A photo of Oscar Lopez-Nunez.

Oscar F. Lopez-Nunez, MD


  • Staff Pathologist, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
  • Director, Pediatric Pathology Fellowship Program
  • Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
I am aware of the enormous impact my diagnoses could have on children’s lives and the lives of their families. I approach each one of my patients with the same level of empathy and care as I would with my own children.
Oscar F. Lopez-Nunez, MD

About

Biography

As a pediatric pathologist, I am aware of the enormous impact my diagnoses could have on children’s lives and the lives of their families. I approach each one of my patients with the same level of empathy and care as I would with my own children.

I was inspired to pursue pathology over many years of training, where I developed a particular interest in studying disease mechanisms. As a pathology trainee, my personal experiences as a father and my fascination with understanding pediatric oncologic diseases helped me realize how deeply I care for children. So, I became a pediatric pathologist.

I consider myself to be an essential part of an interdisciplinary team. By spending quality time at the microscope, providing a comprehensive pathologic assessment in my reports and maintaining continuous communication with my clinical colleagues, I strive to achieve the correct diagnoses and the best care in every case.

Although my little patients and their families probably will not see me, I do see them. To me, every glass slide under my microscope is a small window into a child’s life. I want families to know I’m committed to providing the best care possible every time I render a diagnosis — no matter how simple or complex.

My areas of research include molecular characterization of bone and soft tissue tumors, like sarcomas. Many of these tumors show aggressive biologic behavior and the identification of molecular signatures can be beneficial from a diagnostic and a therapeutic point of view. I am also interested in the pathobiological mechanisms of pediatric eosinophilic disorders and inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases.

I love spending my free time with my wife and son doing outdoor activities, like hiking and biking. I also enjoy gardening outdoors. Among other things, I love freestyle drawing and illustration — a skill that I often use when spending time with my son or while creating online educational content for my peers in pathology.

MD: Universidad Dr. Jose Matias Delgado, Escuela de Medicina, Antiguo Cuscatlan, El Salvador.

Residency: Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.

Fellowship: Department of Pathology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

Certification: Educational Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).

Interests

Sarcomas and pediatric soft tissue tumors; pediatric bone tumors; neuroblastoma; inflammatory bowel disease; eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders; medical education

Services and Specialties

Pathology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Interests

Pathobiology of pediatric sarcomas and bone tumors; inflammatory bowel disease; eosinophilic esophagitis; artificial intelligence

Research Areas

Pathology

Publications

Diagnostic Utility of a Modified Reticulin Algorithm in Pediatric Adrenocortical Neoplasms. Lopez-Nunez, O; Virgone, C; Kletskaya, IS; Santoro, L; Giuliani, S; Okoye, B; Volante, M; Ferrari, A; Bisogno, G; Duregon, E; Papotti, M; De Salvo, G; Ranganathan, S; Alaggio, R. The American Journal of Surgical Pathology. 2024; 48:309-316.

#PediPath: Addressing Pediatric Pathology Recruitment Through Social Media and Other Online Platforms. Schukow, CP; Lopez-Nunez, OF. Pediatric and developmental pathology : the official journal of the Society for Pediatric Pathology and the Paediatric Pathology Society. 2024; 27:205-206.

Endemic mycoses in children in North America: a review of radiologic findings. Campbell, AP; Qiu, L; Dillman, JR; Trout, AT; Szabo, S; Lopez–Nunez, OF; Pugmire, BS; Schapiro, AH. Pediatric Radiology: roentgenology, nuclear medicine, ultrasonics, CT, MRI. 2023; 53:984-1004.

Improving Lyme disease testing with data driven test design in pediatrics. Elkhadrawi, M; Lopez-Nunez, O; Akcakaya, M; Wheeler, SE. Journal of Pathology Informatics. 2023; 14:100300.

DICER1-associated malignancies mimicking germ cell neoplasms: Report of two cases and review of the literature. Rossi, S; Barresi, S; Stracuzzi, A; Lopez-Nunez, O; Chiaravalli, S; Ferrari, A; Ciolfi, A; Maria Milano, G; Giovannoni, I; Tartaglia, M; Miele, E; Alaggio, R. Pathology, Research and Practice. 2021; 225:153553.

Clinicopathologic Correlations in Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders. Pesek, RD; Greuter, T; Lopez-Nunez, O; Bernieh, A; Straumann, A; Collins, MH. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: in Practice. 2021; 9:3258-3266.

Pediatric decision limits for serologic screening of Lyme disease. Lopez-Nunez, O; Srivastava, P; Wheeler, BJ; Oakes, N; Thomas, H; Nowalk, A; Wheeler, S. Clinical Biochemistry. 2021; 91:59-62.

Melanotic Neuroectodermal Tumor of Infancy (MNTI) and Pineal Anlage Tumor (PAT) Harbor A Medulloblastoma Signature by DNA Methylation Profiling. Lopez-Nunez, O; Alaggio, R; John, I; Ciolfi, A; Pedace, L; Mastronuzzi, A; Gianno, F; Giangaspero, F; Rossi, S; Donofrio, V; Cinalli, G; Surrey, LF; Tartaglia, M; Locatelli, F; Miele, E. Cancers. 2021; 13.

The spectrum of rare central nervous system (CNS) tumors with EWSR1-non-ETS fusions: experience from three pediatric institutions with review of the literature. Lopez-Nunez, O; Cafferata, B; Santi, M; Ranganathan, S; Pearce, TM; Kulich, SM; Bailey, KM; Broniscer, A; Rossi, S; Zin, A; Zhong, Y; Miele, E; Alaggio, R; Surrey, LF. Brain Pathology. 2021; 31:70-83.

Novel APOD-GLI1 rearrangement in a sarcoma of unknown lineage. Lopez-Nunez, O; Surrey, LF; Alaggio, R; Herradura, A; McGough, RL; John, I. Histopathology. 2021; 78:338-340.

Patient Ratings and Comments

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4.6
Overall Patient Rating