Histopathology and Tissue Shared Resource

Faculty and Staff

Faculty

Brent Harris, MD, PhD, Co-Director of DC Operations

Dr. Harris is a tenured physician-scientist and neuropathologist who joined the GUMC faculty as an Assoc Professor of Neurology and Pathology and Director of Neuropathology in 2010. He was among the first MD/PhD students to graduate in the newly formed MD/PhD Program at Georgetown University in 1995. Following Georgetown, he headed West to do his residency and fellowship in anatomic pathology/neuropathology at Stanford University and stayed to do a post-doctoral fellowship in neurobiology where we studied glial-neuronal interactions in disease and synaptogenesis.  Dr. Harris took his first faculty position at Dartmouth Medical School where he helped establish and direct the ALS Center of DHMC. He was recruited to GUMC to fill a growing need in translational neurosciences at the Medical Center.  Dr. Harris has clinical appointments at MGUH, GWUH, and Howard Univ Hospital and serves as consultant for the Dept of Justice, DC Medical Examiner’s Office, and U Miami Brain Bank.  He serves on the editorial boards for several scientific journals and is currently the Chair of the Neuropathology Section for the College of American Pathologists.  Dr. Harris is an active educator and serves as Module Director and Course Director for Medical and Graduate School courses.  He is also the Director of the Georgetown Brain Bank.  He serves as Senator for the faculty Senate, Chair for the University’s Research Integrity Comm, and co-Chair for the Biospecimen Review Comm. Dr. Harris’ research interests include fluorescence guided resection of CNS tumors, neurodegeneration, and cellular senescence.  His laboratory has funding from NIH, Foundations, and philanthropic sources, and he is an active collaborator with investigators here at GUMC and other institutions.

Kar Fai Chow, MD, Co-Director of NJ Operations

Dr. Kar Fai Chow is a hematopathologist at John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC) and director of transfusion medicine at Hackensack University Medical Center. He is a graduate of Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his combined anatomic and clinical pathology residency and hematopathology fellowship at NYPH-Columbia University, and a separate transfusion medicine fellowship at New York Blood Center. Dr. Chow currently serves as the co-director of the Histopathology and Tissue Shared Resource (HTSR) in NJ. Dr. Chow is also an assistant professor of pathology at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and participates in medical school and residency teaching.

Key Staff

Anju Duttargi, MDS, MS, Co-Director of DC Operations

Anju is a trained oral pathologist and has contributed in clinical research with several publications to her credit. In 2014, she graduated from the master’s program in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Georgetown University. Anju has over 8+ years of experience in preparing human translational research biospecimens, analyzing clinical outcomes data and preparing translational research materials to support the goals of personalized medicine for cancer diagnosis and treatment. She will currently provide high level oversight and support for the overall operations and daily function of the Histopathology and Tissue Shared Resource (HTSR). She became an Instructor in the Department of Oncology at GU in 2020.

Ya’el Kramer, MS, Director of NJ Biorepository Operations

Ya’el is a researcher and published author in reputable scientific journals with 16 years of experience in research and clinical embryology, coupled with a specialty and expertise in biobanking. Following her master’s degree from City University of New York in 2007, Ya’el spent 11 years at the New York University Langone Fertility Center making significant contributions to the field of fertility and biobanking. In 2018 Ya’el joined Hackensack Meridian Health and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Histopathology and Tissue Shared Resource. Ya’el’s strong foundation in the principles of providing a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies involved in research and a profound understanding of biobanking methodologies and best practices bring a unique resource to support consortium research . Ya’el’s experience in designing and managing biobanks has been instrumental in preserving valuable biological specimens for research. Her commitment to maintaining strict ethical standards in biobanking ensures the integrity and reliability of human specimens and their use for groundbreaking research.

Benefits and Opportunities of Working Within the Shared Resources

In addition to the many benefits offered to all Georgetown University employees, there are a number of benefits specific to staff of the Shared Resources. Shared Resource directors will work with staff to develop a plan for continuing education and training. Opportunities offered will depend on the workload of the shared resource and the availability of resources but the Shared Resource director will make every effort to ensure that staff receive the education and training needed to move their career along.