Laura J. Tafe, MD, associate professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine and assistant director of the Center for Clinical Genomics and Advanced Technologies (CGAT) at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, has been elected the president-elect of the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) and will assume the position of president in the fall of 2022.
Founded in 1995, AMP provides structure and leadership to the emerging field of molecular diagnostics. As president, Tafe will be the chair of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, facilitate the evolution and implementation of the strategic plan, approve AMP public statements and act as an official AMP spokesperson.
“Both national and international members participate in this electoral process, and this outcome speaks volumes to the reputation that Dr. Tafe has in the field of molecular diagnostics and reflects highly on the impact of our clinical genomics program, our department and our institution,” says Gregory J. Tsongalis, PhD, HCLD, CC, director, CGAT.
In 2010, Tafe joined Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the Geisel School of Medicine as an assistant professor, with a split role in surgical pathology and molecular pathology where she assumed the role of assistant director. Promoted to associate professor in 2017, Tafe has been involved in the rapid growth and transition of the Molecular Pathology Laboratory in CGAT in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Tafe has been instrumental in overseeing the development of new molecular diagnostic assays for solid tumors, including DHMC’s current 170 gene next generation sequencing panel and future whole-exome sequencing to identify critical genes in tumors that can help direct treatment. She has more than 80 publications in the field of clinical genomics and is the co-editor of a new textbook, Genomic Medicine: A Practical Guide. Tafe has a growing national and international reputation and has served in other leadership roles and on multiple committees for AMP and the College of American Pathologists.
Tafe earned a medical degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, after completing her undergraduate studies at Smith College in Northampton, MA. She then completed a pathology resident at DHMC and went on to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for an oncologic surgical pathology fellowship and a molecular genetic pathology fellowship.
