Associate Professor
Department of Clinical Pathology
University of Missouri
United States
Dr. Richard D. Hammer is an Associate Professor of Clinical and Anatomical Sciences at University of Missouri and Director of Hematopathology and Coagulation. He was a subspecialist in hematopathology trained by Dr. Robert Collins at Vanderbilt University, one of the founders of hematopathology. This was followed by molecular genetic research where he developed several new PCR based assays for lymphomas, including one for BCl-1 rearrangements for mantle cell lymphoma in paraffin. He also published the definitive description of splenic marginal zone lymphomas and contributed to describing the first cases of NK-like T-cell lymphoma. During that time he also contributed to developing tests for immunohistochemistry for an a new company, Ventana, now the largest provider in the industry. After a period of doing diagnostic/clinical work at a large tertiary care center, he has become more focused on personalized medicine using advanced laboratory methods to prevent disease. His training with a founder of hematopathology and experience in molecular/immunohistochemical and complex laboratory testing provided him a broad foundation for new test development. He is currently interested in the application of cellular therapies in personalized medicine, primarily in hematopathology, with the hope of applying stem cell and other cellular therapies to more areas of medicine.