Alumni Spotlight: Kabeer Shah, DO ’14

Dr. Shah cultivated a love for pathology early on in his medical school career. Upon graduating from RVU, he joined the Mayo Clinic as a resident and subsequently completed a Dermatopathology Fellowship. He is now a staff member at the clinic and his research can be found in several publications, including the British Journal of Dermatology. Currently, he is researching the diagnostic and theragnostic classification of melanocytic nevi and tumors with molecularbased assays and the implementation of artificial intelligence-based applications in digital pathology.

As a Dermatopathologist/Surgical Pathologist, one of the most rewarding aspects of Dr. Shah’s job has been his interactions with patients. During his transfusion medicine/apheresis training, Dr. Shah befriended a patient who was around his own age. Despite the diagnosis of a terminal illness, his patient had a positive outlook on life: “He just wouldn’t give up, constantly pushing the limits,” Dr. Shah remembers. “He ultimately died of his disease, but I think of him, his positive attitude in the face of adversity, and his family regularly.”

During his medical career, Dr. Shah has realized that doubt is a fundamental part of medicine, and this is something he wants others to embrace as well. “[Recognize] this and practice so you can continue to learn, grow, and provide the best possible care for each patient.” Dr. Shah is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Wisconsin Madison and a Clinical Instructor in Pathology at the Mayo Clinic, where he continues to share his love of pathology with students. His advice for students, including those at RVU, is to “take the time and learn as much as you can about the basics. It may be painstaking now, but it will pay dividends throughout training and life beyond.”

Since graduating from RVU, Dr. Shah has been featured in the The Pathologist Magazine’s “2016 Power List” and the American Society of Clinical Pathology’s “40 Under 40.” He has also received the Mentorship Award from the American Society of Dermatopathology and 1st Place at the International Society of Dermatopathology’s World Cup Oral Presentation in both 2016 and 2018.