Lydia Howell is an anatomic and clinical pathologist well known for her work to improve protocols for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast and cervical cancer. Howell provides clinical service in cytopathology, fine-needle aspiration biopsy and surgical pathology. Her clinical and research interests focus on early detection of breast and cervical disease, including cervical cancer screening, HPV testing, breast screening, cancer risk assessment, diagnosis and prognostication, evaluation of new technologies in cytopathology, workforce and faculty development issues.

As chair of the Depapartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Howell oversees nearly 40 faculty members and more than 400 clinical and academic staff who provide comprehensive laboratory testing for UC Davis Medical Center and other hospitals and clinics through Northern California, conduct leading-edge basic and translational research, and advance training at all levels within the field.

Title:

Professor and Chair, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Specialty:

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer

Center/Program Affiliation:

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

Education:

Northwestern University School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois
M.D. 1981

Northwestern University Medical School
Evanston, Illinois
B.S. 1979

Residency:

Temple University Hospital
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1981-1985
Pathology

Fellowships:

Lankenau Hospital
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1985-1986
Cytopathology

Board Certifications:

American Board of Pathology, Cytopathology, 1989
American Board of Pathology, Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, 1986

Professional Memberships:

American Society of Clinical and Colposcopic Pathology
American Society of Clinical Pathologists
American Society of Cytopathology
College of American Pathologists
United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology

Honors and Awards:

Included in "Best Doctors in the Region," Sacramento Magazine, 2001
Christine Landgraf Memorial Research Award, 1993

Select Recent Publications:

Villablanca AC, Beckett L, Nettiksimmons J, Howell LP. Career flexibility and family-friendly policies: an NIH-funded study to enhance women's careers inbiomedical sciences. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2011 Oct;20(10):1485-96. Epub 2011 Aug 22.

Howell LP, Chen CY, Joad JP, Green R, Callahan EJ, Bonham AC. Issues and challenges of non-tenure-track research faculty: the UC Davis School of Medicine experience. Acad Med. 2010 Jun;85(6):1041-7.

Tabnak F, Müller HG, Wang JL, Zhang W, Howell LP. Timeliness and follow-up patterns of cervical cancer detection in a cohort of medically underserved California women. Cancer Causes Control. 2010 Mar;21(3):411-20. Epub 2009 Dec 31.

Howell LP, Wilton M, Bishop J, Afify A. Living with uncertainty: equivocal Pap test results and the evolution of ASC terminology. Diagn Cytopathol. 2010 Mar;38(3):221-32.

Howell LP, Joad J, Callahan E, Servis G, Bonham AC. Generational forecasting in academic medicine: a unique method for planning for success in the next two decades. Acad Med 2009; 84:985-993.

Afify A, Yu C, Hejazi N, Howell L. The diagnostic utility of cell-blocks prepared from SurePath Pap material for the detection of human papilloma virus. Applied Immunohistochem Mol Morphol, 2009; 17:108-114.

Howell LP, Gurusinghe S, Tabnak F, Sciortino S. Cervical cancer screening in medically underserved California Latina and non-Latina women: Effect of age and regularity of Pap testing. Ca Detect Prev 2009; 32:372-379.

Howell LP, Gurusinghe S, Tabnak F. Impact of ASC-H terminology on the detection of HSILs in medically underserved California women. Diagn Cytopathol 2009; 37:103-110.

Birdsong GG. Brief guidance document on the appropriate use of human papillomavirus testing issued by the Cytology Education and Technology Consortium (includes Howell LP). Cancer. 2009 Jun 25;117(3):149-50.

Davey DD, Cox TJ, Austin RM, Birdsong G, Colgan TJ, Howell LP, Husain M, Darragh TM. Cervical cytology specimen adequacy: patient management guidelines and optimizing specimen collection. Jour Lower Gen Tract Dis 2008; 12:71-81.