Spotlight: Rising stars in cytology

Abstract

It is my honor and great pleasure to introduce Dr Jaylou Velez Torres as a distinguished rising star in the field of cytopathology. Dr Velez Torres received her medical degree in 2012 from the University of Puerto Rico, where she excelled academically and graduated as a member of the school’s Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She completed her residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, which was followed by fellowship training in Head and Neck Pathology and Cytopathology at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. She is Board-certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Cytopathology.

Since joining the faculty at the University of Miami Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as an Assistant Professor on the Clinical Educator track in 2018, Dr Velez Torres has quickly emerged as an academic powerhouse. While working on high-volume, busy clinical services, namely Head and Neck Pathology, Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology, and Cytopathology, Dr Velez Torres has already coauthored more than 36 peer-reviewed manuscripts, mostly as the first or senior author, and five book chapters as the first or senior author, and she has lectured nationally and internationally both in English and in Spanish. The primary focus of her research work has been the study of head and neck neoplasms, particularly human papillomavirus (HPV)–related carcinomas, mesenchymal tumors, thyroid tumors, and salivary gland tumors. In particular, she consistently seeks out ways to advance the field of cytopathology by incorporating innovative ancillary techniques that can augment the value of this discipline in diagnostic medicine. She led a recent study demonstrating that chromogenic in situ hybridization for high-risk HPV messenger RNA can be directly and reliably performed on conventional smear preparations obtained from suspicious lymph nodes in the neck and thereby can provide a sensitive and highly specific tool for the diagnosis of metastatic HPV-related squamous cell carcinoma. In a series of publications, Dr Velez Torres has reported on the use of immunocytochemistry and molecular testing tools to further refine the indeterminate categories in the Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology and the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology, respectively. Her article recently published in this journal, “Don’t SUMP It! Utility of PLAG1 Immunocytochemistry in Basaloid SUMP Subcategory,” triggered the “Don’t SUMP It! Just PLAG It” motto that was widely circulated among social media aficionados. Notably, Dr Velez Torres has incorporated the use of social media platforms to promote her work and to build collaborative relationships with other pathologists and professionals from all over the world.

Dr Velez Torres, deeply dedicated to the education of residents and fellows, spends countless hours at the scope, engages in their mentoring, and fosters an environment of scholarly inquiry and professional growth. Her door is always open, and one can always hear her passion-filled voice coming from her office, delighting in the nuances of the cases that she is reviewing with her learners. She cautions them about the importance of reviewing surgical pathology and cytopathology slides within the context of a patient’s prior history and current clinical presentation, results of imaging studies, and potential therapeutic management implications. Her energy is contagious, and her enthusiasm is palpable. In short, Dr Velez Torres stands out as a shining example of excellence and promise in the realm of diagnostic pathology, and her contributions are poised to leave an indelible mark on the field and shape the future of cytopathology for generations to come.

—Carmen Gomez-Fernandez, MD