Monika Schmelz, PhD

Dr. Schmelz has extensive expertise in cell and molecular biology, with experience directing multiple research service cores specializing in tissue acquisition, histology, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, imaging, electron microscopy, proteomics, cell culture, and monoclonal antibody production. She has also served as Director of the Diagnostic Immunohistochemistry Laboratory at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System and as a scientific consultant in the University of Arizona Department of Pathology, where she helped establish and validate diagnostic assays for patient care.

Her research focuses on membrane protein trafficking in lymphoma and human biorepository science. Dr. Schmelz has led several biobanking initiatives, including the VA Gulf War Brain Biorepository, the Arizona Lymphoid Tissue and Blood Repository (ALTBR), and the ANCHOR Biorepository, supporting translational and clinical research through the collection and management of high-quality biospecimens.

Dr. Schmelz also serves as Director of the Comparative Pathology Core Laboratory at the University of Arizona Department of Pathology, providing histology, immunohistochemistry, tissue microarray, digital pathology, and pathology consultation services. Both the ANCHOR Biorepository and the Comparative Pathology Core Laboratory are accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).