October 30, 2009 - Team Pathology (Lisa Anderson-Houston, team captain, Timetha Boxiley, and Leslie Ingram) won the first American with Disabilities Act - Jeopardy trivia contest held today.  It was sponsored by the Office of Equity and Diversity as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

September 2009 - Andrzej Slominski, MD, PhD, received the "Order of Polonia Restituta" for his contribution against communism and for democracy in Poland during the 1970s and 80s.  It is one of Poland's highest Orders and was presented to Dr. Slominski by the president of the Republic of Poland, Lech Kacaynski.  Lech Walęsa, the founder of Solidarity, was present for the ceremony.

September 4-7, 2009 - We are hosting the XV^th PanAmerican Society for Pigment Cell Research meeting entitled "The Pigmentary System:  Securing a Place Under the Sun".  Dr. Andrzej Slominksi, MD, PhD, is the chairman of the national organizing committee.  For more information, go to their website http://www.paspcr2009.org or email  info@.paspcr2009.org.  For a program with registration form, click here.

July 2009 - Welcome to our new residents and fellows.
Residents:
   Marcos Rodrigo Saravia Flores, MD, from University of San Carlos in Guatemala
   Lauren King, MD, from University of Tennessee Health Science Center
   Dianne Kovacic, MD, from St. George's University in Grenada
   Teresa Cristina Barros Santiago, MD, from Medical School of Pernambuco

Fellows:
  Deborah Schady, MD, from University of Tennessee, Knoxville
   Radoslaw Bineiek, MD, from Harvard Medical School
   Andre Thompson, MD, former resident at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
   Abdallah Azouz, MD, PhD, former resident at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
 

June 2009 - We say so long to our 4th year residents.  Well, not all of them.

   Abdallah Azouz, MD, PhD, staying here to be our new Hematopathology Fellow
   Shefali Bhusnurmath, MD, going to New York City
   Anand Data, MD, heading out to Los Angeles, California
   Christopher Morgan, DO, rambling down to Dallas, Texas

June 12, 2009 - Our annual Michelson Lecture will be held at 3:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Cancer Center Research Building {19 S. Manassas; Room 114}.   Our distinguished visiting professor, Dr. Martin C. Mihm, Jr. will present the lecture entitled: Melanoma Progression, Prognosis, and the AJCC Classification. Dr. Mihm is currently Professor of Dermatology and Pathology at Harvard Medical School and Senior Dermatopathologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

March 28-April 5 - NANO DAYS.  Learn more here.  “NanoDays” is the NISE Network's annual celebration of nanoscale science, technology, and engineering through the support of the National Science Foundation. For one week each spring, community-based educational organizations such as museums, universities, and research institutions focus their efforts on bringing nano to the public.

January 2009 - Dr. Charles Handorf received an instrumentation grant from NIH for $457,024 to purchase a Whole Slide Imaging System for our Tissue Services Core.  This shared instrument will allow researchers to scan, store, and retrieve slide images from a computer based system.

January 2009 - Read all about our program in a recent article in CAP TODAY.

July 2008 - Welcome to our new residents.  We have four new residents joining our department:

   Amer Mahmoud, MD, from Jordan University of Science and Technology
   Adnan Malik, MD, from King Edward Medical College in Lahore Pakistan
   Robert Schmadeka, MD, from American University of the Carribbean
   Jiong Zhang, MD, PhD, from Shanghai Medical University

June 2008 -  We say good-bye to our 4th year residents and our pediatric pathology fellow: 

   Kaori Saito, MD, a surgical pathology fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis MO
   Matthew Dress, MD, a hematopathology fellowship at University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester NY
   Atef Hanna, MD, PhD, a cytopathology fellowship at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor MI
   Andre Thompson, MD, a gastrointestinal and liver pathology fellowship at GI Pathology, Memphis TN
   Diana Padgett, MD, private practice in eastern Virginia

June 13, 2008 - Dr. Douglas R. Shanklin will be our speaker for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine annual Michelson Lecture. The lecture will be held on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. in the Cancer Research Building auditorium.

May 14, 2008 - Dr. Zorica Janjetovic, a postdoctoral fellow from Dr. Slominski's laboratory, has received the Albert M. Kligman Fellowship award to present  "20-Hydroxycholecalciferol and 20,23-dihydroxycholecalciferol, products of vitamin D3 hydroxylation by P450-scc, decrease NFκB activity by increasing IκBα levels in normal human- and HaCaT-keratinocytes" during the International Investigative Dermatology meeting in  Kyoto, Japan, May 14-17, 2008.

May 14, 2008 - Dr. Michal Zmijewski, a postdoctoral fellow from Dr. Slominski's laboratory, has been elected as a Vice-President of the UTHSC Postdoctoral Association (UTPhDA).

May 12, 2008 - Dr. Andrzej Slominski has been awarded the prestigious Aaron B. Lerner Lectureship by the PASPCR for contribution to Pigment Biology, presented on May 12, 2008 during joined XXth International Pigment Cell Conference (IPCC) and Vth International Melanoma Research Congress (IMRC) in Sapporo, Japan. During the same meeting he presented two additional morning lectures  “Melatonin in the skin: protection against the oxidative stress” and  “Melanogenesis and its hormonal regulation: evolution and  biological implications of the pigmentary system.”  Dr. Slominski has  been elected to the Council of the IPCC, serves as a Secretary/treasurer of the PASPCR and is a member of the steering committee of the SMR. In addition, Dr. Slominski  has been invited to present the lecture “Novel secosteroidogenic pathway and the skin” during the 34th Meeting of the American Society of Photobiology in June 20-24, 2008; and will serve as the Co-chair of the Symposium: Sensory functions of cells in stratified epithelia and their response to peripheral stimuli at the XIII International Congress of Immunocytochemistry and Histochemistry, August 23-27, 2008, Gdank, Poland.  Dr. Slominski will serve as a reviewer for NIH on Special Emphasis Panel/Scientific Review Group 2008/10 ZAR1 MLB-G (M1) 1 meeting, scheduled for June 24-25, 2008.

May 7, 2008 - Dr. Lawrence M. Pfeffer has been invited to serve as a member of the Innate Immunity and Inflammation Study Section, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health (NIH), for the term beginning July 1, 2008 and ending June 30, 2011.  Membership on a study section represents a major commitment of professional time and energy as well as a unique opportunity to contribute to the national biomedical research effort. Study sections review grant applications submitted to the NIH, make recommendations on the applications to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board, and survey the status of research in their fields of science. He has been nominated because of his demonstrated competence and achievement in his scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of his research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors.

April 23, 2008 - Dr. Andrzej Slominski has been awarded a prestigious Aaron B. Lerner Lectureship in recognition of his contribution to pigment cell biology.  He will receive the award on May 12, 2008 during joined meetings of the International Pigment Cell Society and Melanoma Research Society in Sapporo, Japan.  Title of his lecture is "Neuroendocrine activity of the melanocyte".

April 23, 2008 - Dr. Antonio Martinez-Hernandez recently had a paper published in the Annals of Hepatology entitled "Sarcoidosis mimicking primary sclerosing cholangitis requiring liver transplantation".   Pamela Sylvestre, MD, (Methodist/DPG), one of our Residency Faculty, also was an author.  The complete citation is:  Tombazzi C, Waters B, Ismail MK, Sylvestre PB, Martinez-Hernandez A, Riely CA. Sarcoidosis mimicking primary sclerosing cholangitis requiring liver transplantation. Ann Hepatol. Jan-Mar;7(1):83-6, 2008.

March 27, 2008 - Blazej Zbytek, MD, PhD, a PGY-2 UT-pathology resident, has recently published a paper in Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The project was directed by Andrzej Slominski, MD, PhD, who served as the senior author.  Post-doctoral fellows from Dr. Slominski's laboratory, Zorica Janjetovic, MD and Michal Zmijewski, PhD also were engaged in its execution. The full citation is: Zbytek B, Janjetovic Z, Tuckey RC, Zmijewski MA, Sweatman TW, Jones E, Nguyen MN, Slominski AT. 20-Hydroxyvitamin D3, a Product of Vitamin D3 Hydroxylation by Cytochrome P450scc, Stimulates Keratinocyte Differentiation. Journal of Investigative Dermatology advance online publication 27 March 2008; doi: 10.1038/jid.2008.62.

March 18, 2008 - A “Breakfast for Champions” was held at our department in recognition of the many individuals who do a lot to sustain and improve our training program.   Over 25 individuals from UT and affiliated institutions were chosen as Champions by the faculty and residents.  Those included administrative, technical, and clerical staff, as well as faculty members of the UT Allied Health.   The food was delicious and plentiful and the conversation was lively and stimulating.  Everyone enjoyed themselves and appreciated the “Thank You” from the program.  “It's really nice to know that the residents and faculty do appreciate our efforts.  Thanks for making me feel that I matter”, said Cindy Lazar, Surgical Pathology Lab Supervisor.  “I believe the Breakfast was a successful event.  I was able to meet people that I work with on a regular basis but had never met face-to-face”, said Chasse Green, the new Residency Program coordinator.  “It is nice to be appreciated even though I don't help out in order to be appreciated”, said Leslie Ingram, IT Analyst.  For more photos, click here.

March 1, 2008 - Dr. Wei Li (PI) and Dr. Andrzej Slominski (co-investigator) have been awarded a grant from the National Cancer Institute for $109,000 per year entitled "Discovery of novel cytotoxic agents for advanced melanoma”.  The major goal of this project is to improve the efficacy against melanoma of these thiazolidine compounds through extensive syntheses and biological testing, as well as to understand their mechanism of action.

March 1, 2008 - Four residents and one fellow from our program attended the CAP Residents Forum spring meeting in Denver, CO, which was held in conjunction with the 97th USCAP annual meeting.   Andre Thompson, MD, chief resident, and Chris Morgan, DO, chief resident elect, were our two delegates to the forum.  Anand Datta, MD, PhD, PGY-3 resident, presented 2 posters at the USCAP. 

The Executive Committee of the CAP Residents Forum includes nine members; two of which are UT trainees.  Jackie Granese, MD, our Dermatopathology fellow, serves as the current Chair of the Residents Forum and presided the meeting in Denver.  The executive committee also included our PGY-2 resident, Erin O’Sullivan, MD, the Alternate Delegate to the CAP House of Delegates. 

As part of our commitment to organized medicine, our program has traditionally been highly supportive of residents' involvement in national meetings of the CAP, AMA, and other medical societies.  This gives our residents the opportunity to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in Pathology and to network with other physicians from all over the United States, and also to attend some of the high-quality seminars held at those meetings.

February 21, 2008 - Dr. Lawrence Pfeffer has a manuscript entitled "Bioinformatic Analysis Reveals cRel As A Regulator Of A Subset Of Interferon Stimulated Genes" accepted for publication in the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research.

October 25, 2007 - The American Society for Microbiology and the American Academy of Microbiology have selected Vickie S. Baselski, Ph.D. to receive the 2008 TREK Diagnostic ABMM/ABMLI Professional Recognition Award.  She will receive the award and the ASM General Meeting Awards Dinner in June 2008 in Boston MA.  Congratulations, Dr. Baselski!

October 18-21, 2007 - Several of our residents and fellows attended the 44th annual American Society of Dermatopathology meeting in Baltimore, MD, and presented posters.

September 2007 - Five residents attended the CAP 2007 Resident’s forum.  The two delegates were Andre Thompson, MD, and Chris Morgan, DO.  Amanda Mullins, MD presented two posters.  We are proud to announce that Jackie Granese Bergren, MD, was elected Chair of the Resident’s Forum and Erin O’Sullivan, MD, was elected Alternate Delegate to the CAP House of Delegates.

August 14, 2007 - Everyone enjoyed the "Watermelon Cutting".  The melon was almost 24 inches long.  We followed autopsy protocol, of course, and have the pictures to prove it.