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Christa Whitney-Miller Named Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

12/21/2023

Christa L. Whitney-Miller, MDChrista L. Whitney-Miller, MD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and vice chair of Anatomic Pathology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has been selected as chair of the department and named the Frieda Robscheit-Robbins Professor after a nationwide search. Whitney-Miller has served as interim chair since September 2022. She begins her new role effective immediately. Formal approval by the Office of the Provost and the University of Rochester Board of Trustees is expected in 2024.

A surgical pathologist with a focus on gastrointestinal pathology, Whitney-Miller joined URMC in 2009 and has held numerous leadership positions, including serving as director of the Gastrointestinal (GI) Pathology Service and director of Surgical Pathology, where she is especially proud of the patient safety initiatives she led. She also is founder and former director of the GI/Hepatobiliary Pathology Fellowship.

In her clinical role, she provides consults to the Gastrointestinal Oncology; Transplant & Hepatobiliary Surgery; and Heart Failure & Heart Transplant programs. She collaborates with physician-scientist colleagues at the UR Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute and has established a clinical research program on HER2 overexpression in GI malignancies. Mentoring and providing advice to colleagues is another priority for Whitney-Miller, who devotes time to the career development of faculty, trainees, and staff.

“Her experience as interim chair over the past 15 months, and nearly 15 years as a leader contributing to Pathology’s evolving clinical, research, and education missions, makes Christa the perfect choice to lead this department into the future,” said Mark B. Taubman, MD, CEO of URMC and dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry. “A passionate dedication to her specialty, particularly expansion of translational and basic science research programs, and a strong vision about what is possible in our ever-changing health care environment will serve the department well.”

An Eye to the Future

Whitney-Miller says the coming years will usher in exciting growth opportunities for the department, as well as challenges.

She and the Pathology leadership team will continue to implement the department’s multi-phase expansion and consolidation project involving the Bailey Road Central Laboratory. Consolidating operations in a centralized facility allows for sustained growth as volumes continue to increase. Phase 3 construction is scheduled to be completed in 2024 and will make room for the Surgical Pathology team to join their clinical pathology colleagues at the Central Laboratory. Future phases will complete the vision of a fully consolidated Pathology campus at 211 Bailey Road.

Whitney-Miller will continue to support efforts to enhance the department’s successful homegrown training programs, developed to address the ongoing shortage of medical laboratory staff, such as clinical medical technicians and technologists, phlebotomists, and histotechnicians.

“It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Rochester, including its 1,000+ staff members, 70 faculty, and almost 100 trainees,” Whitney-Miller said. “Being from Rochester, I know the impact Strong Memorial and its affiliates have on our region.”

The department’s large clinical operation – more than 11.4 million tests are performed annually – supports all its missions: It keeps faculty engaged, provides great educational material for trainees, and is a rich resource for clinical and translational research studies.

Whitney-Miller earned her medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University. She completed a residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and a fellowship in Surgical Pathology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the faculty at URMC, she served as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and then The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

On the national front, Whitney-Miller is active in multiple organizations, particularly the Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology, where she serves on their executive committee. She has presented nationally at the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathologists, as well as the College of American Pathologists.

She has received multiple honors for her accomplishments, including the 2022 Margaret Billingham Award for Best Original Paper, published in Cardiovascular Pathology; the resident award for best didactics in 2023; and the 2015 URMC Pathology Chair’s Recognition Award.

“I look forward to working with our very talented team and am confident we will continue to provide outstanding service to the people in the Greater Rochester area and beyond.”

Nearly 800 Attend Employee Appreciation Event at Strong Museum of Play

9/29/2023

We loved seeing so many employees and family members at our annual Employee Appreciation Event at the Strong Museum of Play. Nearly 800 faculty, staff, students, and trainees were able to attend! Send along your personal photos, if you would like them added to the collection!

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Welcome to our new Ph.D. students

8/15/2023

We are happy to announce the arrival of our incoming class of Pathology Program Ph.D. students. Their orientation begins next Tuesday,  Aug. 22. Please keep an eye out for them and welcome them to Rochester and to our program.

  • Shubhrika Jain
  • Zhiming (Sam) Jin
  • Alex Mathewson
  • Jacob (Cody) Naccarato
  • Tahia Anon Rahman
  • Xingyu Zhang.

A Summer of Learning

7/28/2023

Cate in groupHailing from Staten Island, California and as far away as China, this summer’s crop of high school students chosen for Explorations in Pathology impressed program organizers and mentors with their keen interest and desire to take in a much as possible during their three-week immersive experience.

The pre-colleultrasoundge program each summer introduces 10 high school juniors and seniors to pathology and the many career path opportunities it presents, said Program Director Jennifer J. Findeis-Hosey, M.D., Vice Chair of Educational Programs for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Students stay in dorm rooms on the UR campus and spend their days at the Medical Center, learning about hematopathology, cytopathology, microbiology, gross pathology, forensics and more.

The program is making an impact. As one student said: “Now I’m not thinking, ‘What kind of doctor do I want to be,’ but ‘What kind of pathologist do I want to be.’“

 

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ASCP Honors Jajosky with 40 Under Forty Award

7/12/2023

Audrey Jajosky, M.D., Ph.D.,Audrey Jajosky, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, is among 40 high-achieving pathologists, pathology residents and medical laboratory professionals named to the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s 2023 40 Under Forty list.

Those honored are recognized for making significant contributions to the profession and stand out as the future of laboratory leadership.

Dr. Jajosky is a board-certified molecular genetic pathologist and associate director of the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory who joined the department in 2021. She enjoys mentoring high school students in the Explorations in Pathology summer program, supporting med-tech students in the Clinical/Medical Technology Advance Certificate Program, and serving on the Academic Advisory Committee for the Genomics Organization for Academic Laboratories (www.goalabs.org/).

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