University of Iowa Pathology

09/03/2026

“I just enjoy that every day is different and the challenges it brings- you never know what the day is going to bring and what specimens will come through the window. Overall, it’s an awesome job and just a really, really fun atmosphere to be in.”

Autumn VandenHouten is one of our Pathologists’ Assistants that take on grossing, specimen handling, description of tissue, and more, as surgical pathology cases come in. But she’s also our Surgical Pathology Education Coordinator, running our Grossing Basic Skills Workshop for first-year residents and tackling the orientation, training, and teaching that goes along with it.

Her hybrid role allows her to guide the next generation of pathologists in their grossing skills and emphasize why those skills matter for their future practices and assessing slides. Her responsibilities are tantamount to the lab and resident education curriculum, and our team is better with her on it!

08/30/2026

September is a great time to form new habits, and blood donation could be one of them. Our blood drives and University of Iowa DeGowin Blood Center sustain all blood needs for patients at University of Iowa Health Care and University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital. Plus, you'll save three lives at the same time

Schedule your donation at one of our September blood drives or at the donor center: https://uidegowinbloodcenter.org/

08/26/2026

Blood donation is an easy, comfortable process. So much so that Valinda Parsons, mother of Dr. Meredith Parsons (who is also our Blood Banking and Tranfusion Medicine Fellowship Director!), took time out of her visit for a whole blood donation.

With blood products at an all-time critical low, each donation through through University of Iowa DeGowin Blood Center sends critical support to our patients at University of Iowa Health Care and University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital.

Each donation will also count towards the Drive, running from August 26 through December 4. Donate today and record your donation at: https://bigten.org/abbott/iowa/

08/26/2026

Iowa joins all 18 Big Ten schools competing in this year’s "We Give Blood" drive — a nationwide competition between all 18 Big Ten schools to drive the most blood donations and win a $1 million grant from global healthcare company Abbott.

08/21/2026

A new study from the lab of Ashutosh Mangalam, PhD and researchers at the College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, University of Iowa and UIowa Immunology Graduate Program reveals that an inflammatory molecule linked to multiple sclerosis could change the disease by not only by acting on immune cells, but also by reshaping the bacteria living in the gut.

These findings raise the possibility that future microbiome-directed approaches could complement therapies targeting inflammatory pathways by promoting beneficial bacteria and strengthening regulatory immune responses.

Read more about the study on our website:

Mangalam lab discovers how an inflammatory signal reshapes the gut microbiome to influence neuroinflammation.

08/12/2026

Give a warm Iowa welcome to our newest faculty additions!

Drs. Aaron Amundson, Allen Choi, and Muhammad Shaheen have joined us as Clinical Assistant Professors and Kimberly Fiock, PhD, QBRS as Research Assistant Professor.

08/05/2026

B cells are a key player in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and therapeutic depletion of B cells has become an effective treatment option for people with MS. Classic MS models are B cell-independent, limiting potential discoveries of pathogenic B cell phenotypes and functions that could lead to novel treatments.

Co-first authors Mohan Kumar, BS and Experimental Pathology PhD student Connor Wilhelm, MS of a recently published review highlights and discusses the approaches research groups have taken to engage pathogenic B cell function in MS models. The Boyden lab specializes in such models and has recently developed a unique B cell-dependent, antibody-independent version that lab members are leveraging to better understand B cells’ role in CNS autoimmunity.

Read the full review in Journal of Immunology: https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkag163

07/30/2026

Are throwback Thursdays still a thing? Apparently photos from at least 20 years ago, but less than 100, are considered "vintage", so enjoy these "vintage" photos of our medical laboratory science and technology cohorts.

07/23/2026

Luis Perez, patient care technician in University of Iowa DeGowin Blood Center, is June's Helping Hands Award recipient!

During a recent procedure, Luis assisted with a visibly nervous patient and answered any questions the patient had in Spanish, which is the patient's second language. Luis made sure the patient was comfortable with snacks, drinks, and warm blankets, and explained what was going to happen in the procedure. He even stayed past his scheduled shift and didn't leave until the patient was visibly calmer and happier.

Having team members like Luis reminds us that going the extra mile can make all the difference in patient. care. We're proud to have you on our team, Luis!

07/19/2026

We couldn't let summer pass by without recognizing this year's summer research interns.

This remarkable group of students have been working hard the past several months on various projects with our research labs to gain valuable experience for their future careers- whether that be research, clinical, or genetic counseling. We're thankful they chose to spend their summer with us and are excited to see where their careers take them. Now on to fall semester!