Whether it’s in the classroom, lab or hospital, pathologists’ assistant and professor Kristine McCluskey, MHS ’02, is a recognized leader in teaching.
A professor of pathology and immunology at Baylor College of Medicine, McCluskey founded the professional organization Pathassist of Texas and created the 2017 All-City Anatomic Pathology Symposium in Houston. She also helped the American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants develop stronger professional development programs.
In 2016, she received Baylor’s Fulbright & Jaworski LLP Faculty Excellence Award for her work in teaching and evaluation.
“My passion is to strengthen both pathology residency and pathologists’ assistant programs,” McCluskey said. “We need to focus on training people to be the best they can be.”
As a clinical preceptor, McCluskey has trained and evaluated students from many colleges and universities, including Quinnipiac, where she once taught as a clinical adjunct professor. She said Quinnipiac students are among the most capable and confident in the country.
“With their self-direction and pathology knowledge, Quinnipiac students are more comprehensively prepared to begin their second year of clinical training,” McCluskey said.
McCluskey still remembers her time as a Quinnipiac pathologists’ assistant student and how her classmates and preceptors, many of whom were Quinnipiac alumni, motivated her to take control of her learning during both her didactic and clinical training.