Michael Laposata, MD, PhD

Media Releases

Get to know Pathologist Dr. Michael Laposata, who serves patients in Galveston, Texas.

A highly accomplished pathologist, Dr. Laposata holds the position of Professor and Chairman in the Department of Pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Additionally, he serves as the Director of the MD PhD Program at the University. His students at Harvard acknowledged him as the “best teacher” among 15,000 peers.

With a long interest in laboratory test utilization, Dr, Laposata’s clinical expertise, for both patient care and clinical research, is in blood coagulation. A principal focus of his research centers on the identification of diagnostic errors and mechanisms to prevent them.

“I have been a fatty acid biochemist for 35 years. My early research career included the study of biological mechanisms associated with the conversion of fatty acids into eicosanoids. The focus was to identify the pool of eicosanoid precursor fatty acids in the cell and how they became available for eicosanoid production. I later investigated the covalent association of fatty acids to proteins by thioester linkages with Dr. Laszio Muszek, who was later elected to the Hungarian National Academy of Sciences. My laboratory also included fatty acid related studies involving an esterification product of ethanol and fatty acids, fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE), and fatty acid abnormalities found in patients with cystic fibrosis.”

Educated in the United States, Dr. Laposata graduated with his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Bucknell University in 1974. He then went on to earn his Medical Degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1981, after which he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship and residency in laboratory medicine (clinical pathology) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 

From there, Dr. Laposata went on to earn his Doctor of Philosophy Degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1982.

He took his first faculty position at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia in 1985, where he was an Assistant Professor and Director of the hospital’s Coagulation Laboratory. In 1989, he became Director of Clinical Laboratories at the Massachusetts General Hospital and was appointed to the faculty in the Department of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, where he became a tenured full Professor of Pathology. 

In 2008, Dr. Laposata joined Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where he was the Edward and Nancy Fody Professor of Pathology and Medicine. Additionally, he served as the Pathologist-in-Chief at Vanderbilt University Hospital and Director of Clinical Laboratories.

Board certified in pathology, Dr. Laposata is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pathology (ABPath). The mission of ABPath, as a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties, is to serve the public and advance the profession of pathology by setting certification standards and promoting lifelong competency of pathologists.

Furthermore, he is an esteemed member of the College of American Pathologists, the Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists, the Association of Pathology Chairs, the American Society for Clinical Pathology, and the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Ranked among the top 0.05% of his peers in the country, Dr. Laposata has dedicated his career to investigating cases of child abuse involving accused caregivers. His expertise has even led to vindicating caregivers unjustly charged or confined, resulting in the successful exoneration of individuals. Over the past decade, his efforts have facilitated the reunification of more than 40 families.

Pathology is a branch of medical science that involves the study and diagnosis of disease through the examination of surgically removed organs, tissues, bodily fluids, and in some cases, the whole body. Pathologists are physicians who specialize in the diagnosis and management of diseases by laboratory methods.

Dr. Laposata has been the recipient of 14 major teaching prizes at Harvard, the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. His notable accolades include the Lindback Award in 1989, a prestigious University of Pennsylvania system-wide teaching prize; the A. Clifford Barger Mentorship Award from Harvard Medical School in 1998; election to the Harvard Academy of Scholars in 2002; induction into the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Academy for Excellence in Teaching in 2009; and recognition as the top teacher in years 1 and 2 at Harvard Medical School in 1999, 2000, and 2005 as voted by the graduating class.

As a prolific author, Dr. Laposata has continuously written articles on topics related to the diagnosis of coagulation disorders and optimization of clinical laboratory operations. These efforts have led to the production of several books, including a major textbook entitled “Laboratory Medicine: The Diagnosis of Disease in the Clinical Laboratory”, published by McGraw-Hill in the prestigious Lange series of medical textbooks. 

His textbook, now in its third edition, titled “Laposata’s Laboratory Medicine,” has been translated into multiple languages and serves as a global resource for those studying laboratory medicine and working in clinical laboratories.

In a peer nominated survey performed by The Pathologist, a journal reporting on the practice of pathology, the November 2015 issue identified Dr. Laposata as the most influential pathologist in the United States, and the third most influential pathologist in the world. He attributes his success to the influence of supportive parents, a lack of entitlement, a comprehensive understanding of challenges across various socioeconomic levels, and guidance from exceptional mentors.

On a more personal note, Dr. Laposata finds pleasure in collecting baseball cards and model trains. His preferred vacation destinations are the Caribbean Islands and Italy. When it comes to professional publications, he holds a particular affinity for the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Recommended Articles

• Alternative Treatments for Cholera

  Alternative Treatments for CholeraCholera is one of the most dangerous infectious diseases around the world, occurring mostly in Africa and other areas with a similar climate. The infection is mostly found in areas with extraordinarily high populations and poor sanitation services.Cholera is caused...

• How to Prepare for a Biopsy

  A biopsy procedure is a very important procedure, which is used to identify the underlying cause of your abnormal body tissues. Depending on your condition and the location of the tissue abnormality, different types of biopsies may be performed on you. A biopsy preparation, therefore, depends on...

• What Is Prostate Cancer: Get the Facts

  Cancer has become one of the most dangerous infections in the world. Various medical researches have shown that cancer problems have increased drastically over the last few weeks. These infections have posed a big threat to the community since most of them require serious treatment. The treatment is...

• Is Shingles Contagious? How Do You Get Shingles?

  Shingles is a contagious viral infection that is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. This virus affects a particular nerve section, causing painful rashes on the skin connected to that particular nerve. The rash normally appears in a form of a band on any...

• Are There Vaccines Available For Cholera?

  What Is Cholera?Cholera is an infectious disease that affects mostly the intestines, but causes complications to the rest of the body. Once a person suffers from cholera, the first parts of the body to be affected are the intestines. It is an infection caused by a bacteria known as the Vibrio...

• How Does Dengue Fever Spread?

  Dengue Fever is Caused by a VirusDengue fever is a viral disease common to tropical and subtropical countries where the weather is hot and humid for long stretches of the year. There are four strains of the virus - all belonging to the same family - that infect humans with dengue fever. A fifth...