We are pleased to announce the ongoing appointment of Elizabeth Pavlisko, MD, as Medical Director of the Division of Anatomic Pathology and Digital Analytics (DAPDA) within DUHS Clinical Laboratories. Pavlisko has served as medical director for multiple laboratories prior to the formation of DAPDA and took on the role of associate director and then medical director for DAPDA in March 2024.
In the Fall of 2019, DAPDA was formed comprising the following laboratories: Image Cytometry, Histology, Immunopathology, and Pathology Record Control (PRC). As she continues her role as medical director, Pavlisko will report to Vice Chair of Anatomic Pathology (AP) and Informatics Raj C. Dash, MD. She will work with the other directors of Duke’s AP laboratories and the AP operations director to ensure high-quality services and the safety of our patients across all DAPDA Laboratories. She will develop strategies for growth and a vision for our AP labs to ensure that they meet the ever-increasing and complex needs of Duke’s practicing anatomic pathologists and the patients they serve.
“Dr. Elizabeth Pavlisko has significantly advanced AP operations over the past year. We look forward to her continued leadership as Duke Health embarks on new adventures to grow the enterprise and expand the reach of our healthcare services to a growing number of Duke patients”, said Dash.
Pavlisko holds an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Clemson University and received her Doctor of Medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina. She completed her residency and trained as a pulmonary/thoracic pathology fellow at Duke University Medical Center under the mentorship of Victor Roggli, MD, and Thomas Sporn, MD. Pavlisko is board certified in both Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.
She has expertise in neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases of the lung and mediastinum with a special interest in lung transplantation and diseases of the pleura for which she is widely recognized as an authority. She currently serves as chief of the Pulmonary/Thoracic Pathology Section.
Pavlisko’s clinical activities encompass pulmonary/thoracic and cardiovascular pathology, including transplantation, and biomarker testing and autopsy pathology. Her primary research focus has centered on malignant mesothelioma and chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD).
She is a prolific author with much of her recent research centered on occupational diseases of the lungs and pleura. Since 2017, Pavlisko has co-chaired the lung steering committee for the Banff Foundation for Allograft Pathology. She is also an active member of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. At Duke, she collaborates with the Departments of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine and Cardiothoracic Surgery.
We are very grateful to have her expertise and support in helping guide our Anatomic Pathology laboratories into the future. Please join us in sharing that gratitude for her accomplishments to date and for her ongoing service on behalf of our faculty and our patients.