Duane Retzlaff UNMC Department of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology

Pathology laboratories make great catches in two unusual cases

Pathologists, who are often referred to as the doctor’s doctor, play a critical role in diagnosing patients. That point was driven home by two challenging cases that came to UNMC in the last year. Last December, a patient came to Nebraska Medicine with a fever and other symptoms that didn’t yield a clear answer. Clinicians […]

Dec 10, 2025

Safina Hafeez, MD, an assistant professor in UNMC's Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, said a puzzling case turned out to be histoplasma&period; "It would have been very easy to miss," she said&period;

education, laboratory leadership service program, NPHL, public health

NPHL hosting fellow in CDC’s laboratory leadership service program

A fellow in the CDC’s Laboratory Leadership Service program said she has learned and grown a great deal during her time with the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory at UNMC. Dr. Casey Field, who entered the LLS fellowship program in 2024 as a member of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, is over halfway through […]

Dec 10, 2025

Casey Field, PhD, is over halfway through the CDC's two-year Laboratory Leadership Service program at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory&period;

education, Immunology Pathology and Infectious Disease Graduate Program, research

Graduate student honored for presentation at national conference

Claire Garman, a second-year PhD student in the Immunology, Pathology and Infectious Disease (IPID) Graduate Program in Dr. Sujata Chaudhari’s lab, won first place in the oral presentation competition at the Entomological Society of America’s (ESA) annual conference last month in Portland, Oregon. Garman presented research on the critical role of chitin biosynthesis in maintaining […]

Dec 10, 2025

Claire Garman, right, with Dr&period; Sujata Chaudhari&period; Garman is a second-year IPID graduate student in Dr&period; Chaudhari's lab&period;

education, residency program

Spotlight on: Kim Martin

Kim Martin is GME senior program coordinator, residency, for UNMC’s Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. But Jesse Cox, MD, PhD, A(ACHI), an associate professor and director of the residency program for anatomic and clinical pathology, said coordinator doesn’t nearly begin to describe her impact. “I have worked with Kim Martin for over 10 years, […]

Dec 10, 2025

Kim Martin, GME senior program coordinator, residency, for UNMC's Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Inside UNMC, UNMC Community

New faculty spotlight: Ashley Hein, MD

Dr. Hein is an assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology.

Oct 23, 2025

Center for Staphylococcal Research, research, S. aureus

Spotlight on: Luke Handke

Luke Handke has spent most of his working life in a laboratory, but he’s often teaching. Usually not in front of a classroom, but more often one-on-one, helping budding scientists and colleagues. “I enjoy seeing people around me be successful, and if I can play some role in helping them to become successful in what […]

Oct 8, 2025

Luke Handke, PhD, senior scientist in the Center for Staphylococcal Research

cold cases, forensic investigative genetic genealogy, homicide investigation, Human DNA Identification Laboratory, Omaha Police Department

Human DNA Identification Lab hosts genetic genealogists to work on cold cases

The Human DNA Identification Laboratory in UNMC’s Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology hosted nearly two dozen professional investigative genetic genealogists from around the country to work on a number of unsolved Omaha homicides.

Oct 8, 2025