The National Medical Association (NMA), founded in 1895, is the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing African American physicians and health professionals in the United States.
The Pathology Section was founded after Dr. Vivian Pinn, 88th President of the National Medical Association, proposed the need for scientific presentations and continuing medical education in the field of Pathology. With a focus on anatomic and laboratory medicine, NMA members who were practicing Pathologists would have an opportunity to share knowledge of other specialties and concentrate on advancements in their fields. The inaugural Pathology Section meeting in 1990 featured a number of Pathologists with focuses on molecular medicine and anatomic pathology. Soon after the section's inception, Dr. Billy Ballard was elected Section Chair and continued to invite speakers from all sub-specialties of Pathology to facilitate life-long learning and ensure best medical practices.
Dr. Ballard chaired the section for over 25 years and extended speaking opportunities to residents, fellows, and attendings alike. Joint sessions between General Surgery and Women's Health were established to further encourage the exchange of advanced medical knowledge. Dr. Kristinza Giese and Dr. Ekene Okoye were elected Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, in 2019 and the continued vision of excellence in Black Pathology continues to grow. Dr. Nicole Williams was elected Chair in 2021 and Dr. Ogechukwu Eze was elected Vice Chair.
In recent years, speakers representing sub-specialties including breast pathology, OBGYN pathology, cytopathology, dermatopathology, and forensic medicine have contributed to the educational program. The vision of the Pathology section has developed to encourage a vast array of topics in anatomic and clinical pathology with a goal to provide mentorship and continued quality medical education.
The Pathology Section was founded after Dr. Vivian Pinn, 88th President of the National Medical Association, proposed the need for scientific presentations and continuing medical education in the field of Pathology. With a focus on anatomic and laboratory medicine, NMA members who were practicing Pathologists would have an opportunity to share knowledge of other specialties and concentrate on advancements in their fields. The inaugural Pathology Section meeting in 1990 featured a number of Pathologists with focuses on molecular medicine and anatomic pathology. Soon after the section's inception, Dr. Billy Ballard was elected Section Chair and continued to invite speakers from all sub-specialties of Pathology to facilitate life-long learning and ensure best medical practices.
Dr. Ballard chaired the section for over 25 years and extended speaking opportunities to residents, fellows, and attendings alike. Joint sessions between General Surgery and Women's Health were established to further encourage the exchange of advanced medical knowledge. Dr. Kristinza Giese and Dr. Ekene Okoye were elected Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, in 2019 and the continued vision of excellence in Black Pathology continues to grow. Dr. Nicole Williams was elected Chair in 2021 and Dr. Ogechukwu Eze was elected Vice Chair.
In recent years, speakers representing sub-specialties including breast pathology, OBGYN pathology, cytopathology, dermatopathology, and forensic medicine have contributed to the educational program. The vision of the Pathology section has developed to encourage a vast array of topics in anatomic and clinical pathology with a goal to provide mentorship and continued quality medical education.
Dr. Ballard’s BackgroundDr. Ballard was the former Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Medical School Admissions, at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and a DDS and MD from Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee. His postdoctoral studies include residency training in pathology at George W. Hubbard Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee; State University of New York at Buffalo; and, Roswell Park Memorial Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York. He completed a Fellowship in Surgical and Cytopathology at Roswell Park Memorial Cancer Institute and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi. He has received fellowships from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society, New York Division.
Doctor Ballard is a Diplomat of the American Board of Oral Pathology and a Diplomat of the American Board of Pathology. His honors include Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honor Dental Society, Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, Fellow of the College of American Pathologists, and the American Academy of Oral Pathology. |
Meet our officers
Nicole C. Williams, MDsection chairDr. Nicole Williams is a board certified pathologist in anatomic and clinical pathology with a third certification in cytopathology. She began her training at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia and also earned a MBA in Business Administration at the Drexel University LeBow College of Business in 2003. Dr. Williams completed her residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Temple University hospital followed by fellowships in oncologic surgical pathology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in 2009 and cytopathology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia in 2010. She joined the faculty at Penn State Hershey Medical Center in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in 2010 with focused subspecialty practice in cytopathology, head and neck and breast surgical pathology. Dr. Williams is a clinician-educator and serves as interim Vice Chair of pathology education, director of the surgical pathology fellowship program as well as director of the medical student pathology elective rotation at Penn State University College of Medicine. Dr. Williams has served on several national committees focused on pathology education and cytopathology.
|
ogechukwu P. Eze, MD, mhssection vice chairDr. Ogechukwu Eze is a pathologist in private practice at ProPath in Dallas, Texas. Prior to that she was an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. She completed medical school at Yale School of Medicine, and her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at NYU Langone Medical Center, followed by a Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She joined the faculty at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in January 2020. Dr. Eze is a seasoned expert in diagnosis of gastrointestinal and liver diseases, and has an interest in digital pathology adoption for clinical use as well as the utility of artificial intelligence and machine learning in surgical pathology. Born and raised in Nigeria, she migrated to the United States for a college education and is a strong advocate for educating and mentoring Black and other underrepresented minorities in medicine.
|
Monthly Email Newsletters
July 2023 E-Newsletter
June 2023 E-Newsletter
June 2022 E-Newsletter
May 2022 E-Newsletter
March 2022 E-Newsletter
December 2021 E-Newsletter
Email pathology@nmanet.org directly or use the contact form to be added to the email list.
June 2023 E-Newsletter
June 2022 E-Newsletter
May 2022 E-Newsletter
March 2022 E-Newsletter
December 2021 E-Newsletter
Email pathology@nmanet.org directly or use the contact form to be added to the email list.