Department Chair
The department chair impacts your experience as a resident, because he or she is ultimately responsible for the quality of the faculty and for the tenor of the relationship between faculty and residents, and hence he substantially affects the quality of your education.
Dr. Tom Williams is a molecular pathologist and immunogeneticist who was appointed our Chair in September 2008. Dr. Williams came to UNM seventeen years ago from his pathology residency and immunobiology research training at the University of Pennsylvania. He also served as Chief Resident in anatomic pathology there at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
His research focuses on immunogenetics in humans and non-human primates. Dr. Williams' laboratory was a substantial contributor to the definition of the incredible polymorphism of the HLA Class I and II genes over the past decade. He is especially interested in how that polymorphism affects our ability to successfully perform allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Dr. Williams is the recipient of numerous research grants.
Dr. Williams has been interested in medical student, resident, and fellow education throughout his career. He helped develop one of the first molecular diagnostics rotations for residents in the early 1990's in Philadelphia and directed our rotation here at TriCore Reference Laboratories. Tom teaches in our Molecular Genetic Pathology fellowship, our molecular pathology resident rotation, and in our first year medical student course in Human Genetics and Neoplasia.
Dr. Williams meets regularly with the residency director and the chief
residents to review the status of the program and determine where
improvements may be made. He interviews many of the resident candidates.
How the Chair Supports Residents
- There is an annual allowance of $1600 for residents to purchase books and/or attend professional meetings.
- The Chair provides up to $1200 for residents to attend meetings at which they give a platform presentation or exhibit a poster.
- Moving expenses up to $2500 are covered for new residents relocating to New Mexico.
- Resident office space was recently renovated, which created expanded room and new microscopes.
- The Chair supports a senior resident to serve as a representative to the resident forums of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists and the College of American Pathologists.
- The Department supports a pathology multimedia center for assistance in assembling professional quality slide and computer presentations, posters, and manuscript illustrations.
- First and foremost, though, Dr. Williams actively advocates superior training of pathologists.
