Dr. Jadee Neff Invited to Lecture on Precision Oncology Testing at ETSU

By Jamie Botta
Jadee Neff, MD, PhD
Jadee Neff, MD, PhD

On June 7th, 2024, Assistant Professor of Hematopathology and Molecular Genetic Pathology Jadee Neff, MD, PhD, gave a lecture titled “Practical Precision Oncology” to the Hematology/Oncology and Pathology Departments at East Tennessee State University (ETSU).

In her grand rounds-style talk, she discussed practical aspects of precision oncology testing, including the following topics:

  • How to decide what test to order
  • How to select the best specimen for testing
  • How to interpret test results
  • When to suspect and test for germline mutations
  • What to do about suspected clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) mutations
  • What tests to order for minimal residual disease (MRD) testing

ETSU Clinical Associate Professor of Pathology Emily R. Patterson, MD, invited Neff to give the lecture. They were co-residents at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota) and in the past, Neff has shared some of her Molecular Pathology and Hematopathology teaching slides with her.

Neff is the associate medical director of the Molecular Pathology, Genetics and Genomics Clinical Laboratory; associate director of Genomics in the BioRepository & Precision Pathology Center (BRPC); program director of the Molecular Genetic Pathology Fellowship; and a molecular pathologist and Molecular Tumor Board specialist in the National Precision Oncology Program (NPOP) within the Veterans’ Health Administration (VHA) Specialty Care Services.

As a diagnostic hematopathologist and molecular genetic pathologist, her clinical duties focus on the histologic examination of tissue and bone marrow biopsies to diagnose hematologic malignancies (leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, etc.). She also examines DNA from tumors or blood to detect inherited or acquired mutations that can guide therapeutic management and predict clinical outcomes.

Her research interests include the following:

  1. Spatial transcriptomic and proteomic profiling in human malignancies, with particular focus on the tumor microenvironment and immune milieu
  2. Genetic biomarker discovery in hematologic and solid tumor malignancies
  3. Development of workflow and algorithmic processes that maximize test utilization efficiency and quality health care
  4. Providing diagnostic clarity through exploration of challenging diagnostic dilemmas and missed diagnoses.

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