Dr Robert Hasserjian is Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and a Hematopathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr Hasserjian received his MD from Harvard and trained in Anatomic Pathology and Hematopathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His research interests are in the discovery of pathologic and genetic features that impact the biology of myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms, particularly myelodysplastic syndromes, and acute myeloid leukemia. Dr Hasserjian is an author of over 250 peer-reviewed publications, reviews, and chapters. He the current President of the Society for Hematopathology. He is one of the pathology leaders of the 2022 International Consensus Classification of Myeloid Neoplasms, has served as a Senior Reviewer in the revised 4th edition WHO Classification of Myeloid Neoplasms, and was an expert panel member for the 2022 European LeukemiaNet AML Guidelines. Dr Hasserjian is strongly committed to advancing diagnosis and education in hematopathology and has lectured on the diagnosis of leukemias and other bone marrow disorders at numerous courses and international meetings across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Yasodha Natkunam, MD, PhD is the Ronald F. Dorfman MBBCh, FRCPath Endowed Professor of Hematopathology at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is an expert in the clinical diagnosis of hematolymphoid tumors and has 25-years of experience in her field. Her research focuses on establishing and refining criteria for diagnosis as well as identifying risk-group to better customize targeted therapies. She has studied B-cell and Hodgkin lymphomas, rare histiocytic disorders, and EBV-driven lymphoproliferative disorders in immunodeficiency states. Her work has furnished novel reagents, refinement of diagnostic criteria and guidelines for clinical practice, including in the World Health Organization classification. She currently serves on several editorial boards, expert panels and professional societies in her field. Through international collaborations, she works to build capacity and precision diagnostics to improve global cancer care.

Dr. Natkunam’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania, and MD and PhD (Molecular Biology degrees from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. She pursued pathology residency training and fellowships in surgical pathology, immunodiagnosis and hematopathology at Stanford University Medical center.

Outside her professional activities, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children and is an enthusiastic traveler, gardener and connoisseur of various genres of music.

• Describe the basic principles, strengths and limitations of emerging genomic technologies (optical genome mapping, whole genome sequencing, targeted and whole transcriptome sequencing) and their diagnostic applications in hematopathology.
• Recognize and interpret key genomic alterations identified by these tools and understand how they complement conventional assays within the framework of the WHO 5th Edition and International Consensus Classification systems.
• Integrate genomic data with morphologic and clinical findings, using real-world case examples, to enhance diagnostic accuracy and inform patient management.

• Overview of the “historical” and emerging subtypes of histiocytoses
• Utilize the appropriate tools (immunohistochemistry and/or molecular analysis) achieve the diagnosis of a histiocyte-rich tumour and to contribute to the best care of patients.

Professor of Pathology at the University of Versailles SQY, University Paris-Saclay, France. Head of research unit EA4340-BECCOH at the University of Versailles SQY, University Paris-Saclay. Head of the pathology laboratory of the Ambroise Paré hospital, Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris, in Boulogne, France. Head of Biobank of the Ambroise Paré hospital.

JF Emile obtained his MD of medicine in 1994, and his PhD of immunology in 1997 at the University of Paris and started his academic career as assistant professor in Necker hospital. He is Professor of pathology since 2003. Since 1993, J.F. Emile actively contributed to the French histiocytosis network. He is responsible for the French reference laboratory of Histiocytosis, where he has reviewed histology of more than 4,000 referred cases, and performed molecular analysis of most of them.

J.F. Emile contributed to 151 publications on histiocytoses. His work aims to improve knowledge and description of new types of histiocytosis, to a better understanding of these diseases through description of the molecular somatic alterations, and to the development of targeted therapies. He coordinated the classification of histiocytoses of the Histiocyte Society (2016).

• Recognize the differential diagnosis for pediatric MDS including germline disorders with baseline morphologic atypia.
• Identify morphologic and molecular features that should prompt consideration of an underlying germline predisposition in children with myeloid neoplasms.
• Recognize newly described and emerging types of pediatric MDS and myeloid neoplasia.

• Employ multi-modal techniques to accurately diagnose Burkitt lymphoma and differentiate it from High-grade/large B-cell Lymphoma with 11q Aberration.
• Explain the evolving taxonomy of “double hit” and “triple hit” B cell lymphomas involving MYC, BCL2, and BCL6 genes.
• Discuss the current criteria for the category of High-grade B-cell lymphoma, Not Otherwise Specified.

Dr. Rimsza is a physician-scientist who works as a clinical hematopathologist, teacher, laboratory medical director, and runs a translational science research laboratory. She is known worldwide for her research into genetics and biomarkers of lymphoma.

Dr. Rimsza earned her B.S. in Pharmacy with high distinction at the University of Arizona and her M.D. at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, where she also completed her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. She subsequently completed a fellowship in Hematopathology at the University of New Mexico. Faculty positions have included Assistant Professor at the University of Florida; Associate and Full Professor with Tenure at University of Arizona; Endowed Full Professor and Executive Operations Team at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Rimsza recently returned to her alma mater to become the Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and holds the Witt Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at the College of Medicine in Tucson, Arizona, USA where her training began.

Dr. Rimsza’s clinical focus is hematopathology, including blood, lymph node and tissue diagnosis of benign and malignant lymphoid and myeloid disorders. Her research focuses on immune surveillance in lymphoma; gene expression profiling and mutational analysis of lymphoid malignancies; lymphoma biomarker development and commercialization; and AIDS-related lymphomas. She has authored numerous journal articles, abstracts, book chapters and other written publications. She has been continuously funded by the National Cancer Institute, Hope Foundation, American Cancer Society, and others for 20+ years for over $25 million in total funding. She recently co-edited the Textbook of Hematopathology, 3rd edition.

Dr. Rimsza has served on numerous committees and leadership roles for professional organizations including the American Society of Hematology, International Lymphoma Study Group, Society of Hematopathology, Southwest Oncology Group, and Lymphoma Research Foundation.

• Understand the paradigm used for T cell lymphoma classification
• Highlight current challenges in T cell lymphoma classification
• Discuss current and future translational research approaches to resolve these challenges

Megan So-Young Lim, MD, PhD, is an Attending Pathologist, Director of the Lymphoma Translational Research Program, and Director of the MSK Biofluid Biobank. A renowned expert in the pathology of hematologic malignancies, Dr. Lim has co-authored hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and reported field-changing findings on the molecular characteristics of lymphomas. Dr. Lim is also a leader in using mass spectrometry–based proteomic profiling and genomic analysis to identify and understand previously undiscovered pathogenetic mechanisms in lymphomas.

Dr. Lim has served as the Vice-Chair for the Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Disease Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group and as a member of the Board of Directors for the United States and Canadian Association of Pathologists. She is a member of the Editorial Board for the 2024 World Health Organization Classification of Hematolymphoid Tumors.

Dr. Lim joined MSK in 2023 from Penn Medicine, where she was Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. She earned her MD and a PhD in molecular oncology from the University of Calgary, then completed a residency in anatomic pathology at the University of Calgary and a hematopathology fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.

• Integrate clinical, morphological, immunophenotypic, and molecular data to ensure accurate diagnosis and classification of splenic B-cell lymphomas
• Understand important changes in the classification of splenic B-cell lymphomas that have an impact on patient prognosis and therapeutic decisions.