Michelle Afkhami, M.D.

800-826-4673
Michelle Afkhami MD
Pathologist
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Clinical Expertise
Hematopathology
Molecular Genomic Pathology
Research Area
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Acute myeloid leukemia
Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Myeloproliferative Neoplasm
Minimal Residual Disease in Hematologic Malignancies
Head and Neck, Thyroid, and Oral Cavity Cancers
Appointments
Medical Director, Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratories
Chief, Division of Molecular Pathology & Therapy Biomarkers
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Pathology
Clinical Teams
Brain Tumors
Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory
Cytogenetics Laboratory
Head and Neck Cancers
Leukemia
Lymphoma
Pathology
Skin Cancer and Melanoma
Research Teams
Leukemia Research
Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Michelle Afkhami, M.D., is an anatomic and clinical pathologist with subspecialties in hematopathology and molecular genomic pathology. She currently serves as interim chief of the Division of Molecular Pathology and Therapy Biomarkers and oversees the Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, and cytogenetics and immunohistochemistry laboratories. In addition, she is chair of the multidisciplinary Genomic Tumor Board and a member of the Oversight Precision Medicine Committee at City of Hope.
 
She received her medical degree in Iran and went on to complete two years of residency in general surgery at the University of Southern California and Huntington Memorial Hospital. Changing career paths, she completed a second residency in anatomic and clinical pathology, followed by a fellowship in hematopathology at USC and a second fellowship in molecular genomic pathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Over the last 20 years, she has collaborated with many molecular research and clinical laboratories at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, USC, UCLA, UPMC and City of Hope. She believes that discovering and understanding the molecular pathways involved in malignancies will lead to accurate diagnosis, individualized risk assessment and more effective personalized therapies.
 
As a physician and clinical scientist, her main interests lie in the dissection of the molecular mechanisms leading to the pathogenic events driving cancer transformation in solid tumors and hematopoietic malignancies. She supervises clinical, developmental and regulatory activities of the Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory and cytogenetics laboratories and, for last five years, has developed and designed multiple complex molecular panels for solid tumors, hematologic cancers and germline predisposition testing. She also served as a member of multiple disease teams, including melanoma, head and neck, thyroid, neuro-oncology, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, neuroendocrine, precision medicine, and phase I therapeutics at City of Hope. As a principal investigator of multiple studies including acute myeloid leukemia, Ph-like lymphoblastic leukemia, thyroid and oral cavity cancers, her work has been presented at many national and international meetings. 
Location
Education & Experience
Board Certifications

  • 2013, American Board of Hematopathology

  • 2012, American Board of Pathology (Anatomic Pathology)

  • 2012, American Board of Pathology (Clinical Pathology)

Degrees

  • 2004, Fatemieh University of Medical Sciences, Iran, M.D.

Fellowship

  • 2013-2014, Clinical Instructor/Fellow, Molecular & Genomic Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA

  • 2012-2013, Fellow, Hematopathology, University of Southern California/LAC+USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Residency

  • 2008-2012, Resident, Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, University of Southern California/Los Angeles County+USC VAGLAHS Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

  • 2007-2008, Resident, General Surgery, Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, CA

  • 2006-2007, Resident, General Surgery, University of Southern California/LAC+USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Professional Experience

  • 2020-present, Interim Chief, Division of Molecular Pathology and Therapy Biomarkers, Department of Pathology, City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 2016-present, Medical Director, Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Pathology, City of Hope Duarte, CA

  • 2014-2016, Associate Medical Director, Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Pathology, City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 2014-present, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Pathology, City of Hope, Duarte, CA

Awards & Memberships
Awards

  • 2011, Third prize winner, Los Angeles Society of Pathologists, Annual Resident/Fellow Symposium

  • 2008, Third prize winner, Annual Resident Research Competition, Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, CA

Memberships

  • Association of Molecular Pathology

  • American Society of Hematology

  • Association for Pathology Informatics

  • Los Angeles Society of Pathologists

  • College of American Pathologists

  • American Society for Clinical Pathology