1. Home
  2. News
  3. Welcome home, Dr. Lois Arend!

Welcome home, Dr. Lois Arend!

By Lynn McCain | October 7

Arend, Lois 500.JPGIt may have taken longer than she wished, but Michigan native Lois Arend, PhD, MD, has returned home to Michigan. Arend, born in Monroe, Michigan, attended Michigan State University, earning her PhD in renal physiology, followed by an MD, becoming the first physician in her family. She then joined the University of Michigan as an Anatomic Pathology Resident in 1992, followed by a Renal Pathology and Research Fellowship in 1995-1997. Upon the conclusion of her training, she joined the faculty at the University of Michigan as an Assistant Professor (clinical and research). Two years later, she was recruited to the University of Rochester, New York, launching a 25-year career journey to return home.

Arend’s interest in pathology stemmed from a college class in comparative physiology. While studying the unit on excretory organs of various organisms, she found the topic fascinating and became interested in the kidney. "I started doing kidney research as an undergraduate student, and from there, I determined that pathology may be the best way for me to combine research and clinical work,” recalls Arend. 

After leaving Michigan, Arend spent five years in Rochester, NY before being recruited to the University of Cincinnati, where she spent another six years. Then Johns Hopkins University welcomed her to their faculty, where she remained for almost fifteen years. While at Johns Hopkins, Arend was the Director of the Renal Pathology Service and became the Director of the Departmental Clinical Fellowships. “I always thought I would come back to Michigan at some point because my entire family is still here. Then this position was advertised, and I finally came back,” said Arend.

Dr. Lois Arend signing out renal pathology cases.In her new role at Michigan, Arend, now a professor, provides clinical service work in renal pathology, conducting medical and transplant kidney biopsies. “I have also been tasked with starting a renal pathology fellowship in the department, which we hope to begin filling in 2025 or 2026.” She is also beginning work on new grant-funded clinical research, including one using AI techniques to find ways to improve the diagnosis of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). She will be using artificial intelligence to examine the histologic features of FSGS to develop a better scoring system for this disease, which will lead to more accurate diagnoses.

Looking ahead, Arend is particularly excited about starting a new renal pathology fellowship. “There are so many open positions in renal pathology and many opportunities. This is a field that has much more demand than people trained to fill that demand. Establishing this fellowship will help us train more people to fill the need. If you are in your residency now and may be interested in pursuing a renal pathology fellowship, I encourage you to contact me.” The renal pathology fellowship is a one-year fellowship, but trainees may also have an opportunity to do a combined fellowship with informatics, a truly unique opportunity to prepare for an increasingly digital future. “The field of renal pathology is moving toward a very computer data-driven way of approaching biopsies. This is the future of renal pathology, and we can prepare trainees for that future.”

Arend loves her position at Michigan and “the exposure to challenging cases. Seeing something that is different, that I’ve never seen before, is exciting. And sharing that with a trainee and seeing their excitement and development as they learn about renal pathology is so much fun! The excitement comes from recognizing it is something I have never seen before and then trying to find out if it has ever been reported. Usually, it has, but there are rare cases that have never been reported. Then I have to determine whether it is similar to what has been reported or if I should call it something different and new.”

When not at work, Arend loves sports and the outdoors. She used to play softball, and as a resident, she played on the MLabs softball team along with several other residents. But today, she enjoys watching sports. As an alumna of Michigan State and the University of Michigan, she supports teams from both, but her allegiances are torn when they play each other. Outside of that, she roots for all Michigan teams when they play others.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Lois Arend back home to Michigan. We are thrilled to have you back with us.

If you are interested in a renal pathology fellowship or renal pathology as a whole, contact Dr. Arend here.

 
faculty anatomic pathology renal pathology Careers in Pathology fellowships
Rate this Article: