Daniel M. Knowles—history buff, wine collector, and internationally recognized hematopathologist—now adds “multiple award recipient” to his list of accomplishments as the recipient of the ASCP 2007 Philip Levine Award for Outstanding Research. Dr. Knowles is the David D. Thompson Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Pathologist-in-Chief at New York–Presbyterian Hospital–Weill Cornell Center.
Particularly noted for his original contributions concerning the immunopathologic and molecular pathologic characterization of benign and malignant lymphoproliferative disorders, especially those associated with immune deficiency, Dr. Knowles’s most recent contributions include his participation in the discovery of the Kaposi’s Sarcoma–Associated Herpes virus (designated as HHV–8) and the discovery and characterization of a subset of AIDS-related lymphomas that contain HHV–8.
“What I like and respect most about the ASCP is its emphasis on education,” Dr. Knowles commented. “The ASCP has developed an excellent educational program utilizing the best and brightest academic pathologists and laboratory scientists to lecture and teach across the broad spectrum of pathology. The provision of these educational experiences by the ASCP improves the practice of pathology across the world and enhances patient care.”
Dr. Knowles received his MD in 1973 from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, completed residency in anatomic pathology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and post-doctoral training in cellular immunology under the tutelage of Dr. Henry Kunkel at The Rockefeller University. He served as Professor of Pathology and Chief of Surgical Pathology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons until 1994.
The author of more than 275 published scientific papers, Dr. Knowles has received several research awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society. He is a member of the prestigious International Lymphoma Study Group, editor of the leading hematopathology textbook, Neoplastic Hematopathology, directs the annual Tutorial on Neoplastic Hematopathology, and serves on the editorial board of numerous medical and scientific journals. In addition, he serves as Chief Medical Officer of the Weill Cornell Physician Organization, the body responsible for administrative oversight of the more than 700 full-time Weill Cornell physicians and surgeons.
Dr. Knowles’s interests include postal history and wine collecting. “I collect the actual envelopes bearing stamps and postal markings that direct the United States mail throughout the world during the period 1861–1869,” said Dr. Knowles. “That was an extraordinarily interesting and important time in the history of the United States since it encompasses the initial significant expansion of communication with Europe, Asia, and South America, the Civil War, the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, and westward migration and expansion.”
Dr. Knowles has been an avid wine collector since the late 1970s. “My collection currently consists of approximately 3,000 bottles, comprised principally of wine from France, California, and Italy,” he said. Dr. Knowles, his wife Marian, and son Tyler live in a turn-of-the-century brownstone in the historic and landmarked neighborhood of Park Slope in Brooklyn, New York.
The ASCP Philip Levine Award recognizes researchers who have made a significant contribution to molecular pathology, immunohematology, and immunopathology. It is named after the late Philip Levine, MD, for his many distinguished contributions to clinical medicine.