Lisa M Rimsza, MD
As a physician-scientist and Department Chair, Dr. Rimsza is a practicing Hematopathologist, administrator, and Principal Investigator of an active, externally funded translational research laboratory. She currently receives support from the National Cancer Institute for her work in immune surveillance of lymphoma, biomarker and assay development for B-cell lymphomas, and biobanking for cancers related to HIV. Dr. Rimsza was recognized as the Mayo Clinic Arizona Outstanding Researcher in 2020 and received awards from the Arizona Medical Association and AZBio as Bioscience Researcher of the Year in 2023. She has broad expertise in pathology-based activities related to tissue banking, clinical trials, correlative biomarker research, and biological studies of lymphoma. Throughout her career, she has collaborated closely with basic scientists, biostatistians, bioinformaticians, pathologists, and hematologists on all phases of translational research, including project design, data acquisition, interpretation, publication, and funding, positioning her to contribute effectively to all aspects of translational research.
Residency
- Arizona Health Sciences Center Pathology
Degrees
- University of Arizona College of Medicine 1992
Fellowship
- University of New Mexico Hemapathology
Awards
- 2023 Wallace A Reed MD Award for Research and Innovation, Arizona Medical Association
- 2023 AZBio Researcher of the Year, The University of Arizona
- 2020 Investigator of the Year, Mayo Clinic
- 2020 Getz Family Research Professorship, Mayo Clinic
- 2014 The Sydney E. Salmon Distinguished Cancer Investigator, The University of Arizona
- 2011 Lymphoma Research Foundation, Featured Investigator, Lymphoma Research Foundation
- 2004 Outstanding Pathology Residency Teaching Award, The University of Arizona
- 1998 Board Certified Hematology Pathologist, American Board of Pathology
- 1997 Board Certified Anatomic and Clinical Pathologist, American Board of Pathology
- 1995 Arizona Cancer Center Upjohn Outstanding Oncology Fellow Award, The University of Arizona
- 1994 Resident Stipend Award for Concepts in Molecular Pathology, College of American Pathologists
- 1992 The Jack M. Layton, M.D. Award for Excellence, The University of Arizona
- 1992 Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, The University of Arizona
- 1992 Janet M. Glasgow Memorial Achievement Citation, The University of Arizona
- 1989 Medical Student Summer Research Program Award, NIH T35 Training Grant
Licensure & Certification
- American Board of Pathology
- 8/1998 Subspecialty Certification in Hematology
- 6/1997 Board Certified Anatomic and Clinical Pathologist
Teaching Interests
Dr. Rimsza teaches at the microscope and in didactic sessions on the topics of hematopathology and molecular diagnostics to pathology residents and other trainees in the department. She is also a frequent speaker at regional, national, and international pathology and hematopathology meetings on the subject of B-cell lymphomas and specialized techniques.
Research Interests
Dr. Rimsza's current research interests are in identifying biomarkers of early disease progression for patients with follicular lymphoma; working with the SWOG clinical trials groups on correlative sciences for tissues collected during lymphoma treatment protocols, developing novel immunohistochemistry and gene expression profiling assays to improve diagnostic accuracy, and providing support to the AIDS Cancer Specimen Resource network as a regional biorepository.