A Message from the Chair
Donald S. Karcher, MD, FCAP is Professor and Interim Chair of Pathology at George Washington University (GW). He has been a member of the GW Pathology faculty for many years, serving as Chief of Hematopathology, Chief of Flow Cytometry, Director of the Residency Training Program, Director of the Division of Clinical Pathology, Director of Laboratories, and as the previous Chair of Pathology for 20 years. He resumed being Chair in 2026.
Dr. Karcher received residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX and is Board-certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Hematopathology. Before joining the GW Pathology faculty, he served as Chief of Hematopathology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC and Chief of Hematopathology at the Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans, LA.
Dr. Karcher has been active for many years in multiple national and international pathology organizations. He served from 2014-2016 as President of the Association of Pathology Chairs (APC), the preeminent organization of academic departments of pathology in the US and Canada. He has held many leadership positions in the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and served as CAP President in 2023-2025.
Learn more about Dr. Donald S. Karcher
Mission Statement:
Our mission at the George Washington University (GW) Department of Pathology is to provide outstanding cutting-edge diagnostics for clinical care, exceptional training and education to prepare the next generation of pathologists and scientists, and innovative research to advance medical knowledge.
The GW Department of Pathology is home to approximately 35 clinical faculty, 17 residents and clinical fellows, research faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and specialized staff. Our distinguished cadre of nationally and internationally recognized faculty define a vibrant environment where cutting-edge clinical diagnostics, education, and translational research come together and work synergistically. Our faculty are based primarily at the George Washington University campus in Foggy Bottom, as well as at the Children’s National Medical Center and the Washington VA Medical Center. Our faculty’s research expertise covers a wide range with particular areas of strength in cancer biology, genomics, bioinformatics, digital pathology, cancer, pre-cancer predictive biomarkers, and vaccine development.
The GW Department of Pathology provides clinical laboratory services for the George Washington University Hospital and its ambulatory clinics, the GW Cancer Center, and the clinical enterprise provided by the GW Medical Faculty Associates, covering all medical and surgical subspecialties. We provide expert consultation services in general surgical pathology, with special expertise in gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, pancreas, breast, and GYN pathology. We also provide services in laboratory medicine spanning genomics of cancer, molecular virology such as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) RT-PCR and antibody testing, and a wide range of other tests.
We invite you to visit the pages of our website to explore our offerings in clinical diagnostics, education, training, and research.
Please feel free to contact us if you need any additional information.
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences offers an ACGME-accredited residency program in Pathology, training physicians to become exceptionally skilled in the practice of both anatomic and clinical pathology.
The Division of Anatomic Pathology offers a one-year ACGME accredited fellowship in Cytopathology and a one-year fellowship in Surgical Pathology. Children's Hospital offers a one-year ACGME accredited fellowship in Pediatric Pathology.
