Robin M. Foss
CURRICULUM VITAE
Robin M. Foss, Pathologists’ Assistant (ASCP)
Associate Director of Surgical Pathology Services,
University of Florida, Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine University of Florida College of
Medicine
Gainesville, Fl. 32610 352-265-0208
NAME:
EDUCATION:
1971-1975
B.A. Chemistry,
Summa Cum Laude
Concordia College,
Moorhead, Minnesota
1975-1976
University of Minnesota,
Graduate School, Department of
Biochemistry,
Minneapolis, Minnesota
1977- 1979
B.H.S., Pathologists’ Assistant
Magna Cum Laude
Duke University,
Durham, North Carolina
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
1997- present
Associate Director of Surgical Pathology Services
University of Florida, College of Medicine, Department
of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine,
Gainesville, Florida
1987- present
Associate in Pathology, University of Florida,
College of Medicine, Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine, Gainesville, Florida
Administration:
 Director of the Shands Hospital surgical pathology gross room
 Responsible for appropriate processing and handling of surgical
pathology specimens
 Consultant with Shands Hospital clinics for specimen handling
 Liaison between transcription and clerical staff and gross room
personnel
 Consultant for construction upgrading and renovation projects of
the surgical pathology laboratory facilities, and new Cancer
Robin M. Foss
Hospital
Liaison between surgical pathology and histology, cytology,
hematopathology, and immunohistology laboratories
 Consultant with Shands Hospital operating room personnel for
appropriate submission and handling of surgical specimens
 Liaison between surgical pathology and Shands Hospital transport
service and hospital clinics
 Research and consult on laboratory equipment purchases
 Consultant for Shands Hospital Lab Administration for the
implementation of specimen accessioning program using the
Dataease SPAS and then change to the Tamtron system
 Monitor compliance of residents, faculty, and other gross room
personnel with current OSHA safety standards for handling tissue
 Utilization of Kurzweil voice recognition system 1996-1999 with
Implementation of total dictation capability of the gross and final
reports
 Member of CQI team for surgical pathology specimen rejection
reduction, 1998.
 Histology QA, ongoing
 Member of CQI team for biopsy procedure in surgical pathology,
2003
Committees:
 Tissue Resource Center Advisory Committee, 1996-present
 AP Operations Group
 Residency Training Committee, 1996-present
 Department of Pathology Computer Advisory Committee, 1990-97
 Search committee for Pathologist Assistant, 1992-1993
 Referral Laboratory Computer Subcommittee, 1989-1990
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Teaching/Service:
 Responsible for teaching Pathology residents the fundamentals of
gross surgical pathology dictation, dissection, photography, frozen
sectioning, and special procedures
 Provide training and support for DRL Dermatology grossing
 Instruct Orthopedic pathology residents in the fundamentals of
handling and prosecting orthopedic specimens
 Instruct Medical students, Pre-professional(PSO) students,
histotechnologists, and cytotechnologists in the fundamentals of
gross surgical pathology techniques and dissection
 Instruct Oral pathology residents in the fundamentals of gross
surgical pathology techniques and dissection
 Instruct residents, fellows and faculty in the use of Department
supported computer softwares
 Designed and implemented computer program on data
management system for archiving and retrieval of teaching
kodachrome slides and digital images of gross surgical pathology
Robin M. Foss
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specimens using SNOMED codes
Provide frozen section coverage in the surgical pathology suite to
include orientation, gross sectioning, microtoming and staining
Dissect and section many of the tissue volume in the gross
surgical pathology suite, including complex gynecological, ENT,
orthopedic, and urological specimens; annual volume 23,000
Photograph 80% of the gross surgical pathology specimens on file
and after April 1999 maintain digital images for gross specimens
Responsible for processing of surgical pathology specimens for
special procedures,(i.e.. quantitative determinations, cytogenetics,
flow cytometry, electron microscopy, chemotherapy drug
resistance assays)
Guest lecturer in Mechanisms of Disease, carcinogenesis, 4/21/95
Research:
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Coordinator for Total Cancer Care (TCC) tissue banking
consortium site with H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research
Institute, 2008 - present.
Participate in Network for Pancreatic organ donors with Diabetes
(nPOD) sponsored by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
with Dr. Mark Atkinson and Dr. Martha Campbell-Thompson, 2008present
Support the Molecular Tumor Bank currently by procuring
specimens and consulted in its formation; after April 1999 the
tumor bank became a part of the Department of Pathology
Coordinate with Dr. Chen Liu’s lab for liver specimen procurement
in Cellzdirect venture, 2005- present
Coordinated the Guanyl Cyclic C protocol for colon carcinoma and
lymph nodes with MTB and Thomas Jefferson University, 2002.
Support the DRL Cooperative Research Organization by providing
all control source tissues for FDA Class II antigen
immunohistochemical testing, 1995-1996
Coordinated the processing and handling of pathology data of
lymph node dissections in functional neck specimens for American
College of Radiology collaborative study with surgery and
pathology, 1992-1994
Coordinate handling and processing of mastectomy specimens for
Radiation Oncology National Breast Protocol 1990- 1994.
Coordinate handling and processing of radical prostatectomy
specimens for National Urologic protocol
Support studies of breast implants for N. Sisson Hardt, M.D. and
Leonard Yu, M.D., 1989-1993.
Support Basic Science research investigators by providing various
normal control tissues and tumor tissues.
Implemented protocols for Sentinel node processing and handling
Robin M. Foss
for melanoma and breast studies (histology, PCR and
Immunohistochemistry).
Other:
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Completed the new Shands Hospital gross room at the Shands
Cancer Hospital, South Tower 2006- 2010
Support DRL Histology for anticipated volume increase due to
Cognoscenti Health Institute
Certified PA through ASCP, January 2005 through present.
CAP inspector at Baylor Medical Center, Houston, Texas, August
2002.
Prepared handouts, photographs, CD and provided gross
specimen demonstration for U.S. Representative, Karen Thurman
visit to learn about cervical carcinoma, 2000.
Previous Employment
1979-1987 Pathologists’ Assistant and laboratory supervisor in a 220 bed
community hospital whose 4 pathologists provided professional services to three
additional 100 bed community hospitals, Utica, New York and a private clinical
laboratory
 Surgical gross dissection and description; annual volume: 8,500
 Performed hospital autopsies with complete protocols
 Performed ME/forensic autopsies with complete protocols
 Supervisor of Histology and Cytology
 Gross and microscopic photography
 Initiated diagnosis retrieval coding using SNOMED system
 Completed the laboratory computer transaction master for new hospital
billing
 Designed and implemented the laboratory computerization program
 (surgical billing and reporting, clinical laboratory data file creation for report
generation)
 Implemented immunohistochemical staining techniques
 Scheduled and trained dieners
 Coordinator for laboratory quality assurance program
 Coordinated laboratory CME lectures
 Trained histotechnology students
 Laboratory Manager for private lab
Robin M. Foss
PUBLICATIONS/PRESENTATIONS
Grobmyer, S, Knapik, J, Foss, R, Copeland, E, Hochwald, S, “Nodular Fasciitis:
Differential Considerations and Current Management Strategies”, Am Surg 2009 Jul;Vol
75(7):610-4.
Grobmyer, S, Massoll, N, Foss, R, "Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis", Am Surg 2007
Aug; Vol 73(8): 798-802.
This article also won first place in the SE Surgical conference poster, 2007,
Savannah, Georgia.
Haizhen Zhu , John Elyar , Robin Foss, Alan Hemming, Eric Hall, Edward L. LeCluyse,
Chen Liu, Chapter 27 Primary Human Hepatocyte Culture for HCV Study, Methods in
Molecular Medicine, 2007.
Ahrens K, Braylan R, Almasri N, Foss R, Rimsza L., “IgH PCR of zinc formalin-fixed,
paraffin-embedded non-lymphomatous gastric samples produces artifactual "clonal"
bands not observed in paired tissues unexposed to zinc formalin. J Mol Diagn. 2002;
Aug;4(3):159-63.
Lauwers, GL, Grant, LD, Donnelly, WH, Meloni, AM, Foss, RM, Sandberg, AA, Langham,
MR, "Hepatic Undifferentiated (Embryonal) sarcoma arising in a Mesenchymal
Hamartoma" The American Journal of Surgical Pathology 21(10):1248-1254, 1997.
Foss, RM. Manual of Surgical Pathology, University of Florida, current manual used for
instructing residents in the proper grossing techniques utilized in the surgical pathology
laboratory at the University of Florida.
Foss, RM. & Wilkinson, EJ. The Agarose Slab-Cassette: An Improved Method for the
Handling of Small Biopsies where Orientation of the Biopsy is Critical. Projected
publication, 1994. Presented at the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical
Pathology and Society for Canadian Colposcopists Biennial Meeting, 3/26/1994, Orlando,
Florida.
UF Nurse Practitioner Colposcopy Education Program-Pathology specimen handling, 1995
Cell Cycle and Neoplasia, Lecture Series for Nursing students, 1984
Cardiac Anatomy and Physiology, Lecture Series for Nursing Students, 1982- 1984
Lung Diseases in Farmers, American Association of Pathologist's Assistant Newsletter,
1981
Robin M. Foss
GROSS PHOTOGRAPHS APPEAR IN THE FOLLOWING PUBLICATIONS:
Kurman, RJ, Brigitte, MR, Sherman, ME, Wilkinson, EJ, Tumors, Tumors of the Cervix,
Vagina, and Vulva, AFIP Atlas of Tumor Pathology, Series 4, Fascicle No.13, Washington
D. C., American Registry of Pathology; 2010
Murphy, WM, Grignon, DJ, Perlman, EJ, Tumors of the Kidney, Bladder, and Related
Urinary Structures, AFIP Atlas of Tumor Pathology, Series 4, Fascicle No 1, Washington
D. C., American Registry of Pathology; 2004
Atlas of Vulvar Disease, 2nd Edition, Edward Wilkinson, I. Keith Stone, 2008
Kidney Mucuormycosis, first place in T. Leon Howard Pyelogram Hour competition,
Southeastern Section of the American Urologic Association meeting in San Diego, 2007,
Surgical Pathology of the GI Tract, Liver, Biliary Tract, and Pancreas, 2004
Uterine-like mass with Features of an Extrauterine Adenomyoma Presenting 22 Years
after Total Abdominal Hysterectomy-Bilateral Salpingoopherectomy, Archives Path and
Lab Med. Aug 2005;129:1041-43
Cardona D, Grobmyer S, Crawford JM, Liu C. Hepatocellular carcinoma arising from
ectopic liver tissue in the pancreas. Virchows Arch 2007; 450: 225-229
Grobmyer S, Reith J, Shahlaee A, Bush C, Hochwald S, Malignant Peripheral Nerve
Sheath Tumor: Molecular Pathogenesis and Current Management Considerations. J Surg
Oncol 2008; Feb19; 97(4):340-349
PROFESSIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS:
1979-present
Fellow, American Association of
Pathologists' Assistants
2005- present
Certification with ASCP
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES:
1989-2005
1993- 1999
Organized Gainesville Adult Roller Hockey
League and current participant
Organizer and coach in the Gainesville
Youth Roller Hockey League
1993
Organized a Roller Hockey Clinic for
Youth Roller Hockey League
Robin M. Foss
1992-95
Member of Annual Gainesville Ducks
Unlimited Banquet Organizing committee
1993-94
Coach of Gainesville Babe Ruth Baseball
1990-1996
Visiting Lecturer and instructor for Wiles
Elementary School for anatomic dissection of animal
specimens
AWARDS
1994-95
Pathology Residents Recognition Award
2000
First place entry in ASCP Gross Category
Photography competition
First place and honorable mention entries in ASCP Gross
Category Photography competition
2001
2005-06
Pathology Resident Educator of the Year