Program

Scientific Program (subject to change)
146th Meeting of the Association of Clinical Scientists, Providence, RI
Meeting Theme: Advances in Women’s and Infant’s Health
Thursday and Saturday sessions are in the Providence Hotel
Friday’s session is in the Alpert Medical School Building, Brown University

Wednesday, May 14
2:30 – 5:00	Registration, Providence Hotel main lobby
3:00 – 6:00	Executive Committee meeting, Board Meeting room, Providence Hotel
Thursday, May 15	All sessions at the Providence Hotel, conference room
7:00	Continental Breakfast, Providence Hotel main lobby
7:30	Registration open
Session A1	Clinical Advances in Women’s and Infant’s Health
8:00	Welcome remarks: Shuko Harada, MD, ACS President, and Nina Tatevian, MD, PhD, Program Chair
8:15-9:15 [1]	Abraham J. Gitlitz Memorial Lecture. The unborn patient: fetal surgery at Brown - past, present and future. Francois I. Luks, MD, PhD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
9:15-9:45 [2]	De-escalating breast cancer surgery 2025. Jennifer Gass, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
9:45-10:15 [3]	Precision genomics and artificial intelligence in cancer diagnostics and treatments. Liang Cheng, MD, MS, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
10:15-10:45	Refreshments
Session A2	Clinical Advances in Women’s and Infant’s Health
10:45-11:15 [4]	Anti-angiogenic therapy in the treatment of gynecologic cancers: agent-specific toxicity, response, and resistance.  Cara Mathews, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
11:15-11:45 [5]	Reducing morbidity from postpartum hypertension. Methodius Tuuli, MD, MPH, MBA, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
11:45-12.15 [6]	Integrating salivary diagnostics into perinatal care. Jill L. Maron MD, MPH, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
Session B	Luncheon with scientific presentation
12:30-1:30 [7]	Prescription or poison? How clinical laboratory scientists can alert clinicians about potential toxicity of herbal medicines and clinically significant drug-herb interactions. Amitava Dasgupta, PhD, University of Kansas Medical School, Kansas City, KS
Session C	Laboratory Advances in Women’s and Infant’s Health
1:40-2:00 [8]	Serum marker testing to predict preeclampsia. Geralyn Messerlian, PhD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
2:00 -2:20 [9]	cfDNA screening and other prenatal genetic tests. Melissa Russo, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
2:20-2:40 [10]	Pathology findings and radiologic correlation for managing borderline/high-risk breast lesions. Kamaljeet Singh, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
2:40-3:00 [11]	Modelling host pathogen interactions in the reproductive mucosa using human cervical organoids. Stephanie Barak, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
3:00-3:20 [12]	Combined total copper and labile bound copper fraction as a selective and sensitive tool in the evaluation of Wilson disease. Joshua Bornhorst, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
3:20-3:50	Refreshments
Session D	Advances in Pediatric Health
3:50-4:10 [13]	Congenital cystic lung lesions: A paradigm for progress in understanding pediatric disease. Sara Vargas, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard University, Boston, MA
4:10-4.30 [14]	Extended vascular spectrum with RAS mutations – surprises for congenital/neonatal vascular tumors. Sara Szabo, MD, PhD, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.
4:30-4:50 [15]	Role of ultrastructure in diagnosis of pediatric disorders: a brief review. John Hicks, MD, PhD, DDS, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX
4:50-5:10 [16]	Challenges and advances in cystinosis. Ewa Elenberg, MD., MEd, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX
5:10	Adjourn
6:00	Welcome reception (open to all participants and accompanying persons), Providence Hotel
7:30	Young Fellows Event open to all participants age ≤ 45, and accompanying persons). Hosted by Jessica Claus, MD, Chair Young Fellows Section, and Shuko Harada, MD, PhD, ACS President
Friday, May 16	Brown University Medical school
Session E	Therapeutic approaches to the pathogens of global significance
8:00-8:50 [17]	Novel antimalarial drug development. Jonathan Kurtis, MD, PhD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
8:50-9:15 [18]	Praziquantel for the treatment of schistosomiasis for children under age four years: a Phase II PK/PD driven dose finding trial. Jennifer Friedman, MD, PhD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
9:15-9:50 [19]	Malaria vaccines: past, present, and future. Christian P. Nixon, MD, PhD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
9:50-10:50	Poster viewing and refreshments Please see the list of posters on the attached page
10:50-11:10 [20]	Emerging resistance to front line artemisinin and partner drugs - a looming public health crisis in Africa. Jeffrey Bailey, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
11:10-11:30 [21]	Essential diagnostic access gap in relation to neglected tropical diseases: the conundrum of global healthcare delivery. Mustafa Barbhuiya, PhD, UMass Chan Medical School- Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA
11:30	Adjourn
11:30 5:00 6:00	Load bus for afternoon cultural tour: Newport (ticket required) Load bus for return to hotels Bus arrives hotel
11:30	Adjourn
7:00	Annual Awards Reception
7:30	Annual Awards Banquet and Presentations (S. Harada, MD, Toastmaster) Awards: Myra Wilkerson, MD, Awards Chair Banquet address: Physicians and medical illustrators: history and practice of a symbiotic relationship. Francois I. Luks, MD, PhD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
Saturday, May 17	All sessions at the Providence Hotel, conference room
7:00 7:30	Continental Breakfast, Providence Hotel main lobby Registration open
Session F	Artificial Intelligence
8:00-8:15 [22]	Leveraging retrospective patient data to define the minimum retesting interval. Benjamin Andress, PhD, DABCC, Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA
8:15-8:30 [23]	Artificial intelligence (AI) models for automated interpretation of serum immunofixation electrophoresis. Hunter A. Miller, PhD, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
8:30-8:45 [24]	Bridging the gap: large language models in laboratory medicine – applications and implications. Min Yu, MD, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
8:45-9:00 [25]	A role for artificial intelligence tools in precision medical education. Joyce Ou, MD, PhD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
9:00-9.15 [26]	Major challenge and future of laboratory medicine. Dariusz R. Stachurski, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
9:15-9.30 [27]	Artificial intelligence in tubular gastrointestinal biopsies: enhancing diagnosis and future pathology workflows. Fazilet Yilmaz, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
9:30-10:00	Refreshments
Session G	Toxicology
10:00-10:15 [28]	Protein damage responses to toxicants with different electrophilic properties. Anatoly Zhitkovich, PhD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
10:15-10:30 [29]	Comprehensive drug testing by high-resolution mass spectrometry: bridging clinical care and public health. Adina Badea, PhD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
10:30-10:45 [30]	Evaluation of a screening assay for high-intensity drug trafficking area designer benzodiazepines. Rita WangJie Hayes, MD, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
10:45-11:00 [31]	Multinucleated testicular germ cells as a dose-additive quantitative marker of phthalate toxicity. Daniel J. Spade, PhD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
11:00-11:15 [32]	Blood vs. urine toxicology LC-QTOF-MS testing: an analysis of unintentional, non-fatal overdose. Sonja Kapadia, MD/ScM Candidate, Class of 2026, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
11:15-11.30	Refreshments
Session H	Molecular pathology
11:30-11:45 [33]	Effectiveness of different molecular testing for thyroid cancer. Shuko Harada, MD, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
11:45-12:00 [34]	Evaluating the impact of NGS gene panels on biomarker-guided oncology clinical trials. Darshan S Chandrashekar, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
12:00-12:15 [35]	The clinical value of highly targeted NGS in malignant solid neoplasms. Kanako Okamoto, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
12:15-1:45	ACS Business meeting with lunch Note: all attendees are invited to attend, although only members of the Association may vote
Session I	Surgical and Clinical Pathology Beyond Regular Sign-out
1:45-2:00 [36]	A retrospective multi-site examination of chronic kidney disease utilizing laboratory data to identify clinical and financial risk. Myra L. Wilkerson, MD, Geisinger Health, Danville, PA
2:00-2:15 [37]	Key insights in the multiple facets of the acute myeloid leukemia microenvironment. Diana Treaba, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
2:15-2:30 [38]	Pediatric lymphomas with uncommon presentation. Dragos Luca, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
2:30-2:45 [39]	Gross and histologic placental abnormalities associated with neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Charlotte F. Kim, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
2:45-3:00 [40]	Military decision making for multidisciplinary medical teams. Robert Barno, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
3:00-3:15 [41]	Utility of combined cytokeratin 17, p53 dual stain and cytokeratin 13 along with histomorphology in the diagnosis of differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia. Bushra K. Altarawneh, MD, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
3:15-3:30 [42]	Myoepithelial tumor of soft tissue with EWSR1::KLF17 fusion: unique entity. David M. Berger, MD, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
3:30-3:45	Refreshments
Session J	Advances in clinical and experimental pathology
3:45-4:00 [43]	Emerging technologies for biomarker discovery. Jonathan Hoyne, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fl, Rochester, MN
4:00-4:15 [44]	Investigation of the clinical utility of human pancreatic polypeptide measurements using LC-MS/MS. Anthony Maus, Erica M. Fatica, Robert Taylor, Bethany J. Larson, Alicia Algeciras-Schimnich, Ravinder J. Singh, and Stefan K. Grebe
4:15-4:30 [45]	Comparison of boronate affinity chromatography and capillary electrophoresis in measurement of HbA1c. Liyun Cao, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
4:30-4:45 [46]	Pressure sensor validation of novel compression suture technique to treat postpartum hemorrhage. Christopher Tan, Nikka Stolyarova, Izzy Herman, Neha Muvvala, Varu Vummidi, Wendy Pham, Christine King, University of California, Irvine
4:45-5:00 [47]	The role of mesenchymal stem cells and macrophages in diabetic wound healing. Bing Yu, MD, Kent State University, Kent, OH
5:00-5:15 [48]	Validation of pericardial fluid analysis for standardization and efficiency. Shaimaa Maher, Imir G. Metushi, and Lu Song, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
5:15-5:30 [49]	Management of lipemic samples and impact on POC laboratory results. Annalara Fischer, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY
Friday, May 16	Poster Session, Brown University Medical School Building
9:45-10:45	SOX2, OCT3/4, P21 and GATA-3 immunohistochemical panel combined with histomorphology in gestational trophoblastic disease diagnosis. Bushra K. Altarawneh, Zhenwei Zhang, James Sung, and Nina Tatevian, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI Common variable immunodeficiency initially presenting as granulomatous interstitial nephritis. John Hicks, Karen Eldin, Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX and Salem Hospital, Massachusetts General Brigham, Salem MA. Goblet cell metaplasia in endometrial polyps: Report of two cases Stephanie Barak, M. Ruhul Quddus. Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI Tubulosquamous polyp of vagina. Case series of a rare benign vaginal lesion with focus on etiopathogenesis. Bushra Al-Tarawneh, Sadeq Islam, M. Ruhul Quddus, Kamaljeet Singh. Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI Donor-Derived SF3B1-mutated myelodysplastic neoplasm/syndrome. Anindita Ghosh, Jie Xu, Gautam Borthakur, Amanda Olson, L. Jeffrey Medeiros, Sanam Loghavi, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX Myoepithelial tumor of soft tissue with EWSR1::KLF17 fusion: a rare entity. David M. Berger, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX Perinatal pulmonary hypoplasia and congenital cerebral cavernous malformation with bilateral corticospinal tract degeneration- a unique previously undescribed association. Bushra K. Altarawneh, Nina Tatevian, and Suzanne DeLaMonte, Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA Endometriosis-like features in the placental membranes of the term placenta without associated diagnosis of endometriosis: a previously undescribed scenario. Mohamed Omer, Stefan Kostadinov, Nina Tatevian, Brown University Health, and Women and Infant Hospital, Providence, RI Subcutaneous mass as a rare clinical presentation of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Escherichia coli ST58: a case report. Miguel Carabaño, Eunji Jang, Swapna Charla, Gerald Nau, Sara Geffert, Ece Uzun, Tao Hong. Brown University, Providence, RI Acantholytic extramammary Paget’s disease of the vulva - a rare subtype and its clinical mimics. Jessica Claus, Padmini Manrai, M. Ruhul Quddus, Shivali Marketkar. The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI Nonclassical histomorphology of juxtaglomerular cell tumor (reninoma), a case report and literature review. Bushra K. Altarawneh, NinaTatevian, and Mark Luquette. The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, and University of Minnesota Medical Center, MN Malignant glomus tumor of the liver with CARMN-NOTCH2 fusion: a rare case report and review of the literature. Dalia Eltoum, Behiye Goksel, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama CAR-T cell therapy on the development of MDS/AML in multiple myeloma patients. Anindita Ghosh, MD, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
7:30	Musicale and Art Show, with hors d'oeuvres

Awards to be Presented at the Annual Awards Banquet

Young Clinical Scientist Award

HUNTER MILLER, PH.D.

Dr. Hunter Miller spent his youth in rural Tennessee and became interested in science during middle school, with a “knack” for biology and physiology.

Dr. Miller attended Murray State University in Western Kentucky, earning a major in chemistry. His favorite courses were calculus, numerical analysis, biochemistry, and analytical chemistry.

In the spring of 2016, Hunter was accepted into the Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Louisville in the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department. He joined Dr. Hermann Frieboes’ laboratory and became involved in research projects related to mathematical modeling of cancer to evaluate the efficacy of nanotherapeutics.

The experience as a graduate research assistant and a postdoctoral fellow while working in this interdisciplinary bioengineering laboratory allowed Hunter to develop skills in computer programming, data analysis, cell culture, confocal microscopy, and mass spectometrybased metabolomics.

“In 2022, I learned about clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine as a postdoctoral fellow. I became interested in the field due to the data it generates and the vast potential for multivariable predictive modeling for improving patient care,” says Dr. Miller.

“As a first-year clinical chemistry fellow,” continued Dr. Miller, “I found the 2024 Association of Clinical Scientists meeting in Jacksonville, Florida an excellent opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals. I’m looking forward to the 2025 meeting!”

Dr. Miller has long-term research interests that involve developing and validating novel multiplex assays and building machine-learning approaches for clinical laboratory applications and biomarker discovery workflows. In particular, his interest is advancing the state of omics technology, such as mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance, towards clinical applications in cancer diagnostics and enhancing the clinical interpretability of machine-learning models in laboratory medicine.

F.W. Sunderman, Jr. Diploma of Honor

PETER C. HU, PH.D., DABCC, FACSc

Dr. Peter Hu has been a valuable member of ACS. He served as member of the Awards Committee (2011-2017), Credentials Committee (2011-2013), Nominating Committee (2014-2017), Chair of the Membership Committee (2014-2015), member of the Executive Committee (2014- 2018), President (2015-2016), Past President’s Council (2018-Present), and was the Program Committee Chair for the 2018 annual meeting in Houston, TX.

Dr. Hu is currently the Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives in the School of Health Professions (SHP) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. He is also a Distinguished Teaching Professor with tenure and is the founding Director of the Molecular Genetic Technology and the Graduate Diagnostic Genetics Programs at MD Anderson. His research interests include cancer cytogenetics, tumor markers, and molecular diagnostics.

Dr. Hu holds three specialty clinical certifications in Molecular Biology, Cytogenetics, and Clinical Laboratory Science through the American Society for Clinical Pathology. He joined MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) in 1995 and has worked in both clinical and academic environments. Dr. Hu has published a combined total of more than 300 abstracts, manuscripts, and book chapters. For his efforts, he has received 40 recognitions and awards and he is a member of The University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine Academy of Health Science Education.

Professionally, he has served as President, Board of Directors, and other key leadership positions for various professional societies including Association of Clinical Scientists, National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Association for Genetic Technologists, and American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. In addition, he has served as a clinical laboratory science programs inspector for the past 20 years and has inspected clinical laboratory science programs throughout the country and abroad. He is internationally recognized for his consulting work in Cuba, China, Qatar, and his recent efforts in Africa through MD Anderson’s Global Academic Programs. Dr. Hu regularly presents at state, national, and international conferences on topics ranging from clinical laboratory sciences to education.

Clinical Scientist of the Year

PHILIP R. FOULIS, M.D., M.P.H., FACSc

Dr. Philip “Phil” Foulis is an anatomic and clinical pathologist with subspecialty certification in hematopathology and clinical informatics. He is a professor in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Morsani College of Medicine with appointments in the Department of Internal Medicine and College of Public Health. He received his MD degree from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario Canada, and a residency at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He later received a master’s in public health in Epidemiology from the College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.

Dr. Foulis’ practice is at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Florida with an academic affiliation with the University of South Florida. Currently, a portion of his duties are as a member of the national deployment of a new electronic health record for the Veterans’ Health Administration in conjunction with the Department of Defense. His clinical duties include cytopathology, hematopathology, and medical informatics. He also teaches medical students, residents, fellows, and undergraduate students. His research activities include residents, fellows, and graduate students with an emphasis on big data in the evaluation of clinical care.

Dr. Foulis’ major academic and administrative interest has focused on informatics throughout his career. Currently, he is concentrating on human factors engineering, diagnostic error, and big data. He has published more than 290 presentations and publications. His research area of specialization emphasizes performance improvement in the clinical laboratory, large extant databases, text mining; knowledge discovery and natural language processing, human factors engineering, and lean principles. He is a member of local, regional, and national committees, intending to empower clinicians and patients to provide more effective, timely, and safe care. The goal of many of these endeavors emphasizes quality utilizing informatics. He is also active in the laboratory accreditation program of the College of American Pathologists.

Gold-Headed Cane Award

NINA TATEVIAN, M.D., PH.D., FACSc

Dr. Nina Tatevian is honored to be the recipient of the Association of Clinical Scientists (ACS) Gold Headed Cane Award in 2025. Dr. Tatevian has a long history with the ACS, starting in 1997 when she, as a pathology resident at Brown University, first presented a paper at the Annual Meeting and shortly thereafter became a member of ACS.

Over the years she presented numerous papers on pediatric and perinatal pathology topics at annual ACS meetings. She served ACS as Vice President in 2005, President in 2006, chaired the Membership Committee in 2005-2007, was a member of the of the Scientific Council from 2003 to 2012, and has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2008.

However, the most significant contribution Dr. Tatevian made to the ACS was her relentless work as the Editor-in-Chief of the Association’s journal, the Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science. She started in 2011 and continued until June 2024, when she became the Senior Associate Editor, passing the “torch” to the younger generation. Dr. Tatevian was awarded by ACS in 2012 with the “Diploma of Honor” and honored in 2016 with title “Clinical Scientist of the Year.”

During her career she has worked as an Assistant Professor in the Pathology Department of Texas Children’s Hospital (Baylor College of Medicine), then Associate Professor, and later Professor in the Pathology Department of the University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston.

Nina is now Professor of Pathology in the Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University. She is a very wellrespected clinician in the medical community. In addition to her very busy clinical practice, she mentors medical students, college students, residents, and fellows, earning numerous Teaching Excellence Awards. Many of her trainees graduated with prestigious fellowships and are now authorities in different pathology fields; Dr. Tatevian takes pride in their success! Last, but not least, Dr. Tatevian is an active member of the Society for Pediatric Pathology, having served on multiple committees for many years, as well as on the Board of Directors for three years. Over the years she actively participated in multiple research projects, was a coinvestigator in numerous grants, published over 50 papers, and presented over 100 abstracts at national and international meetings.