Episode with Ron Balassanian MD

Ron Balassanian is a Professor of Pathology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) with an appointment in UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. His clinical and research work focuses on fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy and general breast pathology, as well as patient communication and global health. Ron has led workshops on training pathologists to perform and interpret ultrasound guided FNA for the College of American Pathologists, the American Society of Cytopathology and the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology. In collaboration with PATH, a Seattle based NGO, he helped develop the Community Program for Breast Health in Trujillo Peru, using FNA as a cost-effective tool for diagnosis and triage. Through the UCSF Global Cancer Program, he helped develop an US-FNA course in Dar es Salaam Tanzania as part of an ongoing educational collaboration between Muhimbili University and the UCSF Global Cancer Program. At UCSF he developed a patient education program called “Ask Your Pathologist” inviting patients to review their breast cancer slides with a Pathologist to better understand their pathology report. In his clinical service and research work, Ron is passionate about patient centered pathology and bridging the gap between the patient and the pathologist.  

Twitter:  @BalassanianRon