OU College of Medicine Student Earns Pathology Honor

University of Oklahoma College of Medicine student Michael Lee is one of eight medical students nationwide to be named a Society of ’67 Thomas D. Kinney Scholar, a program of the Association for Academic Pathology (AAPath).

Lee, a third-year medical student, said the Kinney Scholar program will enable him to deepen his understanding of the critical role of pathology in health care delivery, research and education. He will attend the 2025 AAPath annual meeting in Colorado, where he will gain insight from national leaders in academic pathology.

“It’s a great honor to be selected,” Lee said. “This is a valuable and unique opportunity to attend the AAPath annual meeting and explore academic pathology, the challenges facing the field, and what my role might be in the future. It will be a great learning experience to connect with others in the field.”

Lee is the president of the OU College of Medicine Pathology Interest Group. He has long been interested in the role of pathology in medicine, both for its grounding in basic science and its essential function in patient care.

“During my preclinical education, I realized that pathology is a specialty that is deeply connected to the mechanisms of disease,” he said. “Now, during my clinical training, I see pathology in every part of the hospital. Pathology provides objective information and is a pivotal and guiding force in the kind of treatment a patient receives and their outcomes.”

Lee plans to eventually practice pathology in academia, where he can pursue two of his passions, research and education. He is particularly drawn to dermatopathology, a field that focuses on the diagnosis of skin diseases, and hematopathology, which centers on diseases affecting the blood.

“But I’m definitely keeping an open mind,” he said. “There are pathology specialties for pretty much every organ system, so there are a lot to choose from.”

The Society of ’67 Thomas D. Kinney Scholars Program was named in 2021 to honor Dr. Thomas D. Kinney, one of the founders of AAPath and a leader in pathology education and training.