About half of Americans between 45 and 84 have atherosclerosis without knowing it. Diseases linked to atherosclerosis are the leading cause of death in the United States.

The UAB Department of Pathology recently funded travel awards to two trainees, Samar Kumar Halder and Dr. Kenneth Long, who will present their research at national meetings this year.

Michel Kmeid, M.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Anatomic Pathology, will serve as medical director of the gross room and frozen section lab, effective October 1.

The UAB Department of Pathology celebrated the 30th year of its Paulette Shirey Pritchett Endowed Lecture in Pathology on September 25 with an outstanding lecture by Mark T. Gladwin, M.D., Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, and the John Z.

A UAB researcher’s discovery of ZTTK Syndrome connects science with families like Miles Santulli’s, inspiring hope and community through research and advocacy.

Granzyme K (GzmK), a family of granzymes implicated in age-associated inflammatory disease, plays a key role in driving chronic inflammation by causing cell death. Despite its significant impact on diseases like asthma, psoriasis and atherosclerosis, current therapies lack focus on GzmK.

Several Research and Clinical Experience in Pathology (RaCE4Path) students presented posters at the 2025 UAB Heersink School of Medicine Dale J Benos Medical Student Research Day on September 15 and the UAB Undergraduate Research Expo on July 24.

In 2016, the rare disease Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim, or ZTTK Syndrome, was discovered by Erin Eun Young Ahn, Ph.D., a professor in the UAB Department of Pathology’s Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, alongside her research team.

The UAB Department of Pathology boasts a long legacy of fostering physician-scientists who are skilled both in clinical practice and research. These practitioners bridge the crucial gap between the lab and patient care, using clinical experience to drive research leading to new treatments and therapies.

The Department of Pathology is pleased to announce the promotion and tenure of eight of our esteemed faculty colleagues for 2025, effective October 1, 2025. 

Falone Amoa, M.D., M.S., PGY5, and Damien Roland, M.D., M.S., PGY3, were recently named 2025 Future of Pathology Award recipients by the National Medical Association. The Future of Pathology Award was established in 2020 with the goal to recognize and reward minority students and trainees who have a special interest in the field of pathology.

Rati Chkheidze, M.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Neuropathology, has been appointed section head of neuropathology, effective July 1. Chkheidze joined the UAB Department of Pathology in 2020 from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he completed a neuropathology fellowship following his anatomic and clinical pathology residency.

Peter Anderson, D.V.M., Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, delivered one of the inaugural lectures for a new certificate program offered by the Association of Academic Pathology (AAPath) at its annual meeting in Denver, Colorado, in July.

Adeyi Oyedele, M.D., FRCPC, Division Director, Anatomic Pathology, will serve as section head of Gastrointestinal Pathology and director of the GI fellowship program, effective July 15.  

Falone Amoa, M.D., M.S., a PGY5 and Ph.D. candidate in the UAB Department of Pathology, has recently been named a Society of '67 Kinney Scholar by the Association for Academic Pathology (AAPath). This award is for pathology residents and medical students who demonstrate the potential for leadership in academic pathology.

The Department of Pathology is thrilled to announce a new faculty member joining our team August 1.

UAB ENhancing Research In Cancer-related Health professions (ENRICH) successfully completed its second year of the rigorous 10-week summer program to engage in cancer research at UAB.

Michel Kmeid, M.D., will join the Division of Anatomic Pathology as an assistant professor, effective August 1. Kmeid joins us from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, where he served as a head and neck pathology fellow since 2024.

In the face of a bacterium that easily resists common antibiotics, members of UAB established testing to identify it in human disease. Mycoplasma, that is.

Peripheral artery disease is a severe form of cardiovascular disease affecting more than 230 million individuals worldwide. The correlation of peripheral artery disease with diminished blood flow in one or more major arteries has prompted numerous studies aimed at developing therapies that promote the formation of new mature blood vessels, known as neovessels, to restore blood flow.

The Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office has relocated from the old Cooper Green building to a new 32,000 square foot facility on Leaf Lake Pkwy. Greg Davis, M.D., MSPH, Division Director of Forensic Pathology and Jefferson County Coroner, gave an indication and cut the ribbon at the ceremony in conjunction with the Jefferson County Commission on June 23.

UAB’s new Lunaphore COMET multiplex immunofluorescent platform can hyperplex up to 40 antibodies on a single pathology tissue sample.

Karen Scott, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Division of Laboratory Medicine and director of the Forensic Toxicology Laboratory, is a recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Service to Council of Forensic Scientists (COFSE) Award. Scott was recognized for her dedication, exceptional service and volunteer contributions to the organization.

Peter Anderson, D.V.M., Ph.D., a professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, received the 2025 Washington State University (WSU) College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research. The award honors outstanding alumni for their significant contributions to biomedical research, medicine, public health, education and veterinary medicine.

The United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) hosted its 114th annual meeting March 22-27 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachusetts, where several members of UAB Pathology presented various topics of research.

The UAB Department of Pathology is pleased to announce the successful completion of this year's residency match program where we filled all seven of our open positions for 2025. Please join us in welcoming the following individuals to our team: 

Snekha Rajasekaran plans to leverage her passion for medicine and social welfare to become a service-oriented physician-scientist, improving lives in Alabama and beyond.

Paul Benson, M.D., Professor, Anatomic Pathology, Autopsy Section Head, has been named director of the UAB Tissue Biorepository (TBR), effective April 1. Benson assumes the position from Sameer Al Diffalha, M.D., Associate Professor, Anatomic Pathology, who has served in the role since 2017.

The UAB Department of Pathology is thrilled to welcome a new faculty member to the Community Practice Pathology Program, directed by Walter Bell, M.D. MennatAllah Ewais, M.D., joins the department as assistant professor.

In March, several of our colleagues were recognized for their years of service working at UAB and the Department of Pathology. The UAB Service Awards honors employees at each five-year milestone who have completed five or more years of service to UAB.