Pathology News and Events

It is with profound sadness that we must share the news that our longstanding Chair and esteemed colleague, mentor, and friend Dr. John Eble died on August 21, 2023. He was 71 years old.

John Nelson Eble II, MD, MBA, FRCPA, FRCPath, was the Nordschow Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Chief Pathologist of Indiana University Health from 1998 until 2023. Over the last two and a half decades he built the Department brick by brick, with a commendable care and a focus on long-term fiscal prudence and financial health. Under his leadership, the Department became an impressive cornerstone for IU Health, expanding from a single IU Hospital laboratory to a unified IU Health laboratory system that includes 16 hospitals and many standalone clinics, which serve our patients with consistency and standardization regardless of where they are seen. He also more than doubled the faculty in the Department. A lasting tribute to his vision for the Department is the unified and centralized Pathology Laboratory Building on W. 11th Street, completed in April 2006.

Dr. John Eble received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Indiana University and completed his residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology there in 1980. He joined the Department of Pathology at Indiana University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Experimental Oncology in 1981, with a specialized focus on urologic and surgical pathology. Later he received his business degree from Indiana University as well. He became Acting Chair of the Department in 1998 and the Nordschow Professor and Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in 2000.

Dr. Eble served as treasurer and president of the International Society of Urologic Pathology. He was the 34th recipient of the F.K. Mostofi Distinguished Service Award of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP), an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (FRCPA), and a Fellow (by publications) of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath). Among other honors, he received the Leopold Koss Medal for Distinguished Service from the International Society of Urologic Pathology in 2003, the Gold Medal of the International Academy of Pathology, awarded to Modern Pathology, for outstanding contributions to international pathology education and research in 2006, and the Grawitz Medal for Distinguished Service from the International Society of Urologic Pathology in 2013.

Dr. Eble edited the International Journal of Urologic Pathology from 1997 to 2000 and Modern Pathology from 2000 to 2020. He also served on the editorial boards of Advances in Anatomic Pathology, American Journal of Surgical Pathology, Pathology, and Annals of Diagnostic Pathology. Beginning with his first paper on the biochemistry of human renal cell carcinoma in 1978, he authored 280 articles and 45 book chapters overall. Dr. Eble was the lead editor for the 2004 World Health Organization Classification of Tumours: Pathology and Genetics of Tumours of the Urinary System and Male Genital Organs and is the lead author of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Atlas: Tumors of the Kidney, Bladder, and Related Urinary Structures, published in 2021. He also edited three other textbooks on urological surgical pathology.

His colleagues remember John as an imposing and energetic, but, at the same time, an honest and encouraging character. And as one of the—if not the—most intelligent person they had ever met, as well as someone who was unwavering and exacting in his commitment to learning. They recall his immense appetite for knowledge and his exceedingly keen mind that was able to retain every word but that was nonetheless leavened by his wry sense of humor. They remember his willingness to share his wisdom with anyone who was willing to engage with him, his grace and patience, and his guidance as a leader. They are forever grateful for his passion to the field and his mentorship over time.

The family of Dr. Eble will be receiving guests during a celebration of life open house on September 8th from 4pm-7pm at the Aaron-Ruben-Nelson Funeral Home.  

John Nelson Eble II, M.D., M.B.A. Obituary - The Indianapolis Star (indystar.com)

Aaron-Ruben-Nelson Funeral Home
11411 N. Michigan Road 
Zionsville, IN 46077
Time:  4:00 pm-7:00 pm

Mike Feldman, MD, PhD
Manwaring Professor and Chair

Andrea Ligler, MBA
Vice Chair, Clinical and Academic Administration

Clark Day
Vice President, System Laboratory Services

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine

Lawrence M. Roth, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, passed away on September 4, 2023, at the age of 87. An expert in gynecologic pathology, Dr. Roth was recruited to IU School of Medicine from the faculty of Tulane University to serve as director of surgical pathology, a position he held from 1971 until his retirement from IU School of Medicine in 2001.

A 1957 graduate of Vanderbilt University, Dr. Roth received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1960. After completing his residency in anatomical pathology at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis in 1964, he spent a year as a senior research trainee through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences in the Hormone Laboratory at the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. While at the institute, he focused on steroid biochemistry.

Dr. Roth served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967 at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C., and the 249th General Hospital in a U.S. Army base near Tokyo as captain and chief of the pathology service. He returned to residency in clinical pathology at the San Francisco Medical Center before his teaching appointment as assistant professor of pathology at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1968.

He served on the editorial boards of journals such as the American Journal of Surgical Pathology, American Journal of Clinical Pathology, International Journal of Gynecologic Pathology, Seminars in Diagnostic Pathology, Human Pathology, and Endocrine Pathology. He became a Life Fellow of the College of American Pathologists in 2017, a member of the IU School of Medicine Dean’s Council in 2020 and served as board member of the J.R. Ritchey Society at IU School of Medicine. His academic record includes nearly 200 published articles and 22 book chapters.

Dr. Roth remained active in research and scholarly activities with his colleagues in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine well after he had reached Professor Emeritus status and in the months preceding his death. In addition, he could be found attending grand rounds and departmental social engagements; he loved to socialize over food with his colleagues. Following his retirement, Dr. Roth created the Lawrence M. Roth Professor of Pathology endowed professorship, which the department maintains in his honor.

In an invited article for Human Pathology from 2011, “On Being a Pathologist—Passing on the Torch of Knowledge” (Hum Pathol. 2012 Feb;43[2]:165-71), Dr. Roth reflected on his pathway into the field and provided an amazing glimpse into his life, which included having a father who was an astrophysicist who worked on the Manhattan Project. As becomes clear in the article, Dr. Roth was guided by the important tenets of fairness, utmost respect for everyone—including students, technicians and administrators—and the “good example of diligence.” Diagnostic service always remained his first priority.

Services for Dr. Roth will be held on Friday, September 8, at 11 am at the Aaron-Ruben-Nelson Funeral Home, 11411 N. Michigan Road, in Zionsville, Indiana.

Dr. Roth’s family welcome any reminiscences his colleagues may want to share. The family can be reached at droth@pobox.com.

If you are unable to attend the service a live stream of the funeral services can be found here.

Photos used by kind permission from Dr. Cong Yang.

The Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Pathology conducts a bi-weekly Grand Rounds education series. Grand Rounds are held in both a Zoom and live audience format. Participants are able to receive continuing medical education (CME) credit. Grand Rounds in the Department of Pathology serves as an integral part of the educational experience across all levels of learning—attendance is encouraged for medical students, residents, fellows and faculty as well as our collaborating IU Health partners in pathology across multiple disciplines. Topics and presenters are selected to reflect timely issues and knowledge in the ever developing world of pathology.