Sanja Dacic, MD, PhD
Cards
Appointments
Titles
Vice Chair and Director of Anatomic Pathology, Pathology; Medical Director, Tumor Profiling Laboratory
Contact Info
Appointments
Titles
Vice Chair and Director of Anatomic Pathology, Pathology; Medical Director, Tumor Profiling Laboratory
Contact Info
Appointments
Titles
Vice Chair and Director of Anatomic Pathology, Pathology; Medical Director, Tumor Profiling Laboratory
Contact Info
About
Titles
Professor of Pathology
Vice Chair and Director of Anatomic Pathology, Pathology; Medical Director, Tumor Profiling LaboratoryBiography
Sanja Dacic, MD, PhD, MSc, an internationally renowned and highly accomplished leader in anatomic pathology, assumed the position of Vice Chair and Director of Anatomic Pathology in the Department of Pathology at Yale School of Medicine on May 1, 2022. She is also Professor of Pathology and Medical Director of the Tumor Profiling Lab (TPL)
Dr. Dacic came to Yale from the University of Pittsburgh, where she was Professor of Pathology; Director of Anatomic Pathology at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital; Director of the Thoracic Pathology Center of Excellence; and Director of the FISH laboratory. She previously was Director of the Molecular Anatomic Pathology Laboratory at UPMC.
Dr. Dacic received her medical and Doctor of Philosophy degrees at the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, in Zagreb, Croatia, and completed her residency training at the University of Pittsburgh.
Her research focuses on diagnostic pulmonary and molecular pathology and the development of prognostic biomarkers. She is a key leader of impactful basic and translational research projects in lung cancer and pleural mesotheliomas, which have resulted in hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific articles, practice guidelines, book chapters, and reviews.
Dr. Dacic is a co-author of the original and revised College of American Pathologists/International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)/Association for Molecular Pathology guidelines for molecular testing in lung cancer. In 2020, she was awarded the IASLC Award for Translational Research. She was a member of the Editorial Board for the 5th WHO Classification of Thoracic Tumors (2019). Dr. Dacic is a deputy editor in chief of Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and serves on the editorial boards of high impact journals.
Dr. Dacic has served as a board member of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP), as well as on its Education Committee and as a member and chair of its Young Investigators Awards Committee. She currently serves as president of the Pulmonary Pathology Society and is a member of the U.S. and Canadian Mesothelioma Group, the International Mesothelioma Panel, and the IASLC Pathology Committee.
Appointments
Pathology
ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- Fellowship
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2002)
- Residency
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2001)
- Chief Resident
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2001)
- PhD
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Pathology (1998)
- Postdoctoral Fellowship
- University of Connecticut Health Center (1997)
- MSc
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Experimental Pharmacology (1993)
- MD
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Medicine (1990)
Board Certifications
Anatomic Pathology
- Certification Organization
- AB of Pathology
- Original Certification Date
- 2002
Research
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
So Yeon Kim, MD
Publications
2022
Predictive Biomarkers for Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer: Perspective From the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Pathology Committee
Mino-Kenudson M, Schalper K, Cooper W, Dacic S, Hirsch FR, Jain D, Lopez-Rios F, Tsao MS, Yatabe Y, Beasley MB, Yu H, Sholl LM, Brambilla E, Chou TY, Connolly C, Wistuba I, Kerr KM, Lantuejoul S, Committee I. Predictive Biomarkers for Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer: Perspective From the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Pathology Committee. Journal Of Thoracic Oncology 2022, 17: 1335-1354. PMID: 36184066, DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2022.09.109.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsImmune checkpoint inhibitorsTumor mutational burdenLung Cancer Pathology CommitteePD-L1 immunohistochemistryPredictive biomarkersImmunotherapy biomarkersLung cancerPathology CommitteeBackbone of treatmentSubset of patientsMost lung cancersEarly-stage tumorsCompanion diagnostic assayAdjuvant settingNeoadjuvant immunotherapyCheckpoint inhibitorsMetastatic diseasePathologic responseImmune microenvironmentStage tumorsMutational burdenImmunotherapyPrognosis predictionImmunohistochemistryBiomarkersCharacterization of MET Exon 14 Skipping Alterations (in NSCLC) and Identification of Potential Therapeutic Targets Using Whole Transcriptome Sequencing
Kim SY, Yin J, Bohlman S, Walker P, Dacic S, Kim C, Khan H, Liu SV, C. P, Nagasaka M, Reckamp KL, Abraham J, Uprety D, Wang F, Xiu J, Zhang J, Cheng H, Halmos B. Characterization of MET Exon 14 Skipping Alterations (in NSCLC) and Identification of Potential Therapeutic Targets Using Whole Transcriptome Sequencing. JTO Clinical And Research Reports 2022, 3: 100381. PMID: 36082279, PMCID: PMC9445394, DOI: 10.1016/j.jtocrr.2022.100381.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsWhole transcriptome sequencingTranscriptome sequencingSplice siteMet stabilityDonor splice siteNext-generation sequencingTranscriptomic levelSplicing alterationsEnrichment analysisJunction pathwayPoint mutationsPotential therapeutic targetGenomic alterationsRNA expressionSequencingGene signaturePathwayMutational burdenGenomic profilingSynergistic increaseExpressionMost alterationsCheckpointTherapeutic targetSingle-sample gene
2021
The concept of mesothelioma in situ, with consideration of its potential impact on cytology diagnosis.
Klebe S, Nakatani Y, Dobra K, Butnor KJ, Roden AC, Nicholson AG, Marchevsky AM, Husain AN, Segal A, Walts AE, Weynand B, Michael CW, Dacic S, Godbolt D, Attanoos R, Santoni-Rugiu E, Galateau-Salle F, Hiroshima K, Moreira AL, Burn J, Nabeshima K, Gibbs AR, Churg A, Litzky LA, Brcic L, Tsao MS, Mino-Kenudson M, Rørvig SB, Tazelaar HD, Krausz T, Zhang YZ, Chirieac LR, Beasley MB, Hjerpe A. The concept of mesothelioma in situ, with consideration of its potential impact on cytology diagnosis. Pathology 2021, 53: 446-453. PMID: 33775406, DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2020.12.005.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2020
Collection and Handling of Thoracic Small Biopsy and Cytology Specimens for Ancillary Studies: Guideline From the College of American Pathologists in Collaboration With the American College of Chest Physicians, Association for Molecular Pathology, American Society of Cytopathology, American Thoracic Society, Pulmonary Pathology Society, Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology, Society of Interventional Radiology, and Society of Thoracic Radiology.
Roy-Chowdhuri S, Dacic S, Ghofrani M, Illei PB, Layfield LJ, Lee C, Michael CW, Miller RA, Mitchell JW, Nikolic B, Nowak JA, Pastis NJ, Rauch CA, Sharma A, Souter L, Billman BL, Thomas NE, VanderLaan PA, Voss JS, Wahidi MM, Yarmus LB, Gilbert CR. Collection and Handling of Thoracic Small Biopsy and Cytology Specimens for Ancillary Studies: Guideline From the College of American Pathologists in Collaboration With the American College of Chest Physicians, Association for Molecular Pathology, American Society of Cytopathology, American Thoracic Society, Pulmonary Pathology Society, Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology, Society of Interventional Radiology, and Society of Thoracic Radiology. Archives Of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine 2020 PMID: 32401054, DOI: 10.5858/arpa.2020-0119-CP.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2008
Diagnostic importance of 9p21 homozygous deletion in malignant mesotheliomas.
Chiosea S, Krasinskas A, Cagle PT, Mitchell KA, Zander DS, Dacic S. Diagnostic importance of 9p21 homozygous deletion in malignant mesotheliomas. Modern Pathology : An Official Journal Of The United States And Canadian Academy Of Pathology, Inc 2008, 21: 742-7. PMID: 18327208, DOI: 10.1038/modpathol.2008.45.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
honor Fred R. Hirsch Lectureship Award for Translational Research
International AwardInternational Association for the Study of Lung CancerDetails05/01/2020United Stateshonor Young Investigator Award
National AwardArthur Purdy Stout SocietyDetails05/01/2011United Stateshonor Daljit and Elaine Sarkaria Lecture
Other AwardUCLA Department of PathologyDetails05/01/2010United Stateshonor Research Day Award - Clinical Research Category
Other AwardUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Department of PathologyDetails05/01/2004United Stateshonor Fellowship in Genitourinary Pathology
National AwardAmerican Registry of Pathology/ Armed Forces Institute of PathologyDetails05/01/2000United States
Links & Media
News
- February 23, 2024
Yale Pathology to have Strong Presence at 113th Annual USCAP Meeting
- February 19, 2023Source: Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
The Pathologists' Conundrum
- November 03, 2022
Lung Cancer Awareness Patient Event
- October 06, 2022
Natalia Buza, MD, Named First Director of New Yale Pathology Center of Excellence for Women’s Health