I am a Pathologist/Dermatopathologist with special interest in melanoma. I joined MDACC in 1999 in both Departments of Pathology and Dermatology. I was the Fellowship Director of the Dermatopathology Program between 2001 and 2012 and Fellowship Director of the Surgical Pathology Program between 2015 and 2020. I was the section chief of the dermatopathology section between 1999 and 2016. I became the Chair of the Department of Anatomical Pathology in 2015.
I have been the Co-Director of the melanoma tissue bank at MDACC for the last 18 years. During this time, I have participated in multiple melanoma projects, both within the institution and within the umbrella of the NCI and SPORE groups. I have examined the pattern of expression of iNOS, retinoid receptors, galectin-3, tyrosin kinases, and related molecules in primary and metastatic melanoma. I have studied the morphologic predictors of melanoma behavior and analyzed the newer targeted and immunotherapies. I have participated in the drawing of the 8 th edition of the AJCC classification of cutaneous melanoma. I am also a contributor to the Blue Book of the WHO on cutaneous neoplasms.
