The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
What is your hometown?
Philadelphia, PA
When did you join the University of Iowa faculty?
1998
How/when did you become interested in science and medicine?
I was very interested in science during both high school and college. My father was a doctor and pushed me towards a career in medicine as he felt it would open up a number of career opportunities.
What interested you to pursue a career in Pathology?
What intrigued me most about medicine was solving problems and making diagnoses, which is a large part of what we do as pathologists. I enjoy being able to peer down the microscope and discover what is wrong with the patient.
Is there a teacher or mentor who helped shape your career?
I have had several mentors. Early on I was steered toward a career in pathology by a faculty instructor with whom I did a research project. Later on, I was strongly influenced by the director of my fellowship program.
How or why did you choose the University of Iowa?
I came here because my husband was recruited to be the Division Chief of General Internal Medicine in the Department of Medicine. While I came as a ‘trailing spouse’, being part of the Department of Pathology has led me to wonderful career opportunities in the past ten years.
The University of Iowa’s faculty members are united to provide exceptional patient care while advancing innovations in research and medical education. How does your work help translate new discoveries into patient centered care and education?
Practicing hematopathology requires collaboration from a variety of disciplines including immunopathology, cytogenetics and molecular diagnostics. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my practice is the ability to integrate cutting edge diagnostic approaches provided by these disciplines to make accurate diagnostic and prognostic estimates.
What kinds of professional opportunities or advantages does being a faculty member at an academic medical center provide?
It would be very difficult to solely practice hematopathology in any other practice setting. In addition, the ability to combine teaching and practice is important to me, as I thoroughly enjoy teaching residents and medical students.
Please describe your professional interests.
I am interested in the diagnostic aspects of hematopathology and laboratory hematology – more specifically, how we can make better use of our array of diagnostic instruments and design systems that expedite the process of getting information to clinicians without compromising quality.
What led to your interest in Hematopathology?
Ever since an elective rotation in hematology as a fourth year medical student, I have been interested in blood and bone marrow disorders.
How does working in a collaborative and comprehensive academic medical center benefit your work?
I am able to combine the clinical aspects of work that I find most enjoyable with the ability to teach - which is one of my strongest professional passions.
What are some of your outside interests?
Spending time with family, running, reading, and baking (thus, running becomes very important).
Do you have an insight or philosophy that guides you in your professional work?
There are a few things that I always keep in mind and stress to my residents. That we as pathologists are integral parts of the patient care team and that communication is of utmost importance. You can be the best diagnostician in the world but if you don’t communicate effectively you are only doing part of your job.
If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?
Increase the accessibility of affordable health care.
What is the biggest change you've experienced in your field since you were a student?
The marked explosion of information, particularly in molecular genetics, and how that information is being incorporated into the everyday practice of diagnostic pathology.
What one piece of advice would you give to today's students?
I think the most important thing for students is to learn how to keep learning. What you know now is only a fraction of what you will need to know to keep practicing medicine in the future.
What do you see as "the future" of medicine?
I see the explosion of molecular diagnostics and the potential to provide more tailored and personalized treatments as some of the exciting future developments in medicine.
In what ways are you engaged with the greater Iowa public (i.e. population based research, mentoring high school students, sharing your leadership/expertise with organizations or causes, speaking engagements off campus, etc.)?
In the past I have talked to the pre-medical students at the University of Iowa and I have worked informally with a number of college students to help shape their career goals in medicine.