As of July 1, the ASIP welcomed six newly elected members for the 2025–2026 Council term. Congratulations to Drs. David Williams, Jr., John Hanna, Charleen Chu, Traci Parry, Ronen Sumagin, and Xiao-Ming Yin.
David Williams, Jr., MD, PhD
Dr. David Williams, Jr., Professor and Director of Hematopathology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was elected as Vice President. He received both an MD and a PhD in biophysics from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA). Previously, Dr. Williams served on Council as Chair of the Program Committee and Interim Secretary-Treasurer, and is currently co-leader of the Gene Expression Scientific Interest Group. The Williams lab is focused on the study of protein macromolecular complexes involved in epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Currently, they study the methylcytosine binding domain 2 (MBD2) protein which, recruits the Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase (NuRD) complex to methylated DNA and silences expression of the associated gene.
John Hanna, MD, PhD
Dr. John Hanna, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA) and Associate Pathologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA), was elected as Secretary-Treasurer. He received both an MD and PhD in cell and developmental biology from Harvard University (Cambridge, MA). Dr. Hanna’s lab studies the basic mechanisms of protein degradation, particularly the degradation of misfolded proteins. One focus of the lab uses structural (cryo-EM) and biochemical methods to study the proteasome, the large multisubunit protease responsible for most intracellular protein degradation. A second focus uses genetics, cell biology, and proteomics to understand the cellular stress responses that identify and eliminate misfolded proteins.
Charleen Chu, MD, PhD
Dr. Charleen Chu, Professor of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Pittsburgh, PA), was elected as Councilor At-Large. She holds the endowed A. Julio Martinez Chair in Neuropathology. Dr. Chu is Director of Ophthalmic Pathology and the founding Co-Director of the Pathologist Investigator Residency-Research Training Program. She received both an MD and a PhD in pathology-biochemistry from Duke University (Durham, NC). Dr. Chu's current research elucidates how gene products implicated in familial neurodegenerative diseases act to regulate neuronal proteostasis, mitochondrial biology, and dendritic remodeling. She employs primary neurons, patient-derived iPSC-models and knockout mice to study the impact on neuronal health and synaptic function.
Traci Parry, PhD
Dr. Traci Parry, Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Greensboro, NC), was elected as Early-in-Career At-Large Councilor. She received a PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO). Dr. Parry is co-leader of ASIP Women in Pathology. Dr. Parry’s research aims to understand 1) the underlying physiological and metabolic mechanisms of muscle wasting in chronic disease (cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc.), 2) how physical activity prior to (“pre-habilitation”) and during (rehabilitation) chronic disease supports traditional treatment (pharmacological, etc.), and 3) how these exercise interventions alter physiological, psychological, and metabolic biomarkers as well as functional clinical outcomes to reduce fatigue and improve quality of life.
Ronen Sumagin, PhD
Dr. Ronen Sumagin, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), was elected as Program Committee Chair-Elect. Dr. Sumagin received a PhD in biomedical engineering from the University of Rochester (Rochester, NY). His research program focuses on elucidating key molecules and mechanisms that regulate leukocyte trafficking across endothelial/epithelial barriers in inflamed intestinal mucosa. Dr. Sumagin is also interested in understanding the contribution of innate immune cells to intestinal homeostasis, injury resolution, resistance to therapies in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to colon tumorigenesis.
Xiao-Ming Yin, MD, PhD
Dr. Xiao-Ming Yin, the Dr. Donald R. Pulitzer and Donna G. Pulitzer Professor and Chair in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine (New Orleans, LA), was elected as Publications Committee Chair-Elect. He received an MD from the Shanghai Medical School at Fudan University (Shanghai, China) and a PhD in Immunology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, TX). Previously, Dr. Yin served on Council as Interim At-Large Councilor. Dr. Yin’s lab focuses on the mechanism and role of cell 5death and cell survival in liver injury. Recent work examines how autophagy —an evolutionarily conserved biological process of cellular degradation—maintains the homeostasis of the hepatocyte and how it protects against fatty liver disease (alcoholic and non-alcoholic).
