JULY 2025
WELCOME TO OUR NEW TRAINEES
& FACULTY
As we begin the new academic year, I would like to provide a warm welcome to our new Residents, Fellows, and Faculty. Additionally, I would like to highlight the Farewell Ceremony awards and recipients.
NEW TRAINEES
Please join me in welcoming our new PGY1 Residents, Post Junior Fellows, ACGME Fellows, and Non-ACGME Fellows!
Dr. Christian Hirt will be joining the Division of Anatomic Pathology as an Assistant Clinical Professor, starting September 1, 2025.
Dr. Hirt earned his medical degree from the University of Berne, Switzerland, and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Basel, Switzerland. He completed his Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), followed by a Hematopathology fellowship at Stanford University. We are excited to welcome Dr. Hirt in the section of Hematopathology.
Dr. Farres Obeidin will be joining the Division of Anatomic Pathology as an Assistant Clinical Professor, starting July 1, 2025.
Dr. Obeidin received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Residency training at McGaw Medical Center at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.
He subsequently completed a Surgical Pathology and Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology fellowship at UCLA. Since completing his fellowship, Dr. Obeidin has been an Assistant Professor of Pathology at Northwestern University. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Obeidin back to UCLA in his new role as Section Chief of Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology.
We are pleased to announce that Dr. New Nwe Soe will be joining the Division of Immunogenetics in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as a Health Sciences Clinical Assistant Professor beginning July 1, 2025.
Dr. Soe earned her Medical Degree (MBBS) from the University of Medicine 2 in Myanmar in 2002. She subsequently pursued doctoral training in Japan, earning her Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Physiology and Medicine from Hiroshima University in 2009, where she trained in the Department of Cardiovascular Physiology and Medicine from April 2005 to March 2009.
Her postdoctoral training included work in Dr. Bradford Berk’s lab at the University of Rochester in 2013, where she studied molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. In 2016, she continued her postdoctoral research at UCLA in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Elaine Reed. There, she conducted significant research on endothelial cell activation, specifically investigating how HLA Class I molecules interact with the cytoplasmic tail of Integrin β4 to influence cell migration and proliferation through the Src-Akt-ERK-S6RP signaling pathway. Her findings have advanced our understanding of vascular injury in transplant rejection.
Dr. Soe completed a two-year Immunogenetics Fellowship at the UCLA Immunogenetics Center in 2018 and is board-certified by the American Board of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. After completing her fellowship, she joined the Advent Health Tissue Typing Laboratory in Orlando, Florida, where she has served since 2021 as Director, Clinical Consultant, and Technical Supervisor, overseeing high-complexity testing operations. Her clinical and research interests continue to focus on the molecular mechanisms of antibody-mediated vascular cell activation and the role of growth factors in transplant rejection. Her work exemplifies a strong commitment to translational research aimed at improving outcomes in transplant immunology.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Soe to the UCLA Immunogenetics Center and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
Dr. Ting Zhang will be joining the UCLA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine faculty as a Clinical Instructor, starting July 1, 2025.
Dr. Zhang earned her medical degree and her Master’s in Neurology from Shanghai Jiaotong University. She completed her PhD, Anatomic Pathology Residency, and Neuropathology Fellowship at UCLA.
Dr. Zhang will continue her development as a physician-scientist through the UCLA STAR program postdoctoral track, with interest in neurodegeneration. She has also received a postdoctoral fellowship appointment (NIH T32) with the UCLA Intercampus Medical Genetics Research Training Program and is one of the recipients of the prestigious Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Fellowship in Precision Genomic Medicine.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Ting Zhang in her new role in the section of Neuropathology.
Please join me in honoring our Farewell Ceremony award recipients and graduating Trainees! A special thank you to our Education team members, Heidi and Victoria, and event volunteers (Dean, Denise, Maya, Rachel R., and Anastasia) for creating such a memorable event!
After an exceptionally successful career with over 31 years in the UCLA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dr. Scott Nelson has announced his retirement. Dr. Nelson has served in many roles in the Department over the years, including as our Bone & Soft Tissue Service Chief. We recently had the opportunity to give him a "Bone" Voyage and honored him at our graduation, in style, with a roast. We extend our sincere appreciation to him for his many contributions to our Department and wish him the very best in his retirement.
As we start anew, I look forward to our department focusing our continued excellence and advancement in clinical care, education, and research.
Conferences, Training, & Technology
American Society for Microbiology – Microbe Conference – Los Angeles, CA
The American Society for Microbiology – Microbe Conference took place from June 19-23 at the LA Convention Center. Dr. Cullen Lilley (PGY-3) attended.
Dr. Lilley and Dr. Rodney Rohde (Chair for the Medical Laboratory Science Program in the College of Health Professions at Texas State University) were invited to present on the profession of Microbiology. During their presentation "Microbial Journeys: Navigating Career Pathways from Lab Bench to Leadership", they discussed different career options for those in Microbiology. Dr. Lilley focused on Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as well as medical lab science and Dr. Rohde focused on leadership as a chair in academia.
Below (L to R): Dr. Rodney Rohde, Dr. Rebecca Yee (Chief of Microbiology, George Washington University Hospital), and Dr. Cullen Lilley
Pathology for Surgeons – UCLA Pre-Med Summer Scholars Program
Thank you to everyone who helped make the first week of our Pathology for Surgeons – UCLA Pre-Med Summer Scholars Program a success! With the help of Histology and the CASIT 3D-specimen teams, we introduced ~130 high school students to the world of cancer through the lens of pathology - many for the very first time.
The students grossed simulated melanoma excisions, learned the ABCDEs of mole evaluation, and explored cancer recurrence and metastasis. Their enthusiasm has been inspiring with several sharing that they had never considered pathology as a career until now.
Thank you to UCLA medical students Eleanor and Jakob for co-teaching the sessions and Brianna who helped launch our Pathology for Surgeons - Youth Edition. A special thank you to Dr. Kene Ojukwu for creating this project and bringing it to fruition. Her dedication to medical education is illustrated by her continued work in community engagement and getting students excited about careers in Pathology!
We’re excited to kick off Week Two (July 7–10), which will include even more interactive experiences and the addition of more eager medical student volunteers. We hope to recruit more pathology colleagues (faculty, trainees and staff) to join us in introducing our field to the next generation. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Ojukwu.
Pictured below: Dr. Kene Ojukwu with students at the Pathology for Surgeons event.
Pathologists Awarded the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Fellowship
I’m delighted to announce that Drs. Jenn Chia and Ting Zhang are the two recipients of this year’s Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Fellowship in Precision Genomic Medicine.
This year’s applicant pool was exceptionally competitive, with many outstanding and high-merit submissions. The Ginsberg Fellowship Selection Committee felt Jenn and Ting’s applications stood out as particularly innovative and highly promising, reflecting a strong foundation for a future career in academic genomic medicine. Only two fellowships were awarded this year, and I’m absolutely delighted that both awardees are pathologists!!
Both Jenn (AP – Hemepath) and Ting (AP – Neuropath) completed research track residency training at UCLA, and these awards help showcase the impact of our Department’s investments in clinical-scientist training.
I’d like to thank Dr. Dinesh Rao, Associate Residency Program Director for the research track, Dr. Peter Tontonoz, Vice Chair of Research, Dr. Jonathan Said, Section Chief of Hemepath and Vice Chair for Clinical Research and Dr. Fausto Rodriguez, Section Chief of Neuropathology, for their incredible support and mentorship of Jenn and Ting specifically and for their broader commitment to clinician scientist training generally. Jenn and Ting have also benefitted from wonderful research mentors outside of Pathology, Dr. Alex Hoffmann (Jenn) and Dr. Dan Geschwind (Ting). Dr. David Dawson, Co-Director of the UCLA MSTP training program, also spends a tremendous amount of time and effort supporting and developing the next generation of clinician scientists across DGSOM. We are very fortunate at UCLA to have such a collegial environment for research, where faculty are eager to train, support and mentor trainees interested in careers as clinician-scientists.
Jenn completed her research track residency in AP and Hematopathology and currently is a Clinical Instructor in our department. Ting is a research track resident who is completing her training in AP/NP this June and will continue at UCLA as a Clinical Instructor as well as a STAR and T32 fellow.
The third annual Ginsburg Fellows will be publicly recognized at the Ginsburg Symposium on January 23, 2026.
I am pleased to announce that Crystal and Millie, both from our Santa Monica Hospital Clinical Laboratories, have been recognized for their outstanding contributions over the past year. Crystal received the 2025 Leadership Excellence Award and Millie was honored with the 2025 Collaborator Award. The Santa Monica Board of Advisors presented their awards at the 15th Annual UCLA Santa Monica Board of Advisors Employee Recognition Awards Ceremony on June 18, 2025. Congratulations Crystal and Millie!
Pictured (L to R): Crystal and Millie
This was a case of an 84-year-old man who had presented to the emergency department with concern for a COPD exacerbation. He was admitted and passed shortly afterward. The autopsy demonstrated necrotic volvulus with a Meckel diverticulum as a lead point, which was the ultimate cause of death.
Pathology Art Collective
Our Pathology Art Collective showcases the creativity of the members of our Department. We are now accepting submissions to be displayed and featured here, which may include paintings, drawings, photography, poems, etc. If your creativity involves home improvement projects, cooking, gardening, sewing, theater, musical performance etc., please feel free to submit photos. Please send your submissions to Rachel Parks (reparks@mednet.ucla.edu).
Clinical Seminar Series - Topic: Pediatric Pathology
Jessica Davis, MD
Centennial Professor
Vice Chair, Anatomic Pathology
Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
"What's in a Name: Current Understandings of Infantile Fibrosarcoma & Kinase Driven Spindle Cell Neoplasms"
