Clinical Pathology

Pathology Faculty Photo

Professor
HLA and Transplantation

Clinical Focus -

I co-direct, along with Dr. Howard Gebel, the busy HLA laboratory at Emory University Hospital, which provides histocompatibility testing to support transplantation services at Emory Healthcare and beyond.

Research Interests -

Overview - - The thrust of my research has been almost exclusively applied. Since my training and clinical responsibilities encompass two quite distinct entities, my research has also moved in several directions. However, an underlying theme has been the application of "State-of-the-Art" technology, specifically Flow Cytometry, to advances in diagnostic testing. In the area of transplantation, my projects have focused on the flow cytometric crossmatch and flow cytometric detection of alloantibody in patients awaiting transplantation. Our research efforts have essentially helped "set the standard of practice" for flow cytometric crossmatching and antibody identification in the United States. Additionally, we were one of the first laboratories to pioneer the area of microbead technology and its applications in clinical histocompatibility testing. Work that has been published from this laboratory has not only changed laboratory practice, but has been the foundation for changes in government (CLIA) and society (ASHI and UNOS) standards which regulate histocompatibility testing laboratories. In the area of clinical diagnostic flow cytometry, we have focused on cutting-edge applied projects. Our work has been primarily aimed at the utility of cytometry in the detection and classification of hematopoietic disease. To this end, our laboratory has been one of the leaders in flow cytometric analysis, an interpretation of leukemia/ lymphoma immunophenotyping. Of special interest have Read more...

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Eileen M Burd, PhD

Associate Professor

Clinical Focus -

As director of the clinical microbiology laboratory, my clinical focus primarily involves overseeing testing of specimens related to the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. In addition to routine bacteriology, the Microbiology Laboratory covers a wide range of disciplines inlcuding mycology, parasitology, virology and mycobacteriology. I am also responsible for overseeing the infectious disease serology testing done in the Immunology Laboratory and am involved in diagnostic testing using molecular assays. I interface with the Infectious Disease faculty and Pharmacy staff and have an active role in Infection Control and Antibiotic Subcommittee.

Research Interests -

- My research interests generally focus on the evaluation of new tests and instrument platforms for the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Most of my current interest concerns bacterial resistance mechanisms, which have become increasingly complex and are sometimes difficult to detect in the clinical laboratory.

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Alexis B Carter, MD

Assistant Professor
Pathology Informatics

Personal website - https://webdrive.service.emory.edu/users/abcart2/Published/CarterHome.html
Related weblink - http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=odVkBb4AAAAJ
Related weblink - http://pathologyinformaticstrenches.blogspot.com/
Related weblink - https://twitter.com/#!/PathByteChic

Clinical Focus -

As Director of Pathology Informatics, I coordinate projects and translate functional needs related to our various laboratory information systems at the faculty level between the Departments of Pathology and Information Services. My clinical responsibilities also include interpretation of high-complexity tests in molecular hematopathology.

Research Interests -

Software Development for Laboratories - Laboratories benefit from small software programs that fill gaps in functionality left vacant by Laboratory Information Systems (LIS). These small and easy-to-code programs increase efficiency, decrease turnaround time and improve the quality of patient care by performing complex calculations, automated quality control checking, error flagging and unique functionality specific to discrete pathology subspecialties. Current Projects: - Lightweight and portable Bone Marrow and Blood Counter - Rapid Desktop Image Capture and Storage for Inexpensive Telepathology Systems

Web Application Development for Laboratories - The use of the Internet and Wide-Area Networks have revolutionized the field of medicine. The specialized nature of Pathology and its subspecialties make the Internet the ideal venue by which clinical services can be delivered. This includes telepathologic diagnosis on specimens required at remote sites as well as electronic order entry and result display to and from outreach facilities. Efforts to begin telepathology services are currently being investigated.

Telepathology - My work is focused on the intelligent, practical and compliant use of digital imaging systems for pathology practice in patient care.

Transfusion utilization and information systems - I am involved in several projects which look at how information systems can improve transfusion practice, both from a clinical as well as laboratory perspective.

Laboratory Information Systems for Molecular Diagnostic Testing - Few systems exist that meet the data storage needs of specialized laboratories which perform molecular tests. This is primarily because of the relative newness of the field and the high complexity of the testing. I am developing systems that meet these needs in both the clinical and research arenas in an open-source format.

Molecular testing on paraffin-embedded tissues. - Tissues which have been fixed and subsequently embedded in paraffin constitute the vast majority of solid tissues stored in the pathology laboratory. Unfortunately, these tissues are not the best specimens for molecular techniques. Degradation of genetic material, difficult-to-remove inhibitors and fixatives containing chemicals which prevent the polymerase chain reaction all contribute to difficulty or inability to use these tissues for diagnosis. Dr. Carter is interested in discovering new ways to extract genetic material that will improve the ability to perform testing on these pervasive specimens as well as to test current molecular techniques against newer, less toxic fixatives.

Pathology Faculty Photo

Alexander Duncan, MD

Assistant Professor
Hemostasis and Coagulation

Clinical Focus -

Thrombophilia and Congenital & Acquired

Hemostasis- Complications of Pregnancy & Reproduction

Research Interests -

Hemostasis - Complications of Pregnancy & Reproduction Dr. Duncan and his staff have identified several profiles that identify patients at higher risk for problems and in particular have recognized that a particular analyte Lipoprotein (a) has a much higher frequency in this population and may be an important predictor of future pregnancy problems. As a result of this work on infertility patients he has devised a protocol now used by all major IVF groups in Atlanta in which LMW heparin is started prior to embryo transfer and this has apparently improved the pregnancy success rate. He believes the whole infertility and early pregnancy failure area offers significant opportunity for further study on the involvement of the hemostasis system in diagnosis and monitoring of these patients in the first trimester.

Thrombophilia - Congenital & Acquired

Pathology Faculty Photo

Corinne Renee Fantz, PhD

Associate Professor
Clinical Chemistry

Clinical Focus -

I am the Director of the Core Laboratory at Emory Crawford Long Hospital and the Director of Point of Care Testing for Emory Healthcare.

Research Interests -

- My primary research interest centers around laboratory testing in the pregnant patient including new ways to assess fetal lung maturity. Currently, there is no means by which to predict whether or not infants will be born with RDS. Other projects include collaborations with EUH faculty to assess hemostasis in the pregnant patient and risk of fetal demise.

Clinical Chemistry - Investigation of potential markers for respiratory distress syndrome in neonates using proteomic techniques.

Pathology Faculty Photo

Howard M Gebel, PhD

Professor
HLA and Transplantation

Clinical Focus -

Dr. Robert Bray and I co-direct the HLA laboratory that provides histocompatibility testing for transplantation. My clinical focus revolves around increasing allocation of deceased donor kidneys to highly sensitized patients awaiting renal transplantation. My approach is to accurately identify and define HLA antibodies in such patients.

Research Interests -

Transplantation Immunology - My main interest focuses on the clinical implications of donor specific HLA antibodies in renal transplant recipients.

Pathology Faculty Photo

Jeannette Guarner, MD

Professor
Infectious Disease Pathology

Research Interests -

Helicobacter pylori infections in children and adults. - When I was working at the National Cancer Institute in Mexico, I started studying the acute and chronic effects of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults. Together with Stanford University and a group in Chiapas State in Mexico, we did a case control trial to see if eradiaction of H. pylori decreased the amount of preneoplastic lesions. My interest has expanded to the study of this infection in children and I am currently involved in several projects in this population.

Emerging and Re-emerging infections - Upon arriving at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I was integrally involved in high-prorfile outbreak investigations of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. The CDC pathology team has developed a variety of immunohistochemical and molecular assays to detect these patholgens. Detection of microbial antigens by immunohsitochemical methos in tissues has to be correlated with other laboratory tests. The combination of tissue and laboratory diagnosis of infectious agents is of vital importance to detect these emerging and re-emerging infections so that public health authorities place control and prevention measures.

Pathology Faculty Photo

Charles E Hill, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Molecular Pathology

Clinical Focus -

I am engaged in development of clinical pharmacogenetic testing and molecular tumor diagnostics, as well as overseeing day-to-day operations of the molecular diagnostics laboratory. I am also involved in the clinical interpretation of protein electrophoresis and autoimmunity testing.

Research Interests -

- I am participating in a variety of research projects centered on translating basic science research into clinical practice. We have been investigating the role of virally encoded oncogenes in aggressive behavior of laryngeal papillomatosis, the clinical utility and implementation of pharmacogenetics, and the development of tests for diagnosis or prognosis in a variety of malignanacies.

- Development of new clinical molecular diagnostic tests. Clinical application of pharmacognetics.

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David L Jaye, MD

Assistant Professor
Hematopathology
Cancer Biology

Clinical Focus -

I serve as an attending physician on the Hematopathology service at Emory University Hospital and as a consultant at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. My clinical focus encompasses use of morphologic analysis, flow cytometric immunophenotyping, molecular diagnostic and fluorescence in situ hybridization/cytogenetics studies that are relevant to the subspecialty of hematopathology.

Research Interests -

Inflammation/ Hematopathology - I have 2 areas of ongoing investigation. One focus is a C-type lectin-family receptor (CD303) expressed uniquely on the surface of human plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Data suggest that this receptor impacts function of these cells in innate and adaptive immunity. We have developed unique biochemical tools to better understand the structure and function of CD303 including identification of natural binding targets whether of self or non-self origin. Specific efforts focus on identifying the specific counter-receptors on these targets and better characterizing the impact of receptor-ligand engagement. A second focus involves deciphering the role of the Bcl-6 interacting transcriptional co-repressor MTA3 and BCL6 in B cell lymphomas, work done in collaboration with Dr. P. Wade at NIEHS, and translating this knowledge into diagnostically useful tools.

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Cassandra D Josephson, MD

Associate Professor
Pediatric Transfusion Medicine

Clinical Focus -

I am the Assistant Director of Atlanta Blood and Tissues Services at Children's Healthcare of. I am also a Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist who specializes in treating patients with hemostasis or thrombosis conditions.

Research Interests -

Pediatric Transfusion Medicine, hemostasis, and hematology, oncology - My research focus is in transfusion medicine issues as they relate to pediatric hematology and hemostasis, specifically, with regard to sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, neonatology, and open heart surgery.

Pathology Faculty Photo

David D Koch, PhD

Associate Professor
Clinical Chemistry

Clinical Focus -

I serve as Director of Clinical Chemistry, Toxicology, and Point-of-Care Testing at Grady Memorial Hospital. My particular interests include the cost-effective utilization of laboratory medicine for patients with diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and toxicology applications, as well as the reduction of non-analytical sources of error. I am currently Secretary of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry.

Research Interests -

Research Overview - I engage in the following research activities:
1. The proper approach to and science behind the evaluation of clinical laboratory methods.
2. Investigation of novel biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring of disease.
3. Method development and evaluation of clinical laboratory technology for new applications, and for diagnostic reagent and instrument companies.

Pathology Faculty Photo

Colleen S Kraft, MD

Assistant Professor
Microbiology
Infectious Diseases

Clinical Focus -

I am the Medical Director of the Microbiology Laboratory, and the Program Director of the Medical Microbiology fellowship. I am a clinically trained adult Infectious Diseases physician, and see patients at Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital and inpatients at Emory University Hospital.

Research Interests -

Human Rhinovirus detection and phylogeny - With the severe respiratory season seen in 2009-2010, I became interested in adult patients with rhinovirus infection. I am currently sequencing these isolates and in collaboration with CDC and LANL, to determine potential biologic correlates of severe rhinoviral infections.

HIV-1 Superinfection - Under the mentorship of Eric Hunter, we have identified individuals in Susan Allen's cohort who have HIV-1 superinfection. We are currently looking at the impact of antibody neutralization in these patients that do not prevent superinfection.

Fecal transplant - Clinical and research applications

Genome sequencing of Staphylococcus aureus -

Pathology Faculty Photo

Shiyong Li, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Hematopathology

Related weblink - http://www.ijcep.com/

Clinical Focus -

Hematopathology - morphology, flow cytometry and molecular diagnostics

Fluorescence in situ hybridization for hematolymphoid and solid organ tissue malignancies

Research Interests -

Hematolymphoid malignancies - Using modern technology such as flow cytometry, fluorescent in situ hybridization, laser-captured microdissection and cDNA microarray, I am especially interested in (1) investigation of the underlying molecular mechanisms of leukemo/lymphomagenesis; (2) identification of new marker(s) to aid in diagnosis and in predicting the clinical outcome of malignant hematopoietic disorders; (3) development of new diagnostic tests in the field of hematopathology.

Pathology Faculty Photo

Karen P Mann, MD, PhD

Professor
Hematopathology

Clinical Focus -

My clinical focus is in the area of neoplastic and non-neoplastic hematopathology of adults and children with an emphasis on a multifaceted approach including morphology, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometric immunophenotyping, fluorescence in situ hybridization, cytogenetics, and molecular testing. This approach is used to diagnosis the full range of hematopoietic malignancies and to evaluate for residual or recurrent disease following treatment. As Director of Molecular Hematopathology, I additionally have a leading role in supervising the development and evaluation of new molecular hematopathology tests in order to maintain a state-of-the-art diagnostic hematopathology laboratory.

Research Interests -

Overview - - My research interests focus on the development of new molecular diagnostic tests and flow cytometric targets which can aid in the diagnosis, subclassification, determination of prognosis, and treatment monitoring in patients with hematopoietic neoplasms. In addition, I am interested in evaluation of the usefulness of newly identified mutations both as diagnostic targets as well as possible targets of directed therapies. I am also interested in the monitoring and significance of minimal residual disease in different hematopoietic disorders.

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Erin K Meyer, MD

Assistant Professor

Pathology Faculty Photo

Ross J. Molinaro, PhD

Assistant Professor
Clinical Chemistry
Molecular Medicine

Laboratory website - http://www.pathology.emory.edu/ECTRL/

Clinical Focus -

I serve as the Assistant Medical Director of Core Laboratories at Emory University Hospital Midtown.

Research Interests -

Emory Clinical Translational Research Laboratory (ECTRL) - ECTRL is a CLIA certified laboratory. The focus of ECTRL is the development of clinical based laboratory testing methods, clinical utility examination, clinical trial laboratory testing, routine and special laboratory method development, and clinical laboratory method validation, encompassing clinical pathology translational research. Our goal is to assist intra- and inter-institutional Principal Investigators, Diagnostic Companies, and Industry affiliates with the analytical transition of research based testing methods to clinical diagnostics.

Genomic/Proteomic Biomarkers and Mass Spectrometry - Our laboratory uses cDNA microarray based and mass spectrometry methods to investigate genomic and proteomic biomarkers of disease, including diabetes, cancer, inflammation, and transplant rejection. In addition, we develop mass spectrometry methods for small molecule quantitation and pharmacokinetic studies. Specifically, we are interested in anticoagulant, chemotherapeutic, and pain management testing and monitoring by mass spectrometry.

Pathology Faculty Photo

James C Ritchie, PhD

Professor
Clinical Chemistry

Laboratory website - http://www.pathology.emory.edu/ECTRL/

Research Interests -

- My research laboratory is engaged in determing whether the regulation of extracellular peptidase activity plays a significant role in neuropeptide action. In another project, we are focusing on the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of antidepressants and anti-seizure medications during pregnancy. Finally I am actively pursuing investigations into the use of proteomics as a clinical diagnostic tool.

Pathology Faculty Photo

John D Roback, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Transfusion Medicine

Related weblink - http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/medtech

Clinical Focus -

Improving the safety and efficacy of blood transfusion and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Current positions: Associate Professor (tenured) in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Associate Director of the Emory Center for Transfusion and Cellular Therapies, Associate Director of the Emory University Hospital Blood Bank, and Associate Director of the Stem Cell Processing Laboratory at Emory University Hospital. National leadership positions: Co-Chairman of the NIH/NHLBI Global Blood Safety and Availability Strategic Planning Committee, Chairman of the AABB Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee, and Editor of the AABB Technical Manual.

Research Interests -

Overview - The focus of my laboratory is basic and translational research investigations with an emphasis on improved Transfusion Medicine clinical practice. The primary ongoing projects that have been or are currently NIH-funded include: (i) Utilization of murine models of lethal murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) disease to develop improved, clinically applicable methods for adoptive antiviral immunotherapy and post-transplant vaccination to for bone marrow transplant recipients; (ii) Development of novel, innovative methods and devices to perform pretransfusion testing of blood components; and (iii) Development of improved PCR methods for screening blood and hematopoietic stem cell products for CMV infectivity.

Pathology Faculty Photo

Beverly B Rogers, MD

Clinical Professor
Pediatric Pathology
Molecular Diagnostics

Pathology Faculty Photo

Thomas E Rogers, MD

Assistant Professor

Pathology Faculty Photo

Joel H. Saltz, MD, PhD

Professor

Related weblink - http://cci.emory.edu

Research Interests -

Biomedical Informatics - My biomedical computing efforts have included development of high-end computing and grid-based systems to support microscopy image analyses, leadership of the design and development effort for the cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG®), along with development of frameworks to support data intensive semantically enabled query and computations. My biomedical efforts have spanned cancer, heart disease and infectious disease areas. My team leads the development of informatics infrastructure designed to support integrated management and analysis of clinical, molecular, pathology and image data. In addition to work with biomedical research teams, we will continue the development and evaluation of computer science techniques, tools and algorithms motivated by deep integrative research applications.

Research Vision - Over the next few years, my research objective will be to develop principles, techniques and tools that can be used by biomedical researchers to assemble a coherent biomedical picture by integrating information from multiple complementary data sources. The approach is to develop knowledge and data-management middleware so that investigators can explore different ways of synthesizing information from multiple, disparate data sources. This middleware will allow researchers to generate and test biomedically-meaningful hypotheses.

Pathology Faculty Photo

Fred Sanfilippo, MD, PhD

Professor

Related weblink - http://hip.emory.edu/

Research Interests -

Research Interests - Dr. Sanfilippos research projects have included studies in solid state physics, molecular biology and immunogenetics, clinical trials, development of diagnostics and therapeutics, and mechanisms of allograft and xenograft rejection and acceptance. His major research interests in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine have been in immunopathology, transplantation biology, and renal pathology. His current major interests continue to focus on the application of informatics to enhance the quality of healthcare delivery at the level of individuals and populations, and enhancement of organizational performance and culture.

Pathology Faculty Photo

Debra Saxe, PhD

Associate Professor
Clinical Cytogenetics

Related weblink - http://www.genetics.emory.edu/FACULTY/faculty.php

Clinical Focus -

I am the Director of the Oncology Cytogenetics laboratory. My particular interest is studying the cytogenetics and Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) abnormalities in hematopathology and soft tissue malignancies.

Pathology Faculty Photo

Yun F (Wayne) Wang, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Microbiology

Clinical Focus -

I am in charge of the Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at Grady Memorial Hospital, the largest public hospital in the Southeast. I am responsible for rapid and cost effective laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases, particularly in HIV, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted disease.

Research Interests -

Diagnostic and molecular microbiology - I am interested in and actively involved in rapid laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases including tuberculosis, sexually transmitted disease, and HIV, by using molecular and immunologic methods. I am interested in antimicrobial susceptibility testing and resistance surveillance study. I am the editorial board member for the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, and the Emory Medical Care Foundation (EMCF) Research Committee member.

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Brian A Webber, MD

Assistant Professor
Clinical Pathology

Clinical Focus -

My clinical roles are generally as a clinical pathologist at the Atlanta VAMC as an assistant director of all clinical laboratories, including flow cytometry, blood bank, hematology, microbiology, chemistry, and immunology. The bulk of my signout assignments involve the fields of hematopathology, flow cytometry, and protein electrophoresis.

Research Interests -

- I am interested in investigating flow cytometry as a means of assessing global platelet activation status. In addition, I also plan to investigate the utility of novel assays potentially applying flow cytometric techniques to the field of coagulation.

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Ifor R Williams, MD, PhD

Professor
Immunology
Epithelial Pathobiology
Clinical Immunology

Clinical Focus -

The Clinical Immunology Laboratory at Emory University Hospital performs a variety of immunology tests including protein electrophoresis and immunofixation, immunoglobulin and serum protein quantitation by nephelometry, cryoglobulin testing, miscellaneous protein testing, autoantibody detection, infectious disease serology testing, and measurement of a variety of analytes on automated immunoassay platforms. The laboratory also plays a major role in serological testing of samples from tissue and organ donors. A medical technician from the laboratory is on call at all times to perform stat infectious disease serology testing on samples from organ donors prior to transplantation. The immunology laboratory also supports specific types of surgery that require intraoperative immunoassays down with a short turn around time (most commonly this is testing for parathyroid hormone or PTH in patients with hyperparathyroidism).

In addition to my administrative role in the laboratory, I also do the physician interpretations of protein electrophoresis and immunofixation testing. Interpretation of protein electrophoresis and immunofixation tests as well as some autoantibody testing (primarily anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody or ANCA testing) is done with the assistance of CP residents who rotate for one month on the clinical immunology service. Drs. Charlie Hill and Alexis Carter also take turns signing out these cases that need physician interpretations. Serum protein electrophoresis and immunofixation are performed to detect the presence of monoclonal immunoglobulin spec Read more...

Research Interests -

Mucosal Immunology; Chemokine Receptors; Lymphoid Organogenesis - The major areas my laboratory studies are: (1) the role of chemokines and chemokine receptors including CCR6, CCR9, and CCR10 in mucosal immunity; and (2) the cellular interactions, cytokines, and chemokines involved in initiating the development of the lymphoid aggregates present in the small intestine including cryptopatches and isolated lymphoid follicles.

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Anne M Winkler, MD

Assistant Professor
Transfusion Medicine
Coagulation

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Andrew N Young, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Cancer Biology
Clinical Pathology

Clinical Focus -

I am the Director of Clinical Laboratories at Grady Health System. Grady Memorial Hospital and its affiliated clinics make up one of the largest public health systems in the US. The laboratories play a vital role at Grady, supporting centers of excellence in infectious disease, emergency medicine, trauma, toxicology, stroke, sickle cell disease, oncology, and many other fields. In addition, the laboratories perform testing for most research studies conducted at Grady. Our department offers a broad menu of assays in all major disciplines, including clinical chemistry, toxicology, transfusion medicine, hematology, coagulation, flow cytometry, microbiology and molecular pathology. I provide diagnostic interpretation for hematopathology and hemoglobin analysis and, along with my faculty colleagues (Drs Koch, Shaz and Wang), train pathology residents from Emory University. Residents at Grady are exposed to a unique perspective on laboratory medicine, administration, and the role of clinical pathologists in a public healthcare setting.

Research Interests -

Primary Focus - Molecular classification of kidney cancer by gene expression profiling. - My research laboratory has developed systems for molecular classification of renal tumors using cDNA and oligonucleotide microarrays. Based on gene expression profiles, we have identified numerous immunohistochemical markers for diagnosis and clinical management. Currently, we are developing novel Raman-active nanoparticle-based immunoassays for renal tumor classification using fixed tissue and fluids.

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