Robert W. Mckenna MD

Dr. McKenna is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. As a hematopathologist who has conducted research in the field for over four decades, he employs current laboratory techniques to improve clinical capabilities for diagnosing and classifying hematologic diseases including leukemias and lymphomas. The goal of his research is to contribute to advances in diagnostics, classification, and understanding of the pathobiology of these diseases through a variety of methods. Among the methods are traditional cell morphological analysis, immunophenotyping, flow cytometry, and more recently molecular genetics. Advances in diagnosis and classification using these methods can help guide clinicians in choosing the optimal course of treatment for patients.

McKenna Recently has collaborated in research studies ranging from characterization of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with aberrant immunophenotypes to cases of Langerhans cell histiocytosis in acute leukemias to post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders involving Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Some patients develop lymphoproliferative disease following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or organ transplantation. Most of these cases involve EBV infection. McKenna and his colleagues identified patients with EBV-positive mucocutaneous ulcer (MCU), lesions that occur in the skin, oral cavity, or gastrointestinal tract. They suggest that MCU may warrant consideration as a distinct category in the classification of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders.