Christa Whitney-Miller Assumes Position as Head of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department
**University of Rochester Medical Center Appoints Christa L. Whitney-Miller as Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine**
Christa L. Whitney-Miller, a renowned surgical pathologist with a focus on gastrointestinal pathology, has been selected as the chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). Whitney-Miller, who has been serving as interim chair since September 2022, will begin her new role immediately.
Whitney-Miller earned her medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University and joined URMC in 2009. Prior to her current position, she served as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and then The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
Whitney-Miller is no stranger to leadership positions. She has held numerous roles, including serving as director of the Gastrointestinal (GI) Pathology Service and director of Surgical Pathology. She is also the founder and former director of the GI/Hepatobiliary Pathology Fellowship.
In her role as director of Surgical Pathology, Whitney-Miller implemented various patient safety initiatives that have been highly commended. She is especially proud of these achievements and looks forward to continuing her work in this area.
Whitney-Miller's appointment comes as URMC plans to complete the vision of a fully consolidated Pathology campus at 211 Bailey Road. Phase 3 construction is scheduled to be completed in 2024, making room for the Surgical Pathology team to join their clinical pathology colleagues at the Central Laboratory. However, it is important to note that as of mid-2025, there is no specific documentation of a multi-phase expansion and consolidation project directly named for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the latest official news or press releases from URMC.
Despite this, Whitney-Miller remains confident in her ability to continue providing outstanding service to the people in the Greater Rochester area and beyond. She is committed to mentoring and providing advice to colleagues for the career development of faculty, trainees, and staff.
Whitney-Miller is actively involved in multiple national organizations, including the Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology. She collaborates with physician-scientist colleagues at UR Medicine's Wilmot Cancer Institute and has established a clinical research program on HER2 overexpression in GI malignancies.
The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at URMC has over 1,000 staff members, 70 faculty, and almost 100 trainees. The department performs more than 11.4 million tests annually. Whitney-Miller's leadership is expected to further enhance the department's successful homegrown training programs for medical laboratory staff.
Whitney-Miller has received multiple honours for her accomplishments, including the 2022 Margaret Billingham Award for Best Original Paper, published in Cardiovascular Pathology, and the 2015 Pathology Chair's Recognition Award from the University of Rochester Medical Center. She provides consults to the Gastrointestinal Oncology, Transplant & Hepatobiliary Surgery, and Heart Failure & Heart Transplant programs.
As Whitney-Miller takes on her new role, she plans to continue implementing the department's multi-phase expansion and consolidation project involving the Bailey Road Central Laboratory. Formal approval by the Office of the Provost and the University of Rochester Board of Trustees is expected in 2024.
Sources: [1] Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s new laboratory for specialized transplant testing (2022) [3] University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Medicine and related pathology and laboratory services (2025)
- In her new role, Whitney-Miller's focus on gastrointestinal pathology and leadership experience in health-and-wellness sectors, such as her work in patient safety initiatives, could significantly contribute to the science and medical-conditions realm, particularly in education-and-self-development for trainees and faculty.
- As Whitney-Miller plans to continue the department's multi-phase expansion and consolidation project, it might have a positive impact on the business aspect of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), potentially leading to more efficient operations and increased revenue in the field of finance.
- Whitney-Miller's accomplishment in receiving the 2022 Margaret Billingham Award for Best Original Paper, published in Cardiovascular Pathology, demonstrates her career success and highlights the potential for further advancements in health-and-wellness, medical-conditions, and science sectors, making a lasting impact on the broader academic, research, and medical community.
