4 New Faculty in Anatomic Pathology

New Faculty in Anatomic Pathology The Division of Anatomic Pathology, directed by C. Bruce Alexander Professor, Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, M.D., Ph.D, was excited to add four new faculty members in 2019.

DEEPTI DHALL, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Pathology as Professor, Anatomic Pathology. Dr. Dhall received her medical school education at Grant Medical College in Mumbai, India, graduating in 1994. She then completed her residency training in pathology at the same institution before joining a pathology residency training program at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Jersey, in 2000. Dr. Dhall undertook fellowship training in oncologic surgical pathology and gastrointestinal pathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, initiating her interest in gastrointestinal tumors, particularly neuroendocrine tumors.

After completing her fellowship training, Dr. Dhall joined Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in 2006, where she practiced as an Attending Pathologist for more than 12 years. She was promoted to Associate Professor, Cedars professorial series, in 2014.

Dr. Dhall’s area of expertise is gastrointestinal and gynecologic pathology, with research interest in neuroendocrine, gastrointestinal and pancreato-biliary tumors.

Dr. Dhall is a member of the Rodger C. Haggitt Gastrointestinal Pathology Society (GIPS), Pancreatobiliary Pathology Society (PBPS) and North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETs). She received the “Golden Apple” teaching award, presented by the Cedars Sinai Medical Center pathology residents in 2016, and outstanding mentorship award.

PAUL BENSON, M.D., Forensic Pathologist and Medical Examiner, joined the department as Associate Professor, Anatomic Pathology.

Dr. Benson completed residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University of Virginia, and is board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. After a fellowship in Forensic Pathology at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Benson became board certified in Forensic Pathology. Benson taught autopsy and forensic pathology as Assistant Professor at The Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University before returning to Virginia as Assistant Chief Medical Examiner for the Chief Medical Examiner in Roanoke, where he practiced for six years.

In 2014, Dr. Benson was appointed Assistant Professor in Forensic Pathology and Assistant Medical Examiner for Shelby County, Tennessee, at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in Memphis. As Program Director of the UTHSC Forensic Pathology Fellowship, he reinstated the Forensic Pathology Fellowship in Memphis. Benson has performed approximately 4,000 autopsies and testified in state and federal courts more than 100 times as an expert witness in Forensic Pathology. Dr. Benson’s current interests are primarily in teaching autopsy and forensic pathology. In July, CHIRAG PATEL, M.D. joined the Division of Anatomic Pathology as Assistant Professor. He was a UAB Pathology fellow before accepting the position, and recently completed a GI/Hepatic Pathology Fellowship at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Patel completed a Surgical Pathology Fellowship at UAB in 2018, and won the Outstanding Research Presentation at the Pathology Trainee Research Day.

Dr. 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. Dr. 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. 4