Three Loyola Medicine Pathologists Named to The Pathologist Magazine's Power List 2020

MAYWOOD, IL – Three Loyola Medicine colleagues have been named to The Pathologist magazine’s Power List 2020, an international listing of “inspirational individuals who make laboratory medicine such a fantastic field.” This is the third consecutive year that Loyola Medicine pathologists have been named to this prestigious annual list.

Kamran Mirza, MD, PhD, medical director of molecular pathology at Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC), is among the honorees in the “A Solid Foundation” category, celebrating “the educators, mentors, and selfless individuals who go above and beyond to support others;” Constantine E. Kanakis, MD, a first-year pathology and laboratory medicine resident at LUMC, is on “The Social Network” list, recognizing “social media users who have harnessed online platforms for education, outreach, and community-building;” and Jonathan Bakst, Loyola Medicine regional administrative director of Laboratory Services, was named to the list in the “Big Breakthroughs” category, honoring “trailblazers working at the cutting edge and driving forward the future of the field.”

Dr. Mirza, who is also associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, received the 2019 Outstanding Classroom Educator award from the Stritch School of Medicine graduating class, and the 2019 Teaching Excellence Award from The Ohio State University's Pathology Student Interest Group. In 2017, Dr. Mirza was voted one of the top five honorees in the ASCP 40 Under Forty list. He also made The Pathologist’s 2018 and 2019 Power List. Nominators praised Dr. Mirza’s advocacy work for laboratory professionals and say he is “leading the way for residents, medical students and laboratory technician students to shine.”

Dr. Kanakis has a background in medical laboratory science and spent nearly a decade working in clinical laboratories before turning to pathology, “a career path that has shaped his ability to connect people of all disciplines and levels of practice,” according to The Pathologist. Nominators praised his online lectures about the COVID-19 pandemic and related testing problems throughout the U.S.

Bakst began his career as a pathologists’ assistant and lab manager before advancing to oversee all of Loyola Medicine’s laboratory services. He is a former American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) 40 Under Forty winner and member of the American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants Board of Trustees. His “efforts toward championing the pathologists’ assistant profession are second to none,” according to The Pathologist.

“We are proud to learn that our esteemed pathology department members Mr. Bakst, Dr. Mirza and Dr. Kanakis have been recognized by peers in their field. Their commitment to quality in support of our patients, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic, is appreciated by all of us at Loyola Medicine,” said Eva Wojcik, MD, chair, department of pathology, at Loyola Medicine.