We are excited to welcome three new faculty members as assistant professors in the Department of Pathology.
Diana Morlote, M.D., is a former UAB Pathology fellow in Hematopathology and Molecular Genetic Pathology who joins the faculty as assistant professor, Genomics Diagnostics & Bioinformatics.
Eason Hildreth, Ph.D., joins the UAB Pathology faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, coming to us from the Medical College of South Carolina.
One new faculty member joins the Division of Anatomic Pathology as assistant professor. Chirag Patel, M.D. was a UAB Pathology fellow before accepting a position as faculty.
The Division of Genomic Diagnostics and Bioinformatics welcomes a new faculty member, Diana Morlote, M.D., on July 1, as assistant professor.
Morlote recently completed a a hematopathology fellowship in the Department of Pathology, after having completed a Molecular Genetic Pathology Fellowship, also at UAB.
Before moving to Birmingham, Morlote completed residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology in the Department of Pathology at Mount Sinai Medical Center (MSMC) until 2017. She received her Bachelor of Science in biology from Florida International University (FIU) and her Doctorate in Medicine from the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at FIU.
Morlote has received many awards over the years including a travel grant awarded by the Association of Clinical Scientists in 2018 and the Howard Kane Resident of the Year in 2014-2015 at MSMC.
She is board certified in Molecular Genetic Pathology and will become board-certified in hematopathology in 2019. Her research interests include the molecular characterization of hematologic neoplasms and its diagnostic and prognostic implications, and flow cytometry immunophenotyping of hematologic malignancies and detection of minimal residual disease after leukemia treatment.
Eason Hildreth began his career in veterinary medicine by obtaining his DVM from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Hildreth then completed a small-animal rotating medicine and surgery internship with the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, before moving on to a small-animal surgical residency at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. During his residency, he completed a concurrent master of science degree evaluating the use of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) as an in vitro bone-forming agent.
After his surgical residency, Hildreth stayed at Ohio State to complete a Ph.D. that focused on evaluating the roles of PTHrP in skeletal development and the use of PTHrP as a bone-forming agent in vivo, supported by funding from an NIH-NIAMS F-32 grant and the Ohio State’s C. Glenn Barber Fund for Protein Research. During his Ph.D. studies, Hildreth developed an intense interest in the advanced imaging of bone using microCT, particularly in response to bone-forming therapies or genetic modification. This resulted in collaborations where he performed microCT analysis for multiple bone biology and cancer research laboratories.
Upon completing his Ph.D. Hildreth became an associate faculty member in the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine as an Instructor of Small Animal Surgical Practice. In this role, he taught bone biology, general surgery, and orthopedics within the veterinary curriculum. Starting in May 2015, he joined the laboratory of Michael Ostrowski, Ph.D., in the Comprehensive Cancer Center as a Post-Doctoral Fellow. He continued to teach within the veterinary curriculum. Hildreth’s research focus was the investigation of the role of macrophages and osteoclasts in breast cancer bone metastasis, and transcription factors and microRNAs regulating osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation and function.
In 2017, Hildreth joined Ostrowski at the Medical University of South Carolina, continuing his post-doctoral training in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Hollings Cancer Center.
He received an NIH K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award in 2018, and was promoted to Research Assistant Professor. In 2019 he received the John Haddad Young Investigator Award from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
In his new position at UAB, Hildreth plans to continue to focus on macrophage and osteoclast-specific targeting for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer bone metastasis and primary bone malignancies. His research uses animal models of human disease and cancer, advanced in vivo imaging, nanoparticle drug delivery, ChIP Seq, and other molecular techniques.
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife Emily and their American Cocker Spaniel, Raleigh. They are looking forward to exploring all of the trails and parks in and around Birmingham. He is an avid soccer fan, and more specifically, Liverpool FC.
On July 1, Chirag Patel, M.D., joins the Department as an assistant professor, Anatomic Pathology. Patel recently completed a GI/Hepatic Pathology Fellowship at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Patel spent time at UAB completing a Surgical Pathology Fellowship, from July 2017 to June 2018. He won the Outstanding Research Presentation at the Department’s Pathology Trainee Research Day in 2018.
Patel’s research focus is on hepatic neoplasms, inflammatory bowel disease and incorporating digital aspects into the Department of Pathology to assist in medical student and resident education.
Patel is board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology and graduated from the School of Medicine at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, where he was recognized with the Outstanding Resident Award in 2015.
Patel is a member of the College of American Pathologists, the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, the American Society of Clinical Pathology, the Rodger C. Haggitt Gastrointestinal Pathology Society, and the American Society of Investigative Pathology, among others.
Patel has several published manuscripts and abstracts, with publication pending on several others.
Please join us in welcoming these new faculty to our Department!