Women In Pathology: Dr Robinna Lorenz (Special Seminar; May 4th @ Noon)

Dr. Robinna Lorenz

Senior Director of Research Pathology, Genentech

Tuesday, May 4th (12PM)

https://uab.zoom.us/j/4817800366

Dr. Lorenz has been a tremendous source of inspiration and a familiar face to many here at UAB. She served as the Director and Associate Dean of the UAB Medical Scientist Training Program for over a decade and has fostered the development and success of various NIH-funded research programs for undergraduates and medical students. I think many in the UAB MSTP will agree with me that Dr. Lorenz embodies the committed, caring mentor that cares deeply about the personal and professional well-being of aspiring physician-scientists. Please join us for a conversation about leadership, diversity, and what it’s like to be a female physician-scientist in pathology.

Dr. Lorenz grew up in a small rural town outside Okeene, Oklahoma where she helped her family with their farm whenever she wasn’t in school. Growing up on a farm instills a work ethic in a person, Dr. Lorenz says, that is invaluable for persevering and staying resilient, especially in the context of science and academic medicine. She received her bachelor's degree in Biology from Stanford University in 1984, where she joined a lab as an undergraduate work-study student. Working in an academic setting and working closely with an MD/PhD student in the lab precipitated her interest in the physician scientist training path. 

Dr. Lorenz matriculated from the prestigious MD-PhD program at Washington University in St. Louis in 1990. She received her PhD in Immunology from the lab of Dr. Paul Allen, whose lab focuses on TCR-antigen interactions and their subsequent influence on the development and function of T-cells. She established her own lab in the Pathology and Microbiology Department at UAB in 2003, focused on the mucosal immune system and its interactions with the gastrointestinal epithelium and microbiome. She took over the UAB Medical Scientist Program in 2006 and served as Associate Dean of Physician Science Development from 2015-2018. 

In 2018 Dr. Lorenz accepted a position as lead pathologist at Genentech where she continues to nurture the growth and development of laboratory and clinical scientists interested in drug discovery. She was instrumental in the national development of Pathology research track residency programs and is committed to fostering collaborations between academic medicine and research-driven biotechnology companies and supporting diversity and inclusion within physician-scientist training programs. 

I am personally interested in a pathology residency because of people like Dr. Lorenz, who are so dedicated to teaching, mentoring and clinical service. She is one the kindest, most patient and most supportive people I know. I really hope you all can make it to our conversation with her, where we hope to pick her brain about being a physician-scientist, the field of pathology, and what it’s like being a woman in pathology. 

Please email Ashleigh (irwina@uab.edu) or myself (skashyap@uab.edu) with any questions.