Holiday Reminder
The University of Pittsburgh will be closed Thursday, November 27 and Friday
November 28 for the Thanksgiving Recess.
UPMC will be closed Thursday November 27, 2014.
The University of Pittsburgh will be closed December 24 through January 1, 2015.
The Administrative offices will be minimally staffed and open during this time.
University and Hospital offices will reopen January 2, 2015.
Pathology News
N O V E M B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 4
Let us remember
that, as much has
been given us,
much will be
expected from us,
and that true
homage comes
from the heart as
well as from the
lips, and shows
itself in deeds.
~Theodore
Roosevelt
Greetings to all:
We have started a new academic year facing the chal-
lenges that every academic health care facility across the
country is facing with healthcare issues and government
funding for research. Our new chancellor, Patrick
Gallagher, promises to lead on the Pitt side as he gets to
know Pitt and Pittsburgh. On the training side, we have
welcomed our new house staff and on the staff and faculty
side, everyone is getting used to the new Clinical Labora-
tories Building. We continue to seek international collab-
orations and the Kingmed initiative has brought us even
more opportunities with hospitals in China. The work
done by all in the Department is done with persistence and
determination for a successful outcome. Although the
nation is going through a reorganization of healthcare, and
our new Chancellor must lead in a direction to keep the
University growing and flourishing, we continue to be
competitive and draw the best and brightest students, staff
and faculty.
Please know your accomplishments are noticed and
appreciated. As always, please feel free to see me if you
need anything. My door is always open. Have a safe and
happy holiday season.
Sincerely,
George K. Michalopoulos, M.D., Ph.D.
Special Points of
Interest
Promotions and
Faculty
Highlights
Page 2
Grant
Administration
Page 3
Cellular and
Molecular
Pathology
Page 4-5
Department
Highlights
Page 6-8
Publications
Page 9-13
New Arrivals
Page 11
Presentations
Page 14-15
Medical Education
Program
Page 16-18
Seminars
Page 19
Promotions
P A G E 2
Urvashi Surti, Ph.D. promoted to Professor (with tenure)
Dr. Marie DeFrances has been appointed to the Curriculum Committee of the School of Medicine for a
three year term.
Dr. Sara Monaco completed the College of American Pathologists (CAP) course in Ultrasound-guided
FNA in October 2014.
Alka Palekar, M.D., Received a certificate of Award for outstanding Teaching in
Anatomic Pathology on May 17th 2014 by the chief residents on behalf of University of
Pittsburgh Pathology Residents and Fellows.
Bruce S. Rabin, M.D., Ph.D. was recertified by the American Board of Medical
Laboratory Immunology.
Miguel Reyes-Mugica, M.D. received a $40,000 donation to support "The Gavin Bailey Tissue Repository
for Neural Crest Disorders” from Mr. and Mrs. Travis Bailey and the Nevus Outreach, Inc. Also, newly
elected Director of Education and Technology, International Paediatric Pathology Association (IPPA),
11/2014-
Nidhi Aggarwal, M.D., has joined the Division of Hematopathology as an Assistant Professor effective
September 1, 2014. She completed her residency at the University of Pittsburegh in 2011 and subsequently
did a fellowship in Hematopathology. This was followed by another fellowship in Molecular and Genomic
Pathology.
FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS
WELCOME NEW FACULTY
DEPARTING FACULTY
Two of three retiring faculty were recognized at the Department faculty meeting October 24, 2014.
Rita M. Windisch, Ph.D., FACB, Head of Clinical Chemistry at Mercy Hospital, served from January 1,
1965 to October 1, 2014 and Giuliana A. Trucco, M.D. from Magee Women’s Hospital who was with us
from July 1, 1986 to January 12, 2015. William L. Bigbee, Ph.D. (already relocated to San Diego) was with
the University in several capacities from January 1, 1993 - September 30, 2014 also retired. Their service
was recognized and we wish them the best going forward to the next chapter of their lives.
Grant Administration
P A G E 3
GRANT
SUBMISSIONS
Please note that
assistance for your
grant submissions and
post-award questions
can be found on the
Pathology Website at:
www.path.upmc.edu.
Click Grants
Management for a list
of staff and contact
information as well as
the NIH submission
schedule.
Mary Lou Benedetti,
MHR/IR
Congratulations to Andrew Duncan, Ph.D. he received first RO1 award .
Grant title: Mechanisms of Polyploidy and Aneuploidy in the Liver
Source
NIH / NIDDK
Term
9/25/2014 - 6/30/2019
Amount
$1,440,450 (direct)
$2,174,309 (total)
Yuri Nikiforov, M.D., Ph.D.—NIH RO1
Grant title: Translational Evaluaton of Aging, Inflammation and HIV in Lung
Dysfunction
Source: NIH
Term: 7/1/2014 - 5/31/2019
Amount: $1,568,605
Alejandro Soto-Guterierrez, M.D., Ph.D.
Grant title: Mini-livers Derived from Human iPS Cells for Modeling Steatosis
and Therapy
Term: 8/1/2014 - 7/31/2018
Amount: $1,239,952
Sarah Wheeler, DOD
Grant Title: Regulation of Metastatic Breast Cancer Dormancy
Term: 9/30/2014 - 9/29/2017
Amount: $460,029
Jennifer Picarsic, M.D. , collaborating with….
Dr. Heth Turnquist, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Immunology, as a Patholo-
gy Consultant on a Roche Organ Transplantation Research Foundation Grant, enti-
tled, “Prognostic value and function of IL-33/ST2 in pediatric heart transplant re-
cipients with infection.
Michael Shurin, M.D., Ph.D.
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF), Program Project Development Grant
(2014-2016) Proposal #: 327038 “Microenvironmental control of premalignant
lesions in ovarian cancer” (Shurin – Project 1 Leader)
Thanksgiving Day
comes, by statute, once
a year; to the honest
man it comes as
frequently as the heart
of gratitude will allow.
~Edward Sandford
Martin
essayist and poet
1856-1939
P A G E 4
Dear Colleagues:
I am happy to report that our program continues to do quite well although due to high graduation rates we
are starting to shrink a little. During the course of the past academic school year, nine students graduated; how-
ever, we also added 5 new students (4 from IBGP and 1 from MSTP), putting us at 27 students so that we contin-
ue to remain one of the largest of the six Interdisciplinary Program affiliates. Despite losing some faculty mem-
bers through career changes, overall our faculty numbers have been growing. This past academic year we added
3 new faculty members to CMP: Melanie Scott and Janet Lee (primary), as well as Sharyl Fyffe-Maricich and
Angus Thomson, secondary) making our current total 68. Please remember to tell interested faculty about join-
ing CMP. We are always interested in adding qualified SOM faculty to our graduate program if their interests
match with ours.
On May 28, we held our highly successful Pathology Retreat, successfully combining our basic and clini-
cal researchers for an afternoon of stimulating talks, followed by a poster session at the University Club. For
those of you who missed it, our keynote speaker was Jon Morrow, MD/Phd, the Chairman of Pathology at Yale.
In house faculty invited to present their research were Peter Lucas, Marie DeFrances, and Sanja Dacic. As most
of you know, I could not have done the retreat without the help of Tara Rohall our administrative assistant, Tara
Rohall ([email protected]) who basically took on this daunting task as one of her first after coming on board
last spring. I think all who were there would agree she did a stand up job!
As in the past, posters were judged and the following were winners in the various categories:
Graduate students:
First place: Lindsey Kelly (mentor: Yuri Nikiforov)
Second place: Edgar Tafaleng (mentor: Ira Fox)
Third place: tie between Beth Oczypok and Katie Wack (mentors: Tim Oury and Donna Stolz, respectively;
each will receive the full prize money)
Basic Research:
First place: Xinwei Wang (mentor: Jian Yu)
Second place: Kan He (mentor: Jian Yu)
Third place: tie between Chante Richardson and Amanda Clark (mentors: Grant Bullock and Alan Wells, re-
spectively; each will receive the full prize money)
Clinical Research:
First place: Jason Chiang (mentor: Clayton Wiley)
Second place: Tanner Bartholow (poster 68 on Hereditary Pancreatitis; mentor: Aatur Singhi)
Third place: Zaibo Li (poster 72 on HER2, mentor: Rohit Bhargava)
From the desk of Dr. Wendy M. Mars ….
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY
P A G E 5
Finally-hold these dates…our annual retreat will be May 22, 2015 with Dr. Kojo Elenitoba-
Johnson from the University of Michigan as our on campus keynote speaker, along with several student
and faculty speakers, and an evening poster session at the University Club. More information will follow
in the next newsletter. The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) will begin on May
26, 2015. For SURP, we are once again actively seeking interested faculty willing to host college under-
graduates in their laboratories for a 10-week scientific research experience. SURP is a highly competitive
outreach program, specifically designed to recruit high quality students into applying for graduate degrees
through the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM) programs such as the Interdisciplinary
Biomedical Graduate Program and the Medical School.
The specifics of SURP are as follows:
The cost to the individual investigator is $3500.00. In some cases, there may be supplemental
funding from UPSOM. Please contact me at 412-648-9690 or [email protected] if you are
interested in learning more about these funding opportunities.
The program will run from May 26-July 31. Students are expected to have a specific project
that they work on full time. They are also expected to attend supplemental programming 1-
2 hours a week. At the end of the experience they must write an abstract and do a 10-
minute power point presentation of their work.
Student housing and travel will generously be provided by UPSOM.
The success of this program relies on quality mentors well as quality students. Part of our
past success has been due to participation of interested faculty such as you. In addition, we have
implemented several techniques designed to attract the highest quality students to our program
such as a shared online application process. I would venture that many of you who have participat-
ed as SURP mentors in the past can attest to the quality of the students that we are attracting. You
need not be graduate faculty to take on a student.
If you have any questions or are willing to be a mentor this year, please contact me at 412-648-
9690, or via e-mail at [email protected]. The application process has already begun. Also, remember that
if you are interested in having issues brought before the CMP steering committee, please share them with
either our CMP administrator, Tara Rohall ([email protected]), or with me ([email protected]).
Thanks so much!
Wendy M. Mars, Ph.D.
Director, Pathology SURP and CMP Graduate Program
FOR ALL MEDICAL DOCTORS
ACT 31 OF 2014: INITIAL TRAINING AND
CONTINUING EDUCATION IN CHILD ABUSE
RECOGNITION AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA), in conjunction with the Department
of Public Welfare (DPW), is providing advance notice to all health-related licensees and funeral di-
rectors that are considered "mandatory reporters" under section 6311 of the Child Protective Services
Law (CPSL) (23P.S. $6311), as amended, that effective January 1, 2015 all persons applying for is-
suance of an initial license shall be required to complete three hours of DPW approved training in
child abuse recognition and reporting requirements as a condition of licensure. Additionally, effec-
tive with the first license renewal after January 1, 2015 all health-related licensees and funeral direc-
tors applying for the renewal of a license issued by the Board shall be required to complete at least
two hours of Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting require-
ments as a condition of renewal.
Please note that Act 31 applies to all health-related licensees, regardless of whether they are subject
to the continuing education requirements of the applicable board. More information regarding this
requirement will be posted on the BPOA website when it is available. For questions, contact Judy
Nestico at [email protected]. Thank you.
P A G E 6
7 SCAIFE RENOVATION UPDATE
Have you noticed the construction workers moving about and heard the pounding and drilling on the
7th floor of Scaife for the last four to five months? Aim Construction was hired for the Scaife SE
Wing full-scale renovation project. After many months of planning, work on the designs for the state
-of-the-art open lab with glass walls separating the space is currently in progress. The existing labs
and staff were relocated to temporary space on the seventh and eighth floors of Scaife, and the entire
SE Wing was demolished in July. Construction is nearing completion and all the Neuropathology
labs and some Lab Medicine research labs will move in January 2015.
All of the Neuropathology Division will be located on 7 Scaife after the SE Wing is complete. Cur-
rently, the reception and Division Director's Office is now in S701 Scaife, and their sign-out room,
fellows' office and faculty offices occupy the east side of the A-Stem.
When Molecular Diagnostics moved to the CLB, the Scaife SW Wing was renovated, and now it is
occupied by Dr. Jianhua Luo's labs, Dr. Charleen Chu's labs, and Dr. Tim Oury's labs and office. The
NW Scaife wing now houses Dr. Luo's office and the Biospherex Equipment Room.
When the newly renovated labs and offices are pristine and complete, faculty and staff new to the 7th
floor of Scaife will join those who have been there.
Judy Nestico
Pathology Conference in China
In September 2014 the Department of Pathology at UPMC partnered with 301 Hospital in China to
have the first combined pathology conference between these two organizations in Beijing. For an over-
view of the meeting in Chinese you can visit: http://www.301hospital.com.cn/web/shownews/
yyxw/2347.html 301 Hospital is a large, modern hospital with state-of-the art facilities. It is the largest
general hospital of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. This 4000 bed hospital has over 3.8 million
patient outpatient visits, 140,000 admissions and undertakes over 68,000 operations. The Depart-
ment of Pathology in Hospital 301, much like the AFIP, is renowned nationwide.
Three pathologists from UPMC (Drs Chengquan Zhao, Liron Pantanowitz and Anil Parwani) attended this
meeting. Dr Zhao was one of the key organizers of the meeting. He lectured on common breast lesions,
the role of immunohistochemistry in gynecological pathology, and presented several unknown challeng-
ing cases. Dr Pantanowitz gave lectures on approaches to spindled and myxoid soft tissue tumors. Dr
Parwani spoke about prostate pathology and gave an informative update on the new classification of
renal tumors. Eight expert pathologists from 301 Hospital also presented lectures in various subspeci-
alities. These talks were well received by an attentive audience comprised of around 150 practicing
pathologists and trainees. The meeting was a huge success and everyone is eager for the next com-
bined pathology conference.
This important pathology meeting signifies the establishment of a new collaborative academic relation-
ship between our pathology department at UPMC and that of 301Hospital, one of the largest general
hospitals in China. The intent is to foster collaboration in areas of clinical practice, research, education
and training. Both parties can benefit from the large diversity of patients they serve, pathologies en-
countered, and the talent of their pathologists. This partnership enhances the international visibility
and reputation of both organizations.
P A G E 7
DIVISION OF ANATOMIC PATHOLOGY
First Row: Dr. Simon Chiosea, Dr. Paul Ohori, Dr. Julia Kofler, Dr. Robert Peel, Dr. Reet Pai, Dr. Karen Schoedel
Second Row: Dr. Raj Seethela, Dr. Jeffrey Nine, Dr. Shih Fan Kuan, Dr. Jon Davidson, Dr. Aatur Singhi,
Dr. Sanja Dacic, Dr. Sheldon Bastacky, Dr. Changqing Ma
Third Row: Dr. Michael Landau, Dr. Douglas Hartman, Dr. Samuel Yousem, Dr. Frank Schneider,
Dr. Michel Nalesnik
Faculty Awards
Robert Austin, M.D., received the 2014 ASC’s Panpanicolaou Award. This is the Ameri-
can Society of Cytopathology’s highest honor and is given in recognition of meritorious
contributions in the field of cytopathology.
Dr. Rajiv Dhir is the winner of the Award for Commitment and
Excellence in Services (ACES) and recipients of this award are
recognized at an ACES recognition dinner at the David Lawrence
Convention Center.
Annette Duensing, M.D. received the Jeroen Pit Science Award,
The Life Raft Group (11/2014) and the GIST Science Award, GIST
Patient Group Switzerland (11/2014)
Darrell Triulzi, M.D. was a recipient of this year's AABB President
Award recognizing more than a decade of research on the NIH
REDS research network leading to improvements in blood
availability and safety. (picture to right)
P A G E 8
Qu, H., Tu, Y., Guan, J-L., Xiao, G., and Wu*, C. Kindlin-2 tyrosine phosphorylation and interaction with Src serve
as a regulatable switch in the integrin outside-in signaling circuit. J. Biol. Chem. (2014) First Published on September
18, 2014, doi:10.1074/jbc.M114.580811.
Huang H, Tosun AB, Guo J, Chen C, Wang W, Ozolek JA, Rohde GK. Cancer diagnosis by nuclear morphometry
using spatial information. Pattern Recognit Lett. 2014 Jun 1;42:115-121.
Bhagavatula R, McCann MT, Fickus M, Castro CA, Ozolek JA, Kovacevic J. A vocabulary for the identification
and delineation of teratoma tissue components in hematoxylin and eosin-stained samples. J Pathol Inform. 2014 Jun
30;5:19. doi: 10.4103/2153-3539.135606. eCollection 2014.
Gustavo Rohde, John Ozolek, Anil Parwani, Liron Pantanowitz. CMU bioimaging day 2014: Challenges and op-
portunities in digital pathology. J Pathol Inform 2014;5:32.
Eisses JF, Davis AW, Tosun AB, Dionise ZR, Chen C, Ozolek JA, Rohde GK, Husain SZ. A computer-based auto-
mated algorithm for assessing acinar cell loss after experimental pancreatitis. PLoS One. 2014 Oct 24;9
(10):e110220. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110220. eCollection 2014.
Boichuk S, Lee DJ, Mehalek KR, Makielski KR, Wozniak A, Seneviratne DS, Korzeniewski N, Cuevas R, Parry JA,
Zewe JP, Brown MF, Taguchi T, Schöffski P, Debiec-Rychter M, Duensing A. Unbiased compound screening identi-
fies unexpected drug activities and novel treatment options for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Cancer
Res. 2014; 74:1200-1213.
DeCaprio JA, Duensing A. The DREAM complex in anti-tumor activity of imatinib in gastrointestinal stromal tu-
mors. Curr Opin Oncol 2014; 26:415-421.
Boichuk S, Rausch JL, Duensing A. New developments in the management of gastrointestinal stromal tumours:
Regorafenib, the new player in the team. Gastrointestinal Cancer: Targets and Therapy 2014; 4:1-10.
DeWard A., Komori J. and Lagasse E. Ectopic transplantation sites for cell-based therapy. Current Opinion in Or-
gan Transplantation. (2014). Apr;19(2):169-74. PMID: 24480968
Cramer J.M., Zimmerman M.W., Thompson T., Homanics G.E., Lazo J.S., Lagasse E. Deletion of Ptp4a3 reduces
clonogenicity and tumor-initiation ability of colitis-associated cancer cells in mice. (2014) Stem Cell Research. Epub
(2014) May 27. PMID: 24950307
DeWard D. A., Cramer J.M., and Lagasse E. Cellular heterogeneity in the mouse esoph-
agus implicates the presence of a non-quiescent epithelial stem cell population. Cell Re-
ports. Published online: October 16th , 2014. http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdf/S2211
-1247(14)00810-9.pdf
Georgievskaya Z, Nowalk AJ, Randhawa P, Picarsic J. Bartonella henselae endocarditis
and glomerulonephritis with dominant C3 deposition in a 21-year-old male with a Melo-
dy transcatheter pulmonary valve: case report and review of the literature. Pediatr De-
velopmental Pathology. 2014 Jul-Aug;17(4):312-20
PUBLICATIONS
P A G E 9
Kaynar AM, Yende S, Zhu L, Frederick DR, Chambers R, Burton CL, Carter M, Stolz DB, Agostini B,
Gregory AD, Nagarajan S, Shapiro SD, Angus DC. Effects of intra-abdominal sepsis on atherosclerosis
in mice. Crit Care. 2014 Sep 3;18(5):469. doi: 10.1186/s13054-014-0469-1. PubMed PMID: 25182529;
PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4172909.
2: Zhu X, Ng HP, Lai YC, Craigo JK, Nagilla PS, Raghani P, Nagarajan S. Scavenger receptor function
of mouse Fcγ receptor III contributes to progression of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E hyperlipidem-
ic mice. J Immunol. 2014 Sep1;193(5):2483-95. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1303075. Epub 2014 Jul 18.
PubMed PMID: 25038257; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4135013.
Singhi AD, Nikiforova MN, Fasanella KE, McGrath KM, Pai RK, Ohori NP, Bartholow TL, Brand RE,
Chennat JS, Lu X, Papachristou GI, Slivka A, Zeh HJ, Zureikat AH, Lee KK, Tsung A, Mantha GS,
Khalid A. Preoperative GNAS and KRAS testing in the diagnosis of pancreatic mucinous cysts. Clin
Cancer Res. 2014 Aug 15;20(16):4381-9.
Singhi AD, Lilo M, Hruban RH, Cressman KL, Fuhrer K, Seethala RR. Overexpression of Lymphoid
Enhancer-Binding Factor 1 (LEF1) in solid-pseudopapillary neoplasms of the pancreas. Mod Pathol.
2014 Oct;27(10):1355-63.
Singhi AD, Pai RK, Kant JA, Bartholow TL, Zeh HJ, Lee KK, Wijkstrom M, Yadav D, Bottino R, Brand
RE, Chennat JS, Lowe ME, Papachristou GI, Slivka A, Whitcomb DC, Humar A. The histopathology of
PRSS1 hereditary pancreatitis. Am J Surg Pathol. 2014 Mar;38(3):346-53.
P A G E 1 0
PUBLICATIONS
Shurin M.R., Keskinov A.A. Low-Dose Chemomodulation and Cancer Vaccines. Editorial. J Vaccines
Vaccination, 5: e126. doi: 10.4172/2157-7560.1000e126, 2014.
Zhong H, Gutkin D.W., Han B., Ma Y., Keskinov A.A., Shurin M.R., Shurin G.V. Origin and pharmaco-
logical modulation of tumor-associated regulatory dendritic cells. Intl J Cancer, 134(11):2633-45, 2014.
Shurin M.R., Yanamala N., Kisin, E.R., Tkach A.V., Shurin G.V., Murray A., Leonard H., Reynolds J.,
Gutkin D.W., Star A., Fadeel B., Savolainen K., Kagan V.E., Shvedova A.A. Graphene Oxide Attenuates
Th2-type Immune Responses, but Augments Airway Remodeling and Hyperresponsiveness in a Murine
Model of Asthma. ACS Nano, 2014, in press.
Anani W.Q., Ojerholm E.J., Shurin M.R. Resolving Transferrin Isoforms by Aga-
rose Gel Electrophoresis. Lab Medicine, in press, 2014.
Kisin E., Yanamala N., Farcas M., Gutkin D., Shurin M., Kagan V., Bugarski A.,
Shvedova A. Abnormalities in Male Reproductive System after Exposure to Die-
sel and Biodiesel Blend. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, in press,
2014.
Agassandian M., Shurin G.V., Ma Y., Shurin M.R. C-reactive protein and lung diseases. The Intl J Bio-
chem Cell Biology, 53: 77-88, 2014.
RK Dagda, I Pien, R Wang, J Zhu, KZQ Wang, J Callio, TD Banerjee, RY Dagda & CT Chu (2014) Be-yond the mitochondrion: cytosolic PINK1 remodels dendrites through Protein Kinase A. J Neurochem 128: 864-877. doi: 10.1111/jnc.12494. PMCID: PMC3951661
Commentary: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jnc.12529. J Neurochem 128: 787-789.
E Plowey, JW Johnson, D Eisenberg, NM Valentino, YJ Liu & CT Chu. Mutant LRRK2 overexpression in cultured cortical neurons elicits glutamatergic synapse activity and excitotoxic neurite degeneration. Bi-ochim. Biophys. Acta (Molecular Basis of Disease) 1842: 1596-1603. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443914001446 PMCID: PMC4144018
LH Sanders, J McCoy, X Hu, PG Mastroberardino, BC Dickinson, CJ Chang, CT Chu, B Van Houten, JT Greenamyre. (2014) Mitochondrial DNA damage: molecular marker of vulnerable nigral neurons in Parkinson’s disease. Neurobiol Dis 70: 214-223. PMCID: PMC4144978
NK Mesiwala, CT Chu, LV Raju. (2014) Infectious crystalline keratopathy predominantly affecting the pos-terior cornea. Int J Clin Pathol 7: 5250-5253. PMCID: PMC4152095
Book Chapters and Reviews
CT Chu. (2014) Autophagy. In Encyclopedia of Neurological Sciences, 2nd edition. (Michael J. Aminoff and Robert B. Daroff, Editors). Oxford: Academic Press. Volume 1, pp. 355-357.
Monaco, S.E., W.E. Khalbuss, L. Pantanowitz, Editors, Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration, Karger Publishers.
PUBLICATIONS
Matthew Then, M.D. (UPMC East) and his wife Janine welcomed
their first child Nathan Robert on April 26. Nathan weighed 9 lbs
and 2 ozs.
David Azar, M.D. (Mercy Hospital) and wife Donna welcomed
twin boys James Sawyer and Desmond Thomas Azar
November 3, 2014 and weighing 5lb 14oz and 5lb 12oz. Respectively. All are
doing well.
Nidhi Aggarwal, M.D. and her husband Rohit welcomed their first
child, Kavya, September 6, 2014 weighing 7 pounds and 12 ounces.
New Arrivals - CONGRATULATIONS
P A G E 1 1
Salgado C M, Silver RB, Bauer BS, Basu D, Schmitt L, Khakoo Y, Reyes-Múgica M. Skin Of Patients
With Large/Giant Congenital Melanocytic Nevi Shows Increased Mast Cells. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 May
-Jun;17(3):198-203. doi: 10.2350/14-02 1444-OA.1.
Basu D, Lettan R, Krishnan D, Strellec S, Reyes-Múgica M, Rebbaa A. Identification, Mechanism Of Ac-
tion And Anti-Tumor Activity Of A Small Molecule Inhibitor Of Hippo, Tgf Beta, And Wnt Signaling
Pathways. Mol Cancer Ther Jun;13(6):1457-67. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-13-0918. Epub 2014 Apr 2.
Trejo Bittar HE, Radder JE, Ranganathan S, Reyes-Múgica M. Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney In A
Child With Fanconi Anemia. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 Apr 15. [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 1. Normal Development of Testicular
Structures: From The Bipotential Gonad To The Fetal Testis. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 Aug 13. [Epub
ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 2. Testicular Descent. Pediatr Dev Pathol.
2014 Jul 30. [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 3. Testicular Development from birth to
puberty. Systematic evaluation of the prepubertal testis. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 Jul 30. [Epub ahead of
print].
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 4. Pubertal and Adult Testis. Pediatr Dev
Pathol. 2014 Jul 30. [Epub ahead of print].
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 5. Gonadal dysgenesis. Pediatr Dev
Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. Male undermasculinization. Pediatr Dev
Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 7. Ovotesticular DSD (True hermaphro-
ditism). Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 8. Persistance of embryonal remnants in
the testis. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 9. Alterations in the number and location
of the testis. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 10. Ectopic and heterotopic tissues in the
testis. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 11. Testicular Pathology of Hamartoma-
tous origin. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
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Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 12. Congenital epididymal anoma-
lies. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 Aug 13. [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 13. Calcifications in the testis and par-
atesticular structures. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 14. Natural history of undescended tes-
tes. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 15. Macroorchidism As The Expression
Of Several Congenital And Acquired Pathologies. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of
print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 16. Klinefelter syndrome and other
anomalies in X and Y chromosomes. Clinical and pathological entities. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014
August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. Testicular Torsion, testicular appendix
torsion and other forms of testicular infarction. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 20. Adolescent varicocele. Pediatr
Dev Pathol. 2014 August 8 [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 21. Testicular pathology in inherited met-
abolic diseases. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 Oct 31. [Epub ahead of print]
Nistal M, Paniagua R, González-Peramato P, Reyes-Múgica M. 22. Testicular involvement in
systemic diseases. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 Oct 21. [Epub ahead of print].
Tian AG, Foster KA, Jakacki R, Reyes-Múgica M, Greene S. Neurocutaneous melanosis is
associated with tethered spinal cord. Childs Nerv Syst. 2014 Aug 15. [Epub ahead of print].
Lezcano C, Simons JP, Colman KL, Cohen MS, Lin PL, Reyes-Múgica M. Actinomycosis
Mastoiditis Complicated by Sigmoid Sinus Thrombosis and Labyrinthine Fistula. Pediatr Dev
Pathol. 2014 Aug 18. [Epub ahead of print]
Andrews R, Baumhardt H, Martin B, Belachew D, Reyes-Múgica M. Oral Manifestations of
Hyperpara thyroidism Secondary to Familial Hypophosphatemic Rickets. Pediatr Dentistry 2014;
36 (5):422-424.
Picarsic J, Reyes-Múgica M. Phenotype And Immunophenotype Of The Most Common Pediatric
Tumors. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2014 Nov 11.
Epub ahead of print]
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Annett Duensing, M.D.
Targetable pathways in GIST”, GI Pathway Sessions; "e-Grandround“; European School of Oncology
(ESO) in collaboration with Nature Reviews in Clinical Oncology/Critical Reviews in Oncology Hematolo-
gy (July 2014).
Boichuk S, Makielski KR, Brown MF, Rausch JL, Weil EW, Ali AA, Duensing A. The role of ABL1 in
the therapeutic response of GIST cells to imatinib mesylate. Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS),
18th Annual Meeting, October 30-November 2, 2013, New York, NY.
Rausch JL, Ali AA, Mehalek KR, Agha A, Wolf M, Weil EW, Dhillon H, Francis J, Makielski KR,
Taguchi T, Duensing A. Second-generation inhibitors of the proteasome as novel treatment options for gas-
trointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS), 19th Annual Meeting,
October 15-18, 2014, Berlin, Germany.
George K. Michalopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., gave the 6th Annual Marvin Kuschner Memorial Lecture at
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook NY on November 20, 2014. Title of presentation was “Liver
Regeneration.”
Jennifer Picarsic, M.D.
Presented at the 30th annual Histiocyte Society Annual Meeting in Toronto, ON: Langerhans cell hyperplas-
ia, Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), and the thymus: a clinicopathologic study and review of the
Literature
Aatur Singhi, M.D.
“Integration of DNA Testing in the Preoperative Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms”, GI Cancer
Symposium: Current Trends in Pancreatic and Hepatobiliary Malignancies, April 26, 2014, Pittsburgh, PA.
“Histologic Differences of Pancreatitis Pathology with Different Etiologies”, PancreasFest 2014, July 24,
2014, Pittsburgh, PA.
“Things that Confuse and Frustrate GI Pathologists: Pancreatobiliary Frozen Sec-
tions”, American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) 2014 Annual Meeting,
October 10, 2014, Tampa Bay, FL.
Michael Shurin, M.D., Ph.D.
“Nanomaterials and Cancer: Friends or Foes?”, Ben Gurion University of the
Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel. 2014.
PRESENTATIONS
P A G E 1 4
Charleen T. Chu, MD, PhD
Mitophagy & Parkinson’s Disease: Hanging in the Balance. Keystone Symposia Conference on Autophagy:
Fundamentals to Disease, May 24, 2014, Austin, TX.
Regulation of neuronal mitophagy: Cardiolipin externalization as a signaling mechanism. United Mitochon-
drial Disease Foundation: Mitochondrial Medicine, 2014. June 7, 2014, Pittsburgh, PA.
Mitochondrial Quality Control in Parkinson's Disease: A Primary Neuron Perspective. University of Minne-
sota, Twin Cities, Neuroscience Departmental Seminar Series, Sept. 12, 2014, Minneapolis, MN.
Mitochondrial Quality Control and Parkinson's Disease Genes. Basic and Translational Research in Lung
Disease Conference. University of Pittsburgh, Sept 16, 2014.
Mechanisms of mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis, in Averting an Energy Crisis: The Vital Role of
Mitochondria in PD. WPC Scientific Update: Parkinson’s Pipeline Umbrella, Sept 30, 2014, webcast.
PRESENTATIONS
P A G E 1 5
Will Smith’s Concussion Movie and UPMC Pathology
Sony Pictures is currently filming a movie in Pittsburgh that will star Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu
(a former Neuropathology Fellow) and Stephen Moyer as Dr. Ronald Hamilton. The movie will be
about the discovery of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in NFL football players and the reaction of
the NFL to this discovery (they were not happy). It is being produced by Ridley Scott and directed by
Peter Landesman (“Parkland”). The movie will also star Alec Baldwin and Albert Brooks. Jonette
Werley, who has been with Neuropathology for over two decades, originally cut and stained the slides
on the first case. She was filmed processing tissues and preparing slides as part of planned montage
sequence. We look forward to seeing her on the big screen!
Ronald Hamilton, M.D.
Miguel Reyes-Mugica, M.D.
International Pediatric Pathology Association (IPPA). Berlin, Germany. September 12-21,
2014. 2014 Recommended approach for the evaluation of the pediatric testis, from the neonate to the begin-
ning of adulthood. This lecture will offer a review of the normal histology and pertinent processes testicular
development, with correlations to significant deviations from the normal patterns. Practical approaches to
objective evaluation of testicular components will be included.
Disorders of sex development (DSD). This lecture will cover the main forms of DSD with correlations
to clinical phenotype, appropriate histological and immunophenotypical analysis.
Pediatric testicular tumors in the setting of DSD. This lecture will review the main testicular tumors
arising as part of a DSD, their morphology and immunohistochemical analysis.
Pediatric melanocytic proliferations. This lecture will review current understanding of congenital mela-
nocytic disorders, including giant/large congenital melanocytic nevi and associated lesions: neurocutaneous
melanocytosis, proliferative nodules, melanoma. Other forms of pediatric nevi, including Spitz lesions will
be reviewed.
Six case presentations.
Residents
Recruitment for July 1, 2015 Class has commenced. There will be 12 interview days with 6 candidates
each day. Select MD PhD candidates are being considered for the research track.
The American Board of Pathology recently endorsed a research track that is similar to our long stand-
ing PIRRT program.
Senior residents will be taking a Laboratory Management Certification program offered by the ASCP.
Dr. Pantanowitz is part of a national initiative to create a PIER (Pathology Informatics Education for
Residents) curriculum that is being tested over the next 2 years. UPMC is one of 13
alpha testing sites of the 40 hour curriculum.
The first ACGME required reporting of milestones for each resident is due by January 9, 2015
Fellows
We have 17 fellows and 5 Clinical Instructors this year.
Recruitment for fellows starting July 1, 2016 is open and slots are being filled
As of July 1, 2016 the maximum number of fellows in any fellowship will be 2 fellows.
The new ACGME required milestones for fellowships will commence July 2015.
Humberto Trejo Bittar, MD, Resident, Anatomic Pathology, PGY-3
Trejo Bittar HE, Yousem S, Wenzel S. Pathobiology of severe asthma. Annual Review of
Pathology. 2015 February (10). Accepted for publication.
Trejo Bittar HE, Dacic S, Pantanowitz L. Detection of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus In Lung Adenocar-
cinomas Carcinomas. Role of Immunohistochemistry. CAP meeting 2014, Chicago.
Trejo Bittar HE, Radder J, Reyes-Mugica M. Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney in a Child with Fan-
coni Anemia. CAP meeting 2014, Chicago.
Trejo Bittar HE, Nikiforova M, Yousem S. c-kit (CD117) Is Overexpressed in a Subset of Lung Ade-
nocarcinomas. A Morphologic and Genetic Analysis. CAP meeting 2014, Chicago.
Positions:
Selected Junior Member of the CAP Histotechnology Committee for 2015.
From the desk of Dr. Trevor Macpherson…..
MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS
P A G E 1 6
PITT’S HOLIDAY GIFT DRIVE NOVEMBER 17—DECEMBER 15, 2014
Drop off gifts for the annual holiday collection at 710 Alumni Hall. Should have a retail value of $20-25 and be marked for
boy/girl and age of child. The gifts are given to the Salvation Army for distribution to the needy.
SOCKS, HATS , SCARVES AND GLOVES collection NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 12, 2014. Drop off bin on 4th floor of Scaife
Hall. Also given to Salvation Army Your thoughtfulness and generosity is appreciated.
Residency Program:
New PGY-1 Class – July 2014:
Lama Farchoukh, MD – American University of Beirut
Michelle Heayn, MD, PhD – Temple University School of Medicine
Thomas Pearce, MD, PhD – Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Dinesh Pradhan, MD – Gauhati Medical College
Jansen Seheult, MD – Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland School of Medicine
Michelle Stram, MD – State University of New York Upstate
Christopher Suciu, MD – Tulane University School of Medicine
Jennifer Yoest, MD – University of Pittsburgh
Fellowship Program:
Fellows – July 2014
Seven fellows have been recruited from outside programs together with ten internal candidates. A total of seventeen
trainees will begin their fellowships on July 1, 2014.
Jason Chiang, MD, PhD (NP) – UPMC – AP residency
Casey Gooden, MD (Heme) – Emory University – AP/CP residency
Christopher Griffith, MD, PhD (Cyto) – UPMC – AP residency
Sarika Jain, MD (MGP) – UPMC – AP/CP residency
Arivarasan Karunamurthy, MD (MGP) – UPMC – AP/CP residency
Rebecca Leeman-Neill, MD, PhD (Heme) – UPMC – AP residency
Kate McFadden, MD (Peds) – UPMC – AP/NP residency
Erika Moore, MD (Heme) – Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania – AP/CP residency
Lananh Nguyen, MD (Cyto) – UPMC – AP residency
Rebecca Ocque, MD (Cyto) – UPMC – AP/CP residency
Gabriela Quiroga-Garza, MD (GU) – The Methodist Hospital – AP/CP residency
Lisa Radkay-Gonzalez, MD (SP) – UPMC – AP/CP residency
Gregory Riedlinger, MD, PhD (MGP) – Laboratory of Pathology, NCI, NIH – AP residency
Alison Van Dyke, MD, PhD (Thoracic) – Yale-New Haven Hospital – AP residency
Sarah Voss, MD (Transplant) – Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center – AP/CP residency
Lindsay Williams, MD (H&N) – William Beaumont Health System – AP/CP residency
Oleksandr Yergiyev, MD (BST) – Allegheny General Hospital – AP/CP residency
Clinical Instructors – July 2014
Five clinical instructors have also been recruited.
Justin Fender, MD (GI) – Mount Sinai Medical Center – AP/CP residency
Grzegorz Gurda, MD (GYN/Breast) – The Johns Hopkins Hospital – AP/CP residency
Jennifer Leidy, MD (GYN/Breast) – University of Massachusetts – AP/CP residency
Jenny Mas Moya, MD (GI) – Emory University School of Medicine – AP/CP residency
David Webb, MD (GYN/Breast) – University of Virginia – AP/CP residency
P A G E 1 7
Medical Student Update
Humberto Trejo Bittar and Russ Silowash have been appointed as pathology medical student liaisons.
They have participated in the SOM MS-3 career night, the medical student research fair and the Alle-
gheny Medical Society Career night.
A brochure has been developed by the pathology medical student liaisons containing information on our
department medical student opportunities and electives.
Our MS-1 Pathobiology Course is seeking faculty workshop instructors for January 15th through January
23rd 2015. Please contact Dr. DeFrances if you are interested in being a workshop instructor.
Jeff Nine has received over 50 applications form MS-1 and MS-2 students for his Autopsy Discovery
program. He plans a lottery to take 30 students.
Christine Roth recently presented at the SOM Curriculum Committee highlighting findings from an arti-
cle she, Fiona Craig and others published this fall in Human Pathology [(2014) 45: 1985 – 1994] on
the creation of “The Virtual Pathology Instructor: a medical student teaching tool developed using
patient simulator software.”
Zahida Khan MD PhD, Donna B. Stolz PhD, David H. Perlmutter MD, and
George K. Michalopoulos MD PhD.
"Isolation and characterization of PAS+ globule-enriched hepatocyte subsets from a PiZ mouse model of
alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency: Focus on liver progenitor cells.”
Pennsylvania Society for Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting
Nemocolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, PA; September 19-21, 2014
SECOND PRIZE - $500 FOR BEST POSTER
Trevor Macpherson, M.D., and Jennifer
Yoest receiving the Robert E. Lee
Pathology award at senior awards
program May, 2014.
Stacey Barron,M.D., a fourth
year AP/CP resident, married
Travis Miller on October 4,
2014 in Pittsburgh. Travis is an
investment portfolio analyst at
BNY Mellon. The couple resides
in Franklin Park. Congratulations!
P A G E 1 8
For the sixth straight year, UPMC's Pathology Medical Student Interest Group (PMSIG) has been awarded a
$1000 prize by the Intersociety Council for Pathology Information (ICPI). The prize money will be used to
support PMSIG's activities such as monthly lunch presentations by pathology faculty and residents which
inform medical students about training and research opportunities in pathology, the Pathology Autopsy Dis-
covery Program overseen by Dr. Jeff Nine which introduces first and second year students to the medical and
educational utility of the autopsy, and other student-led initiatives. Congratulations to this year's PMSIG stu-
dent leaders - Soma Jobagy (President), Terri Jones (Vice President) and Jackie Birkness (Secretary/
Treasurer)! Marie DeFrances, M.D., Ph.D.
PATHOLOGY SEMINARS January, - April, 2015
__________________________________________________
Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - noon
1104 Scaife Hall
“Implications of Molecular Advances in Thyroid Pathology”
Sylvia L. Asa, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Director, Laboratory Medicine Program
University Health Network and Lakeridge Health
University of Toronto
_______________________________________________
Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - noon
1104 Scaife Hall
“How Autoimmunity Gets Started”
Mark Shlomchik, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Immunology
University of Pittsburgh
______________________________________________
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 - noon
1104 Scaife Hall
“Emerging Immunologic Biomarkers in Surgical Pathology”
Janis M. Taube, M.D.,
Director, Dermatopathology Division
Assistant Professor, Dermatology, Pathology and Oncology
John Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
______________________________________________
Wednesday, February 11, 2015- noon
1104 Scaife Hall
“Paneth Cell Phenotype in Crohn’s Disease Genetic and
Clinical Relevance”
Ta-Chiang Liu, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Washington University
School of Medicine
________________________________________________
ANNUAL MARTINEZ MEMORIAL LECTURE
Wednesday, February 18, 2015 - noon
Lecture Room 5 Scaife Hall
"Title: TBA
David Ellison, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Pathology
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Memphis, TN
Wednesday, February 25, 2015- noon
1104 Scaife Hall
“Epigenome Modification in the Pathophysiology of Phenylalanine
Intoxication”
Steven Dobrowolski, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pathology
Department of Pathology
Children’s Hospital
__________________________________________
Wednesday, March 4, 2015 - noon
1104 Scaife Hall
"Targeting Novel Androgen Axis Resistance Mechanisms for
DEvelopment of Next Generation Treatment Strategies”
Allen Gao, M.D., Ph.D.
Ralph de Vere White Professor
Director of Urologic Research
Co-Leader, Prostate Cancer Program
University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
Davis, CA
_____________________________________________
Wednesday, March 11, 2015- noon
1104 Scaife Hall
Title: TBA
Steven Gracheva, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Physiology
MSM School of Medicine
Yale University
New Haven, CT
______________________________________________
Wednesday, March 18, 2015- noon
1104 Scaife Hall
Title: TBA
Hao Zhu, M.D.
Children’s Medical Center Research Unit
University of Southwestern
Dallas, TX
____________________________________________
Wednesday, April 8, 2015- noon
1104 Scaife Hall
"Title: TBA
John Cijiang He, M.D.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, NY
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