Department of Pathology

About the Department

At UNM our vibrant and collegial team of pathologists, scientists, trainees and staff reflects the multicultural population of New Mexico. We link diversity with excellence through outstanding programs in education, training, biomedical research and patient care. We are committed to serving New Mexico’s unique populations and cultures while also contributing substantially to solving national and global problems.

Pathology faculty teach in the School of Medicine curriculum, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, the Medical Laboratory Science Program, the Pathology Residency Program, in six Clinical Fellowship Programs, and in several interdisciplinary, cross-campus programs. Research faculty also mentor Post Doctoral Fellows.

Pathology residents have access to 16 different rotations during their 4 years of training.
Clinical fellowships are offered in the fields of Cytopathology, Surgical Pathology, Hematopathology, Molecular Genetic Pathology, Transfusion Medicine, and Forensic Pathology.
Pathology faculty lead multiple medical school and graduate school core courses and provide research rotations and labs for dissertation research for many of these students.
The Medical Laboratory Science Program offers both BS and MS degrees for future medical laboratory scientists and managers.
Pathology faculty work in teams with colleagues from other departments and disciplines across campus to integrate training in disease-focused cell and molecular biology with complementary training in the physical and computational sciences.

Pathology faculty pursue a wide range of basic, clinical, translational, and population research.

The UNM Department of Pathology has historically ranked highly for NIH research funding among pathology departments nationally.
Pathology faculty lead multiple NIH- and NCI-funded national centers, including the New Mexico HOPES-PROSPR Research Center, the New Mexico Interdisciplinary HPV Prevention Center, the New Mexico Center for Molecular Discovery, and the UNM Human Tissue Repository and Tissue Analysis Shared Resource. Individual faculty are PIs of a number R01 and other NIH-funded research projects.
Pathology faculty developed and share core research services including facilities for flow cytometry, fluorescence and electron microscopy, genomic analyses, and human and animal research.
The Pathology research community is remarkably diverse, including faculty with rigorous training in clinical medicine, cell and molecular biology, immunology, physical chemistry, biophysics, chemical engineering, and mathematics.
Integration among our clinicians, biologists, and physical and computational scientists flows from our common focus on understanding, preventing, and treating human disease.
Pathology research programs benefit greatly from being on a comprehensive university campus with access to colleagues and students in the Schools of Engineering and Law and the Colleges of Pharmacy and Arts and Sciences.
Pathology research benefits additionally from research resources and expertise provided through our adjunct faculty at the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute and at both the Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories.

As the only academic department of Pathology in New Mexico, the faculty’s subspecialties cover a broad range of fields in pathology including areas that are unique to New Mexico.

Clinical faculty are leaders in their sub-specialties. The well-known text “Bone Marrow Pathology” is the work of UNM pathologist Dr. Kathy Foucar and her colleagues.
Dr. Devon Chabot-Richards directs nationally renowned consultation services for hematopathology and molecular genetic pathology.
Dr. Joseph Griggs lead a highly regarded multi-hospital-based transfusion medicine clinical and teaching program and conducts clinical trials research.
Dr. Joshua Hanson oversees our anatomic pathology division which supports the UNM Hospital system and a regional consultation service.
Dr. Edgar Fischer, a surgical pathologist, leads our NCI-funded Human Tissue Repository and Tissue Analysis Shared Resource.
Pathology faculty lead and support clinical care and clinical research in the UNM Cancer Center, the New Mexico Tumor Registry, the UNM Clinical Translational Science Center, and the NM HPV Prevention Center.
TriCore Reference Laboratories, a unique non-profit clinical reference laboratory for clinical practice, is co-sponsored by the UNM Health Sciences Center and Presbyterian Healthcare.
The Department operates the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, directed by Dr. Heather Jarrell, that provides death investigation, professional counseling, infectious disease surveillance, and assistance to law enforcement agencies state-wide. OMI faculty and other UNM pathologists uncovered Sin Nombre Virus as the cause of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome and worked with the Department of Medicine colleagues to develop the first effective treatment. The OMI is a national leader in the utilization of non-invasive radiologic approaches to autopsy.
UNM Department faculty and the private group, Pathology Associates of Albuquerque, are the largest pathology groups in New Mexico and collaborate closely to provide pathology services to the citizens of New Mexico, TriCore Reference Laboratories, and its clients.

Education

Pathology residents have access to 16 different rotations during their 4 years of training.
Clinical fellowships are offered in the fields of Cytopathology, Surgical Pathology, Hematopathology, Molecular Genetic Pathology, Transfusion Medicine, and Forensic Pathology.
Pathology faculty lead multiple medical school and graduate school core courses and provide research rotations and labs for dissertation research for many of these students.
The Medical Laboratory Science Program offers both BS and MS degrees for future medical laboratory scientists and managers.
Pathology faculty work in teams with colleagues from other departments and disciplines across campus to integrate training in disease-focused cell and molecular biology with complementary training in the physical and computational sciences.

Research

Pathology faculty pursue a wide range of basic, clinical, translational, and population research.

The UNM Department of Pathology has historically ranked highly for NIH research funding among pathology departments nationally.
Pathology faculty lead multiple NIH- and NCI-funded national centers, including the New Mexico HOPES-PROSPR Research Center, the New Mexico Interdisciplinary HPV Prevention Center, the New Mexico Center for Molecular Discovery, and the UNM Human Tissue Repository and Tissue Analysis Shared Resource. Individual faculty are PIs of a number R01 and other NIH-funded research projects.
Pathology faculty developed and share core research services including facilities for flow cytometry, fluorescence and electron microscopy, genomic analyses, and human and animal research.
The Pathology research community is remarkably diverse, including faculty with rigorous training in clinical medicine, cell and molecular biology, immunology, physical chemistry, biophysics, chemical engineering, and mathematics.
Integration among our clinicians, biologists, and physical and computational scientists flows from our common focus on understanding, preventing, and treating human disease.
Pathology research programs benefit greatly from being on a comprehensive university campus with access to colleagues and students in the Schools of Engineering and Law and the Colleges of Pharmacy and Arts and Sciences.
Pathology research benefits additionally from research resources and expertise provided through our adjunct faculty at the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute and at both the Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories.

Clinical Services

As the only academic department of Pathology in New Mexico, the faculty’s subspecialties cover a broad range of fields in pathology including areas that are unique to New Mexico.

Clinical faculty are leaders in their sub-specialties. The well-known text “Bone Marrow Pathology” is the work of UNM pathologist Dr. Kathy Foucar and her colleagues.
Dr. Devon Chabot-Richards directs nationally renowned consultation services for hematopathology and molecular genetic pathology.
Dr. Joseph Griggs lead a highly regarded multi-hospital-based transfusion medicine clinical and teaching program and conducts clinical trials research.
Dr. Joshua Hanson oversees our anatomic pathology division which supports the UNM Hospital system and a regional consultation service.
Dr. Edgar Fischer, a surgical pathologist, leads our NCI-funded Human Tissue Repository and Tissue Analysis Shared Resource.
Pathology faculty lead and support clinical care and clinical research in the UNM Cancer Center, the New Mexico Tumor Registry, the UNM Clinical Translational Science Center, and the NM HPV Prevention Center.
TriCore Reference Laboratories, a unique non-profit clinical reference laboratory for clinical practice, is co-sponsored by the UNM Health Sciences Center and Presbyterian Healthcare.
The Department operates the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, directed by Dr. Heather Jarrell, that provides death investigation, professional counseling, infectious disease surveillance, and assistance to law enforcement agencies state-wide. OMI faculty and other UNM pathologists uncovered Sin Nombre Virus as the cause of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome and worked with the Department of Medicine colleagues to develop the first effective treatment. The OMI is a national leader in the utilization of non-invasive radiologic approaches to autopsy.
UNM Department faculty and the private group, Pathology Associates of Albuquerque, are the largest pathology groups in New Mexico and collaborate closely to provide pathology services to the citizens of New Mexico, TriCore Reference Laboratories, and its clients.

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