On August 29, 2025, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) named Duke Pathologists’ Assistant Jonathan Chen, MHS, PA(ASCP) to its prestigious ASCP 2025 40 Under Forty list. The list includes 40 high-achieving pathologists, pathology residents, and medical laboratory professionals under age 40 who are being honored for professional excellence, their contributions to the profession, and their potential for future laboratory leadership. Chen’s selection was based on his accomplishments, experience, leadership skills, and dedication to innovation in the field of laboratory medicine and pathology.
He is a staff pathologists’ assistant and preceptor in surgical pathology, teaching both residents and pathologists’ assistant students. He also leads the grossing lecture series, coordinating 20 presentations to provide didactic education to the pathologists’ assistant students. These sessions help reinforce clinical skills learned in the Surgical Pathology Laboratory that can be utilized by both the residents and student cohorts.
His special interests include head and neck pathology, orthopedic (bone/soft tissue) pathology, and gross specimen photography. Starting this August, he is also the new co-course director for the biomedical photography course for the Pathologists’ Assistant Program.
“I especially enjoy mentoring pathologists’ assistant students as they prepare a pathology case study manuscript and poster presentation for the annual American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants (AAPA) Fall Conference,” said Chen.
Chen is a member of the American Society for Clinical Pathology and member of the AAPA, where he volunteers on several committees. Currently, he serves as vice chair of the Student Delegate Program subcommittee and helps plan the pathologists’ assistant student sessions at the annual AAPA Fall Conference. He also volunteers on the Grossing Guidelines Committee, where he is the section author, overseeing the bone/soft tissue section grossing protocols and is a subsection author in the pediatric section, where he is responsible for the Ewing Sarcoma grossing protocol. Lastly, he also enjoys peer reviewing manuscripts as a reviewer on the Peer Review Committee.
In July 2024, Chen received Duke’s Resident Teaching Award, which is given to a pathologists’ assistant whom residents have voted as having distinguished themselves in teaching effort and ability.
ASCP will select the top five individuals from the 40 honorees, who will each receive free registration to attend ASCP 2025 Annual Meeting from Nov. 17-20th in Atlanta, Georgia, where they will be recognized formally. Winners will be chosen through a combination of public voting and committee selection. You may cast your vote here by Sept. 12, 2025.
In 2024, Duke Pathology Assistant Professor Elena Fenu, MD, was named to the list. In 2023, two other Duke Pathology faculty members, Assistant Professor Eric D. Carlsen, MD, PhD, FASCP, and Associate Professor Giselle Y. López, MD, PhD, FASCP, were named to the list as well.