History

History

Aura James (AJ) Miller, MD was the first chair to honor the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine with his leadership. He holds a special place in UofL history as UofL Health - UofL Hospital's first blood bank was opened under his guidance on February 1, 1939. The blood center was regarded as one of the best in the United States by the Red Cross National Blood Program. In April of 1938, Dr. Miller formed a pathological museum at the University of Louisville Medical School to show diseased specimens from patients all over the country to students and physicians alike. He received an outstanding service plaque that hangs in the John Walker Moore lounge in the University of Louisville School of Medicine. 

William Christopherson, MD was a pioneer in his contributions to the field of gynecologic pathology, especially cervical cytopathology, which brought him worldwide recognition to him personally and to the University of Louisville Pathology Department. He served as an Army Medical Officer with duties as a surgeon in the United States and Germany. After his return to the U.S., he received training in Pathology and was then appointed to the medical school faculty at the University of Louisville. Dr. Chris (as he was affectionately known) was named Chairman in 1956. He became known worldwide for his identification and classification of the alveolar soft part sarcoma, which is known in Europe as the Christopherson tumor. Many young people were financially supported through his generosity and he was awarded many honors, including the establishment of the William Christopherson Society. 

George Randolph Schrodt, Sr. MD was a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1954. Following a fellowship in electron microscopy at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York, he returned to University of Louisville School of Medicine  where he became the first William M. Christopherson Endowed Chair of Pathology. He received many awards for his teaching, research and publications, including membership in the medical honor societies, Alpha Omega Alpha and Phi Kappa Phi. He was inducted into the St. Xavier High School Alumni Hall of Honors. Upon his retirement, he was awarded the "Greatest Diagnostic Pathologist and Teacher in the Universe Award". 

Bogdan Nedelkoff, MD, served as Director of Pathology for 52 years as well as acting chair from 1984 to 1992. Dr. Nedelkoff was born in Bulgaria and studied law before moving to Germany to enroll into the University of Wurzburg Medical School. He completed his doctoral dissertation in 1948 and began working at the U.S. Army Hospital in Schweinfurt, Germany. He then immigrated to the United States in 1951 aboard the U.S.S. General A.W. Greely ship, which participated in the rescue at sea of the S.S. Flying Enterprise during that journey. Dr. Nedelkoff moved to Louisville in 1956 to work in the Pathology Department of General Hospital (now UofL Health - UofL Hospital). He continued his studies in physics and mathematics while practicing medicine full time. He also served as co-founder of the Clinical Diagnostic Laboratories in Louisville. 

Joseph C. Parker, Jr. MD, attended the Virginia Military Institute where his passion for knowledge was fostered and he was encouraged to pursue medicine. As a result, he enrolled into the Medical College of Virginia.  Dr. Parker tested the waters of several specialties before finding his love for pathology at the University of Michigan. He began his pathology career at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine/Mayo Clinic. Dr. Parker studied there during the time of great neuropathologist, Dr. Haruo Okazaki and Dr. Malcom Dockerty. Dr. Parker served as Assistant Professor at Duke University Medical Center, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Associate Professor and Director of Neuropathology at University of Kentucky. He later took a position as Professor of Pathology at University of Miami and then Associate Dean and Chief Medical Officer at University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He was also appointed Professor & Chairman at University of Missouri. Ultimately, Dr. Parker was selected as Chair of Pathology at University of Louisville in 1992. Additionally, Dr. Parker served as Residency Program Director and Autopsy Service Director. Dr. Parker retired in 2001. 

Ronald J. Elin, MD, PhD served as Chair of Pathology from 2002 until 2015, however he is a current faculty member who has been with University of Louisville for over 27 years. He received his medical degree in 1966 and then a PhD with a major in biochemistry and a minor in pathology in 1969. During that time, Dr. Elin completed residency training in anatomic pathology. After a straight medicine internship at the University of California Hospital at San Diego, Dr. Elin went to the National Institutes of Health. He spent three years in the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease as a research associate and completed a clinical pathology residency. In 1975, Dr. Elin became the Chief of the Clinical Pathology Department and in 1977, the Chief of the Clinical Chemistry Service within that department. Dr. Elin moved to the Department of Pathology at University of Louisville in 1997.

Eyas M. Hattab, MD, MBA is the Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the A.J. Miller Endowed Chair in Pathology at the University of Louisville. Until recently, he served as the Vice Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Professor of Neurological Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine where he was also the Director of the Pathology Residency Program and the Immunohistochemistry Laboratory. Dr. Hattab obtained his medical education from Jordan University of Science and Technology before embarking on a residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Florida Health Science Center in Jacksonville, FL where he also served as Chief Resident. He then completed Neuropathology Fellowship training at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA followed by an Oncological Surgical Pathology Fellowship at the Ackerman Laboratory of Surgical Pathology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Hattab holds a Business of Medicine Master of Business Administration degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Who we serve

We are honored to provide essential diagnoses that directly impact treatment decisions and health outcomes. We also collaborate with physicians and healthcare providers to offer diagnostic insights and guide patient care. We engage with educational institutions to train and mentor medical students, residents and fellows. In addition to educating and training, we also serve patients from 24 counties in the state of Kentucky as well as international,  indigent and indigenous patients in need of care. We support hospitals and clinics by delivering timely and accurate lab results. We assist public health agencies with disease monitoring, outbreak investigations and health education. Additionally, pathologists contribute to research that leads to advancements in medical science and public health.