Academic Appointments

  • Clinical Instructor, Pathology

Professional Education

  • MD, Medical College of Georgia (2018)
  • Pathology Residency, University of Alabama at Birmingham (2022)
  • Surgical Pathology Fellowship, Stanford (2023)
  • GI Pathology Fellowship, Stanford (2024)

All Publications

  • HER2 In Situ Hybridization: Validation and Implementation of Brightfield Assay in a US Academic Pathology Laboratory. Applied immunohistochemistry & molecular morphology : AIMM Troxell, M. L., Dussaq, A. M., Solarewicz, J., Salisbury, T., Young, K., Hsu, N., Hammer, P., Karakas, C., Ollila, E., Zhang, X., Lam, M. M., Ernst, K., West, R. B., Allison, K. H., Bean, G. R. 2026

    Abstract

    Assessment of HER2 overexpression and gene (ERBB2) amplification remains an essential predictive test that determines tailored breast cancer therapy. Based on institutional needs, we recently validated the VENTANA HER2 Dual ISH DNA Probe Cocktail assay (DISH). Validation included testing 61 retrospective breast cancers, followed by 40 prospective cases (parallel testing). There was 99% concordance for binary positive/negative status when correlated with immunohistochemistry, and 87% concordance for exact ISH category (groups 1 to 5). We designed an online tool for automatic calculation of ratios and group assignment, with prompts for additional counting when needed. During the first year, 1286 DISH assays were performed, with 2.9% initial assay failures requiring repeat. Based on conservative guidelines in the first year, we sent confirmatory fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in 4% of cases; 9 cases (0.7%) had discordant DISH and FISH results, all of which were near a threshold (including "low amplified" results with HER2/CEP17 ≥2, average HER2/cell 4 to 6). The average turnaround time for HER2 DISH from ordering to finalization was 3.0 days, versus 4.8 days for FISH at our institution (37.5% improvement). We encountered occasional pitfalls, including zones lacking hybridization signals, and enhanced silver dust associated with anthracosis or tattoo pigment. We also observed differences across whole slide scanner platforms. HER2 DISH advantages included the ability of pathologists to directly score slides in correlation with morphology and immunohistochemistry, improved turnaround time, and greater automation for high-volume HER2 testing, as compared with FISH. In summary, we found HER2 DISH to be an accurate and practical alternative.

    View details for DOI 10.1097/PAI.0000000000001328

    View details for PubMedID 42273884

  • Hepatic adenomas in males: Is molecular characterization helpful in guiding its management? HUMAN PATHOLOGY Jain, E., Anderson, S. A., Ollila, E., Johnson, D., Chandrashekar, D., Osme, A., Goksel, B., Lee, G., Al Diffalha, S., Kakar, S., Harada, S., Dhall, D. 2025; 159: 105795

    Abstract

    Hepatocellular adenomas (HCAs) in males are very rare. We performed detailed clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical and molecular characterization of HCAs in males, to understand their pathogenesis and malignant potential.Seven cases of HCA in males formed our study cohort. The histologic slides, clinical and follow-up information were reviewed and immunohistochemical stains were performed. DNA was extracted and targeted sequencing was performed using Ion Torrent chemistry. Filtered variants were annotated to identify pathogenic mutations.Six (86 %) patients were morbidly obese. All showed at least focal cytologic atypia. Three lesions were markedly steatotic and 2 were hemorrhagic. One lesion showed focal reticulin loss, diffuse glutamine synthetase (GS) positivity and beta-catenin (β-catenin) nuclear staining, suggestive of atypical hepatocellular neoplasm. Three (42.8 %) cases were inflammatory-type, showing diffuse serum amyloid-associated protein/C-reactive protein. One other inflammatory-type HCA showed peripheral accentuation with GS and another non-inflammatory HCA showed patchy staining with GS; both revealed CTNBB1 mutations but no β-catenin nuclear staining. None showed TP53, TERT promotor mutations, or significant copy number alterations.A significant proportion of HCAs in males occurred in obese patients and were inflammatory-type. While some are beta-catenin mutated and need to be resected, a subset of HCAs in males appears to be low-risk by molecular features and may be treated conservatively.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.humpath.2025.105795

    View details for Web of Science ID 001496947600001

    View details for PubMedID 40379140

  • Can Steatohepatitis Be Classified as Non-alcoholic or Alcoholic Based on Histologic Features Alone? Ollila, E., Fakhari, M., Charu, V., Tan, S., Kambham, N., Higgins, J. ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2024: S1692

    View details for Web of Science ID 001302363406046