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Clinical Pathology
About Clinical Pathology
The Division of Clinical Pathology at the University of Utah is one of, if not, the largest Division in the Pathology Department, under the direction of the Division Head, Harry R. Hill, M.D. It consists of roughly 40 personnel, 37 of whom are full-time or adjunct faculty who serve as Medical Directors at ARUP Laboratories (the Department of Pathology and the University of Utah’s national esoteric reference laboratory) or at the University Hospital or Primary Children’s Hospital. Seven of these faculty are M.D.s with anatomic and clinical pathology training, 6 are M.D.s or M.D./Ph.D.s who have clinical pathology training, 8 are board certified M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. clinician/laboratorians, and 20 are Ph.D. laboratory scientists.
The Division has a major focus on clinical service and consulting with ARUP Laboratories clients all over the United States as well as the University of Utah Medical Center and Primary Children’s Medical Center physicians, providing them with assistance in laboratory test selection and interpretation. As stated, 8 of the Medical Directors work as subspecialty clinicians who serve patients with a wide variety of problems including those dealing with hematology, oncology, endocrinology, as well as immunodeficiency disorders, infectious diseases and coagulation problems. Thus, the members of the Clinical Pathology Division at the University of Utah and ARUP are constantly focused on improving patient care through the appropriate selection and use of laboratory tests.
A second major focus of the Clinical Pathology Division is in both applied and basic research. This work is carried out primarily in the ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology, which is the research arm of ARUP Laboratories, started in 1996. The Institute, which now employs approximately 80 individuals, including a number of Ph. D. and Masters Degree holders as well as those with B.S. degrees, develops innovative, new esoteric laboratory tests to ensure that ARUP Laboratories and the Division of Clinical Pathology stay at the forefront of laboratory medicine. Another focus of the Division and the Institute is publication of academic, peer reviewed research articles. Since 1999, over 600 peer-reviewed papers from the Institute and the Division have been published in a variety of scientific journals, in addition to hundreds of review articles, text book chapters and books. These articles enhance the scientific credentials of not only the Department of Pathology but ARUP Laboratories and the University of Utah as a whole.
The last major focus of the Division of Clinical Pathology is to provide education for the numerous medical students, residents, fellows, graduate students, as well as undergraduates currently pursuing further education at the University of Utah in medicine and the laboratory sciences as well as in laboratory research. Two continuing medical education courses are offered to practicing pathologists, clinicians and laboratory scientists from throughout the U.S. and the world. These include the Jackson, Wyoming, Update in Clinical Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, which is held in mid July and is in its 25th year, and the new Park City Update in Clinical and Laboratory Medicine, which will be held in the first week of March of 2008 (see web site for details). The Division also plays a major role in the teaching of medical students by directing and participating in the freshman Microbiology and Immunology courses and provides a senior medical student elective, didactic course in Clinical Pathology that reviews all of clinical and laboratory medicine, serving as an excellent board review for approximately 60% of the senior medical students who elect it.
Thus, the Division of Clinical of Pathology has a major role in providing excellent clinical service and consultation along with teaching at the undergraduate, medical and graduate school level as well as to post graduates. In addition, the Division is at the forefront of research in clinical laboratory medicine.
- Clinical Pathology Events
- Annual Summer Update in Clinical Pathology
- The 26th Annual Update in Clinical Immunology, Microbiology, and Infectious Diseases will be held in Jackson, Wyoming, July 14-18, 2008, at the Snow King Resort.
- Winter Update brochure
- Brochure - The First Annual Winter Update in Clinical and Laboratory Medicine: Clinical Chemistry, Immunology, Microbiology, and Molecular Medicine, March 3-7, 2008, The Canyons - Park City, Utah
- Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory
- The Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (H&I) Laboratory provides a complete range of diagnostic testing services used primarily in the field of clinical organ transplantation and for study of associations between certain diseases and several HLA alloantigens.
- Winter Update in Clinical and Laboratory Medicine
- Annual Winter Update in Clinical and Laboratory Medicine February 23–27, 2009 Park City, Utah
Ed Ashwood, M.D.
Dr. Ashwood is senior vice president and director of laboratories for University of Utah owned ARUP Laboratories. In addition to his laboratory director duties, he teaches, conducts clinical research, co-edits 3 textbooks, and co-directs the clinical chemistry postdoctoral fellowship program.
David Bahler, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Bahler's research interests include clinical applications of flow cytometry to diagnostic hematopathology, the role of chronic antigen stimulation and autoimmune disease in the development of lymphoid neoplasms, and the development and use of molecular hematopathology tests.
Pinar Bayrak-Toydemir, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Bayrak-Toydemir is the assistant medical director of Molecular Genetics ARUP. She also has an adjunct appointment as an assistant professor of pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Judy Daly, Ph.D.
Dr. Daly focuses her research efforts on research in diagnostic techniques in clinical microbiology
David Eckels, Ph.D.
Dr Eckels is interested in the HLA system because it controls the human immune response whether to transplanted tissue or viruses. His research interests have therefore focused on transplantation, immunoregulation, and viral immunology, specifically in regard to influenza and Hepatitis C viruses.
Elizabeth Frank, Ph.D.
As an academic clinical chemist, Dr. Frank combines service, teaching, and research. She is Laboratory Director of the University Health Care Center Community Clinics Central Laboratory, Co-Director of the School of Medicine's Postdoctoral Training Program in Clinical Chemistry, and develops analytical methods for small molecules at ARUP Laboratories.
Mark Fisher, Ph.D.
Dr. Fisher’s research is aimed at understanding the molecular basis of infectious disease. Current projects involve investigations into the gene regulation and vector-borne transmission of Yersinia pestis.
David G. Grenache, Ph.D.
Dr. Grenache is an Assistant Professor of Pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine and is the Medical Director of the Special Chemistry Laboratory at ARUP Laboratories. He is board certified in clinical chemistry by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry. His main research interests include general clinical chemistry, reproductive endocrinology and biochemistry, and cancer biomarkers.
Harry Hill, M.D.
Dr. Hill’s research over the past 34 years, including over 30 years of NIH-funded work, is directed toward understanding the mechanism of host resistance to both group B and A streptococcal infections. This involved the study of opsonic antibodies, complement, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, as well as, cytokines, and more recently, toll-like receptors in providing protection against these two major bacterial pathogens. He has also had a major interest in polymorphonuclear leukocyte diseases, specifically, Job syndrome of hyper IgE and recurrent infections and chronic granulomatous disease including more recently their molecular diagnosis.
Brian Jackson, M.D.
Dr. Jackson’s research focuses on measuring the appropriateness of laboratory testing in health care. This includes ecological studies of utilization patterns as well as cost effectiveness analysis to assess the economic impact of testing strategies.
Chris Lehman, M.D.
Dr. Lehman has focused his research efforts on clinical outcomes of laboratory testing.
Christine Litwin, M.D.
Dr. Litwin is a tenured full professor of pathology at the University of Utah and medical director of microbial immunology at ARUP Laboratories, University of Utah. Her basic research focus is in the bacterial pathogenesis of Bartonella henselae infections, (the causative agent of Cat Scratch Disease) and the identification of immunogenic proteins of this organism. Her clinical research interest is in the development and evaluation of new infectious disease serology tests particularly emerging infectious diseases, tuberculosis and zoonotic diseases, especially from pets. Dr. Litwin is the author of over 60 original articles.
Elaine Lyon, Ph.D.
As a clinical scientist, Dr. Lyon directs molecular genetics at ARUP. She focuses on translational and clinical studies to identify genetic variants and diagnose inherited diseases. She co-directs the pharmacogenetics section, implementing testing to predict an individual’s response to medications.
Rong Mao, M.D.
Dr. Rong Mao is assistant professor of pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Mao is the co-medical director in the molecular genetics section at ARUP and co-director for clinical molecular genetics fellowship training program
Gwendolyn A. McMillin, Ph.D.
Dr. McMillin is certified by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry in clinical chemistry and toxicological chemistry. Her research focuses on tools that support and improve drug therapy, including pharmacogenetic testing and methods for quantification of drugs and drug metabolites.
Marzia Pasquali, Ph.D.
Dr. Pasquali has focused her work in the study of inherited disorders of metabolism, with special emphasis on diagnostic methods and pre-symptomatic detection through newborn screening.
William Roberts, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Roberts has studied the performance characteristics of numerous clinical chemistry assays. Pediatric and adult reference intervals have been determined for many of them.
Karl Voelkerding, M.D.
Dr. Voelkerding's research efforts focus on the development and application of molecular biological methods for clinical diagnostic purposes.
Ron Weiss, M.D., M.B.A.
Dr. Weiss practices hematopathology, including hematologic flow cytometry; teaches medical students, pathology residents and fellows in both hematopathology and laboratory management; and is the President and Chief Operating Officer for ARUP Laboratories
Lily Wu, Ph.D.
The major research efforts of Dr. Wu have been focused on studies concerning the risks of hypercholesterolemia, abnormal lipid profile, and the impact of genetic predisposition in the development of coronary heart diseases.
Julio Delgado, M.D., M.S.
The focus of our research is to understand the functional role of the HLA system in the setting of transplantation and susceptibility to disease.
Carl Wittwer, M.D., Ph.D.
Carl Wittwer is a Professor of Pathology at the University of Utah. He received his PhD from Utah State University and his MD from the University of Michigan. Dr. Wittwer’s research focuses on technique and instrument development in molecular diagnostics.
Phillip Bernard, M.D.
Dr. Bernard is the medical director of the Solid Tumor Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at ARUP. He is an assistant professor of pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Nicola Longo, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Longo's laboratory is investigating the molecular bases of carnitine deficiency. Current studies are identifying proteins interacting with the OCTN2 carnitine transporter that might contribute to cause disease is humans. New therapies are being evaluated for different metabolic disorders to include lysosomal storage disorders, organic acidemias, and disorders of amino acid metabolism.
A. Wayne Meikle, M.D.
Dr. Meikle has focused on male reproductive endocrinology, prostatic and thyroid neoplasia and laboratory methodology for understanding molecular and pathophysiologic processes that regulate these disorders.
Arthur Brothman, Ph.D.
Dr. Brothman has been Director of Cytogenetics at the University of Utah since 1991 and maintained a research laboratory looking at molecular and cytogenetic aspects of prostate cancer since 1986. His research work has primarily focused on genomic changes in cancers (prostate) and the application of new technologies to genetic diagnoses of acquired and constitutional abnormalities.
Patrice Held, Ph.D.
Dr. Held's research interests include the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with inherited metabolic disorders.