Michael Laposata
The Power List 2015
Michael Laposata
Michael is the current chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. His clinical focus is on blood coagulation, with a particular expertise in the diagnosis of bleeding disorders and hypercoagulable states. Between this and his research into fatty acid metabolism, he has authored over 170 publications and continues to lead research grants. In order to improve the diagnosis of disordered coagulation, Michael developed an innovative method of systematically interpreting clinical laboratory data. This method, which requires a physician with specific expertise to interpret the data and write a patient-specific narrative paragraph, is intended to allow clinicians to better synthesize and understand the results of complex diagnostic testing and has also led to Michael’s recognition in 2005 by the Institute of Quality in Laboratory Medicine of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A dedicated advocate for pathology education, Michael’s goal is “to create better pathologists” – a task he accomplishes not only through his own mentoring of research students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom are now leaders in their own fields, but also by establishing and maintaining programs like the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)’s Resident Review Course. For his contributions, he has received many teaching awards, including an Award for Outstanding Contributions in Education from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry in 2009 and the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s H.P. Smith Award for Distinguished Pathology Educator in 2012.
