The Department of Pathology is excited to welcome incoming chair Donna Hansel, M.D., Ph.D., as of April 1, 2019. Dr. Hansel comes to OHSU from University of California San Diego School of Medicine where she is a professor of pathology and chief of the division of anatomic pathology.

“It is an exciting time for the discipline of pathology. We are embarking on new areas of clinical testing, telepathology, molecular pathology, diagnostics and integrated research. Through partnerships with other departments, the VA and OHSU institutes, we have an incredible opportunity to build on the important research, teaching and clinical work of the OHSU Department of Pathology, and to train the next generation of pathologists. I am honored to be joining OHSU and the School of Medicine,” said Dr. Hansel.

Dr. Hansel joined the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, as chief of anatomic pathology in 2013. Prior to that, she served as an associate professor in the Department of Anatomic Pathology at the Cleveland Clinic, where she developed a strong research program in bladder cancer cell invasion. Dr. Hansel is certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology.

Dr. Hansel’s laboratory research focuses on identifying high-yield, targetable pathways in advanced bladder cancer, with a strong emphasis on mTOR signaling and novel downstream targets that are involved in cell motility and invasion. Overall, she has presented her research nationally and internationally, and her work has appeared in more than 130 peer-reviewed publications.

In addition, Dr. Hansel has subspecialty clinical expertise in urologic pathology, including bladder, prostate, kidney and testicular cancer. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on these topics. She serves on several pathology and urology editorial boards and is the Deputy Executive Editor of Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. Dr. Hansel has been a contributor to the Cancer Genome Atlas project for bladder cancer, the World Health Organization “blue book” on urologic cancer, and the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual on urinary tract and kidney cancer. She has been active in the education mission since her academic career began. Dr. Hansel has given multiple resident and medical student lectures each year since she joined UC San Diego and has implemented a research training series for residents in her department.

Dr. Hansel received her undergraduate degree in biology from the Johns Hopkins University and received her M.D./Ph.D. degree (MSTP program) from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2001. Following a grant-funded postdoctoral project at Erasmus University in the Netherlands, she returned to Johns Hopkins and completed her residency and fellowship training there in 2006.

“Dr. Hansel brings impressive credentials and significant interdisciplinary experience to this position,” said Dean Sharon Anderson. “She is a strong leader who will guide the department’s future. Thank you to the search committee, led by Dr. David Wilson, for conducting such a successful national search and to Dr. Grafe for her stewardship of the department as interim chair.”

Dr. Grafe has served as interim chair of pathology since February 2017. She will step down as chair and continue as a member of the pathology faculty. Dr. Grafe has been a member of the faculty since 2003 and has a joint appointment in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine.