On December 23, 2020, the Loyola Pathology unexpectedly lost Dr. Stefan Pambuccian. A beloved teacher, mentor, colleague and friend, he was the heart of Anatomic Pathology in our department and will be forever missed. In the hours and days since this tragic news, we have heard from so many trainees, peers and friends about what he meant to them. In an effort to to collate all these pictures, stories and memories in one spot, we have decided to offer a portal for submitting your messages. We hope to provide these to the Pambuccian family in a small effort to demonstrate what Dr. Pambuccian meant to us.
Please consider submitted pictures, anecdotes and stories by clicking this link
Stefan E. Pambuccian, MD
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Vice Chair of Translational Research
Education:
Medical School: Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
Family Practice Residency: "Dr. Ioan Cantacuzino Hospital" Bucharest, Romania,
Pathology Residency: Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, N.Y.
Hematopathology Fellowship: Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, N.Y. (Director Harry L. Ioachim)
Cytopathology Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital and Armed Forced Institute of Pathology (Directors Dorothy L. Rosenthal, Yener Erozan and Timothy J. O'Leary)
What motivated you to become a Pathologist?
For me, it was a family tradition, or maybe a family curse, depending on how one looks at it. My father, who arrived to Romania as a refugee on a so-called "Nansen certificate", which did not guarantee the right to work, achieved the remarkable feat of being admitted to and graduating from the Bucharest medical school. However, as a non-citizen, he did not have the right to practice medicine in Romania. As this was defined by direct patient contact, he could still become a pathologist (no FNAs were performed at the time!). Although his "choice" of pathology as a specialty may have been forced, he became a highly esteemed and charismatic academic pathologist. His lectures and interest in basic sciences and research inspired many generations of physicians, including me. Finding myself in the US with similar visa circumstances, I abandoned prior aspirations towards an internal medicine career, especially after I got into an accident on the way to an interview in Boston. I saw that as an omen, and chose pathology instead, since it was the only other specialty that I was familiar with. Needless to say, I am very happy with my choice, which proves that sometimes one can become a pathologist "by accident", and that even "accidental pathologists" can be pretty successful!
What do you love most about Loyola Pathology?
There are lots of things to love about Loyola Pathology, but when I think of it, what I love most is my colleagues and residents and the friendly environment, which make it a pleasure to go to work every day.
What is one thing people may not know about you?
I love cats!