Department of Pathology

Kimberly Fiock successfully defended her doctoral thesis in early April and became the first student to graduate from the Experimental Pathology Ph.D. Program. Kimberly’s thesis is entitled Drivers of Astrocytic Tau Pathology in 4R Tauopathies. She performed her dissertation work in the laboratory of Dr. Marco Hefti where she used a combination of human tissue and human-derived stem cell models to answer questions about how the tau protein contributes to different types of neurodegenerative diseases.

Mallory Shin is awarded a Fall, 2023 Graduate College Post-Comprehensive Research Fellowship. The Post-Comprehensive Research Fellowship is awarded to students to recognize their distinguished academic achievements and to provide protected time for research. Mallory is a Ph.D. candidate in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience working in the laboratory of Dr. Marco Hefti.

Dr. Kai Rogers, a second-year pathology resident, has been awarded a grant entitled “Exploring functional changes in peripheral T-lymphocyte populations in patients undergoing extracorporeal photopheresis” from The Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists (ACLPS).

Words from our new Co-Chiefs: "It is an honor and a privilege to be entrusted by our co-residents and faculty to fill the chief resident role. We follow in the footsteps of past chiefs working in tandem with residency leadership to build a longstanding tradition of excellence. We are excited to work closely with our dedicated faculty and amazing co-residents to enhance the resident experience at Iowa and to advance our national reputation."

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health, led by Dr. Natalie Shaw, have found that a toxic protein made by the body called DUX4 may be the cause of two very different rare genetic disorders. For patients who have facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), or a rare facial malformation called arhinia, this research discovery may eventually lead to therapies that can help people with these rare diseases. Their latest publication is the subject of a February 17, 2023 NIH press release ( https://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/newsroom/releases/2023/february17/index.cfm ).

Drs. Legge and Waldschmidt, along with key collaborators, previously documented the ability of intranasally administered nanoparticle-based influenza vaccines to induce both homologous and heterologous protection against IAV infection. The current project will further optimize the nanoparticle-based influenza vaccine designed for intranasal administration.

Dr. Bing Li, the Endowed Professor in Cancer Immunology Research in the Department of Pathology, has been appointed Director of the newly formed Iowa Cancer and Obesity Initiative by the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Bing Li is the most recent recipient of a Bridge to the Cure Award from the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC). The Bridge to a Cure initiative is designed to support members of the FOEDRC to accelerate promising research aimed at the development of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment and/or prevention of diabetes.

In a recent Cell Reports article, Dr. Bing Li and colleagues demonstrated a high fat diet rich in fish oil induces hair loss via epidermal fatty acid binding protein in skin macrophages. The study was funded by the NIH. In addition to Drs. Hao and Li, the team included Rong Jin, Jun Zeng, Yuan Hua, Matthew S. Yorek, Lianliang Liu, Anita Mandal, Junling Li, Huaiyu Zheng, Yanwen Sun, Yanmei Yi, Di Yin, Qi Zheng, Xiaohong Li, Chin K. Ng, Eric C. Rouchka, Nejat K. Egilmez, and Ali Jabbari.

A pledge in the amount of $1,750,000 has been received from Dr. Jo Ann Benda and Dr. Charles Platz on November 9, 2022. This gift has been designated for two newly established funds. $250,000 will establish the Jo Ann Benda Surgical Pathology Excellence Fund for unrestricted support for the department’s three-part mission of education, research and patient care specifically related to obstetric and gynecologic surgical pathology. An additional $1,500,000 will establish the Jo Ann Benda Surgical Pathology Professorship to support an obstetric and gynecologic surgical pathologist at any rank who excels at anatomic pathologic practice and/or anatomic pathologic research and who coordinates with colleagues in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in patient care.