce a new faculty member joining our team August 1.
UAB ENhancing Research In Cancer-related Health professions (ENRICH) successfully completed its second year of the rigorous 10-week summer program to engage in cancer research at UAB.
Michel Kmeid, M.D., will join the Division of Anatomic Pathology as an assistant professor, effective August 1. Kmeid joins us from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, where he served as a head and neck pathology fellow since 2024.
In the face of a bacterium that easily resists common antibiotics, members of UAB established testing to identify it in human disease. Mycoplasma, that is. Mycoplasmas are the smallest free-living organisms. They can cause drug-resistant bacterial infections that target various parts of the body, including respiratory and urinary systems and genitalia. Mycoplasmas commonly cause lung infections and often require a special antibiotic to treat the bacterium. Most antibiotics weaken bacteria by penetrating their cell walls. Mycoplasmas, however, don’t have cell walls to weaken.
Peripheral artery disease is a severe form of cardiovascular disease affecting more than 230 million individuals worldwide. The correlation of peripheral artery disease with diminished blood flow in one or more major arteries has prompted numerous studies aimed at developing therapies that promote the formation of new mature blood vessels, known as neovessels, to restore blood flow. However, despite years of investigations, the medical therapies designed to do so have lacked therapeutic significance.
The Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office has relocated from the old Cooper Green building to a new 32,000 square foot facility on Leaf Lake Pkwy. Greg Davis, M.D., MSPH, Division Director of Forensic Pathology and Jefferson County Coroner, gave an indication and cut the ribbon at the ceremony in conjunction with the Jefferson County Commission on June 23.
The Department of Pathology is thrilled to announce a new faculty member joining our team July 1.
How research enriches the medical school experience. Federico Prokopczuk is in his fourth year as an M.D./Ph.D. trainee. A native of Rancho Cucamonga, California, he graduated from California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology before joining the Heersink School of Medicine in June 2021.
The UAB Department of Pathology is thrilled to welcome a new faculty member to the Community Practice Pathology Program, directed by Walter Bell, M.D.
The UAB Department of Pathology is proud to welcome nine new fellows into the department this summer, joining the four UAB residents or existing fellows who are staying on to complete a fellowship with us.
Two distinguished, recently retired faculty members, Peter Anderson, D.V.M., Ph.D., a professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, and Gene Siegal, M.D., Ph.D., Robert W. Mowry Endowed Professor, Division of Anatomic Pathology, have achieved emeritus status in the Department of Pathology. The decision was made by the University of Alabama Board of Trustees on June 6.
Members of the UAB Department of Pathology gathered for an outgoing reception for residents and fellows on June 5. Faculty, staff and trainees came together to celebrate at The Fennec with dinner and an awards ceremony.
Sixto Leal, M.D., Ph.D., Jay M. McDonald Endowed Professor in Experimental Pathology and Division Director, Laboratory Medicine, was recently awarded the Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists (ACLPS) Ellis Benson Award. Leal received the award at the ACLPS annual meeting on May 31 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Department of Pathology is thrilled to announce Oyedele Adeyi, M.D., FRCPC, as director of the Division of Anatomic Pathology, effective June 6, 2025. Adeyi joins the department from the University of Minnesota Medical School where he served as professor since 2019 and as director of surgical pathology. Prior to his appointment at Minnesota, Adeyi joined the University of Toronto in Canada as an assistant professor in 2006 and was promoted to associate professor in 2014.
The Department of Pathology is pleased to announce a new faculty member joining our team, effective June 1. Taru S. Dutt, Ph.D., is joining the Division of Laboratory Medicine as an assistant professor. Dutt joins us from Colorado State University where she served as a research scientist I and as co-director of the Flow Cytometry and Single Cell Sequencing Core since 2022.
Melad Dababneh, M.B.B.S., Assistant Professor, Anatomic Pathology, will serve as section head of Head and Neck Pathology, effective June 1. Dababneh joined the UAB Department of Pathology in 2024 from Cleveland Clinic Foundation’s Robert J. Tomsich Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute where he completed his fellowship in head and neck pathology.
Fourteen UAB chief residents recently completed the Chief Residents Leadership Development Workshop. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, was held on May 9, 2025.
Craig Maynard, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, has been named scientific director of the UAB Gnotobiotic Core Facility effective May 15.
Lalita Shevde-Samant, Ph.D., Professor, Molecular & Cellular Pathology, Associate Director for Education and Training, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, was selected for the 2025-2026 class of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) program at Drexel University College of Medicine.
Paul Benson, M.D., Professor, Autopsy Section Head, Anatomic Pathology, attended the Third Annual International Post-Tuberculosis Symposium at the STIAS Institute in Stellenbosch, South Africa, April 14-16. Benson joined his collaborators Adrie Steyn, Ph.D., Professor, UAB Microbiology, Africa Health Institute, and Threnesan Naidoo, MBChB, MSc, LLM, Professor, Water Sisulu University, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While advances in technologies have improved our understanding of the molecular alterations that occur during breast cancer onset and progression, user-friendly tools for breast cancer data analysis are scarce. To determine effective treatment options, researchers need access to specimen data.
The UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine recognized 15 faculty members for their outstanding contributions to research, education, and clinical care at the Spring 2025 Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception.
The UAB Department of Pathology hosted its third annual Staff Retreat on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. The day-long event featured an array of speakers and team activities.
The UAB Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the 19 winners of the 2025 Dean's Excellence Awards for Faculty.
This year April 20-26 is Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, an annual celebration of medical lab professionals and pathologists who play a vital role in health care and patient advocacy led by the American Society for Clinical Pathology. This week’s theme is Mystery Machine of Diagnostics: Another Case Solved by the Lab.
Shi Wei, M.D., Ph.D., Division Director, Women’s Health, Section Head, Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology, has been named the Hazel Gore, M.D., Endowed Professor in Women's Health in the Department of Pathology, effective April 4.
April 14 marks the 12th annual Pathologists’ Assistant (PA) Day, led by the American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants. PAs are often responsible for the efficient and effective operation of the anatomic pathology service and play a critical role in the delivery of healthcare services in both surgical pathology and autopsy by determining patients’ pathologic diagnoses.
Goo Lee, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor in the Division of Anatomic Pathology, will serve in the roles of interim section head of gastrointestinal (GI) pathology and GI fellowship director, effective Monday, April 14. Lee assumes the role from his predecessor, Sameer Al Diffalha, M.D., Vice Chair for Outreach and associate professor in the Division of Anatomic Pathology, who has served in these capacities since 2017.
The UAB Department of Pathology recently funded travel awards to four trainees, Dr. Ashleigh Riegler, Ezgi Sari, Courtney Swain and Resha Rajkarnikar, who will present their research at national meetings this year.
Shi Wei, M.D., Ph.D., Division Director, Women's Health, has been named section head for bone and soft tissue pathology, effective April 1. Wei assumes the position from Gene Siegal, M.D., Ph.D., Robert W. Mowry Endowed Professor, who recently retires on December 31, 2024, after 34 years of service in the UAB Department of Pathology.
Several members from the UAB Department of Pathology participated in the annual Birmingham Kidney Walk and Celebration on April 5 at Samford University’s Track and Field Complex.
Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, M.D., Ph.D., Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair in Pathology, has been named president of the Genitourinary Pathology Society (GUPS), effective April 1.
On April 2, the UAB Department of Pathology honored Gene Siegal, M.D., Ph.D., Robert W. Mowry Endowed Professor, Anatomic Pathology, with a symposium featuring guest speakers, colleagues and former mentees of this esteemed pathologist. Siegal joined UAB in 1990 where he was recruited as division director of Anatomic Pathology and professor in the Department of Pathology, a position he held for 25 years.
In a molecular diagnostic laboratory, having a system for tracking specimens, or assays, is integral to workflow efficiency and accuracy. Although streamlining this process often proves to be challenging, members from the Division of Genomic Diagnostics and Bioinformatics in the UAB Department of Pathology have developed the In-house Lab Assay Database (ILAD) to customize and expedite specimen tracking.
Research is an essential part of health care. Every year, new discoveries are made that allow us to better understand the human body. Many of these discoveries would not be possible without enrolling patients as research participants. This is where the UAB Institutional Review Board (IRB) comes in. By protecting the rights and welfare of human subjects, UAB is able to continue learning through conducting human subjects research while also ensuring the health and safety of the participants.
The Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of its 1R01 Award. Securing extramural research funding is a very competitive process, and this award is a testament to these investigators’ groundbreaking research and dedication to advancing biomedical science.
November 2024 marked 20 years since the establishment of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute (EMBI) at UAB. The institute was made possible by a generous gift from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation (MBRF), matched by the university, to support research in cognitive aging and age-related memory loss. Ronald Lazar, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Neurology, has been director of the institute since 2017.
Twenty-two UAB leaders graduated among the ninth cohort of the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership on Dec. 11, 2024. Institute for Leadership is a flagship program of the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, an organization dedicated to providing tools and training to empower UAB Medicine’s leaders and the individuals and groups they manage.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE) celebrated its annual Innovation Awards on October 11, 2024, recognizing outstanding innovators and entrepreneurial achievements. Anath Shalev, M.D., director of the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center and founder of TIXiMED, was awarded the 2024 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, the institute’s highest honor. Shalev's start-up, TIXiMED, recently advanced toward clinical trials after receiving FDA clearance for its novel Type 1 diabetes treatment, TIX100.
Eight faculty members recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) Fall 2024 leadership development program. The program, presented by UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO), recognized its graduates at a ceremony on Oct. 24, 2024.