The Sixth Annual Judith Ann Lippard Memorial Lecture in Cancer Research

Endometrial cancer: genetic models and translational studies

Diego H. Castrillon, MD, PhD
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Pathology

Dr. Diego H. Castrillon is a Professor of Pathology and Obstetrics & Gynecology at UT Southwestern and holds the Vernie A. Stembridge, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Pathology. He serves as the Director of the research arm of the Department of Pathology. In addition to directing a research laboratory devoted to the study of endometrial cancer, he is a practicing pathologist in the Gynecologic Pathology Division, specializing in the diagnosis of diverse obstetrical and gynecologic conditions.

Dr. Castrillon’s research and clinical focus centers around the pathophysiology and molecular genetics of endometrial cancer. Endometrial cancer is the 4^th most common malignancy in women, but is perhaps the most underfunded common malignancy relative to its clinical impact, number of deaths, and years-of-life-lost. His laboratory has developed novel tools and approaches for the development of genetically-engineered mouse models of endometrial cancer, which can serve as unique tools to reveal essential cellular and organismal biology and illuminate mechanisms—such as genome instability—underlying tumorigenesis. He also studies early endometrial cancer progression and is working towards the identification and validation of biomarkers for very early precancers, which can be difficult to diagnose in limited biopsies.

Dr. Castrillon received an S.B. in Life Sciences at M.I.T., where he worked for four years in the laboratory Dr. Gerry Fink, followed by M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from UT Southwestern. He completed a residency in surgical pathology and a one year clinical fellowship in Obstetric and Gynecologic Pathology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in cancer genetics in the laboratory of Dr. Ron DePinho. He joined the faculty of UT Southwestern In 2003. Dr. Castrillon is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and a member of the International Society of Gynecologic Pathologists, and serves as a consulting editor for the Journal of Clinical Investigation and the International Journal of Gynecologic Pathology.