MHS Pathologists’ Assistant

Irving Casamalhuapa, MS ’22, a second-year pathologists’ assistant student, has taken a leading role at his clinical rotation at the UCLA Health Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

“I have learned how to handle a multitude of unique and interesting cases that not many institutions receive,” he said. “UCLA has also allowed me to be involved in the training of the pathology residents. In addition, I’ve been asked to be involved in opportunities to further represent the pathologists’ assistant field in conferences, such as USCAP and MEDPEP, which is the introduction of medicine to underrepresented minorities.”

He said he felt very grateful to have this experience.

“This facility receives an innumerable amount of rare cancer cases and has some of the best Pathologist on site,” Casamalhuapa said. “I have had the privilege to see these complicated cases firsthand and have gotten the opportunity to work with these individuals personally. Receiving feedback for my work has been extremely valuable to my growth as a PA as well. I feel that having the knowledge and skills I have attained here has set me up for a bright career as a pathologists’ assistant.”

Casamalhuapa hopes to continue to learn and improve in his field. He eventually would like to become the manager or director of anatomical pathology at an academic institution in the future. He hopes to focus on pathologists’ assistant student training in the future.

“This experience has shown me what it’s like to work in a high-volume academic center, how to process a variety of uncommon specimens and how to develop leadership skills and be an educator for this very exciting field,” Casamalhuapa said.

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.

The Pathologists’ Assistant program hosted its 4th annual in April of 2022 to celebrate the completion of the academic portion of its first-year students’ graduate education. During the ceremony, a white coat is placed on each student and often the Hippocratic Oath is recited, signifying their entrance into the medical profession.

Program alumni are working in almost every state, and it's one of only 15 NAACLS accredited programs in the U.S. and Canada.