Joseph Thomas Rabban III, MD, MPH

My clinical specialty is diagnostic gynecologic surgical pathology, encompassing biopsies and surgical resections of both benign and malignant diseases of the ovary, fallopian tubes, uterus, peritoneum, vagina, vulva, as well as gestational trophoblastic disease.  I serve as the head of the gynecological pathology service at UCSF Mission Bay campus.  My main patient population consists of patients who are seeking care at the UCSF Gynecologic Oncology division, OB/Gyn division, and Center for Reproductive Health. As a member of the UCSF Multidisciplinary Gynecologic Oncology Tumor Board, I work closely with surgeons, oncologists, and radiation oncologists to provide multidisciplinary recommendations for patient care. As a member of the UCSF Cancer Risk Program, I work closely with genetic counselors and gynecologic oncologists to provide multidisciplinary recommendations for assessing risk for hereditary basis of disease in patients with gynecologic pathology. In addition I provide diagnostic consultation services to pathologists at institutions other than UCSF who request a second opinion on a gynecologic surgical pathology specimen.

My clinical research focuses on refining evidence-based tumor classification in gynecologic disease , integrating morphology, immunohistochemistry and molecular alterations, as well as on refining pathologic phenotype-genotype correlation of inherited gynecologic cancers in order to better identify patients who may benefit from genetic counseling for further risk assessment.

My teaching mission encompasses undergraduate medical education (UME) (I serve as the Mission Bay campus coordinator of our departments 2 week and 4 week medical student pathology electives; graduate medical education (GME) (I serve as the coordinator for our resident and general surgical pathology fellow rotation in gynecological pathology and as Program Director of the Gynecological Pathology Fellowship); and continuing medical education (CME) (I am co-chair of our departmental CME committee).  In addition to departmental CME courses, I am a frequent speaker and course director of national and international CME courses in gynecological pathology. 

My professional organization roles include serving on the editorial board, and as an author, of the 5th edition World Health Classification System of Tumors of the Female Genital Tract, associate editor of the International Journal of Gynecological Pathology, and a member of the American Board of Pathology test development and advisory committee.  I am a past-Co-Chair of the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists (ISGyP) educational committee as well as past-Secretary.  I have served on several expert panel committees for ISGyP, International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting, and other international consortia for cancer classification and reporting.