Education

Anatomic Pathology Residency, Athens, Greece
PhD, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece
MD, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece
BS, Dept. of Biology, University of Athens, Greece

Training

Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston
Tulane University Medical School, Dept. of Medicine, and VA Medical Center, Endocrine, Polypeptide and Cancer Institute, New Orleans

Biography/Areas of Expertise

Dr. Ioulia Chatzistamou is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at the USC-SOM, Columbia, where she contributes as a pathologist, educator, mentor, and academic leader. She earned her M.D. from the University of Athens and completed a Ph.D. in Pathology, examining growth hormone–releasing hormone (GHRH) in gynecologic neoplasms. After residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Aretaieion University Hospital, she pursued research and training at Tulane University under Nobel Laureate Dr. Andrew V. Schally and at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, gaining expertise in molecular and experimental pathology. Before joining USC, she served as Lecturer and later Assistant Professor of Histopathology at the University of Athens School of Dentistry, where she was the pathologist in charge of the Oral Pathology Service.

At USC, Dr. Chatzistamou contributes to both medical and graduate education. She directs the Endocrine & Reproductive System Block for second-year medical students, the Health Professional Sciences Concentration of the Master’s Program, and the Histopathology Service of the Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center. She has developed and is the course director of two graduate courses, PATH 711: Experimental Pathology and BMSC 703: Communication Skills for Pre-Health Professionals. In addition to teaching across multiple M2 system blocks, graduate courses, and facilitating pathology small-group sessions, she is consistently recognized for her teaching through strong peer and student evaluations.

Beyond teaching, Dr. Chatzistamou plays an active role in academic service and leadership. She serves as the professional-track representative for USCSOM in the Faculty Senate and is a member of the Curriculum Committee and the Biomedical Graduate Program Committee. She has previously served on the Admissions Committee, LCME working groups, and numerous institutional ad hoc committees. Her mentorship spans graduate and medical students, including aspiring physician-scientists pursuing careers in academic medicine.

A productive and collaborative researcher, Dr. Chatzistamou has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as Science, Nature Aging, Nature Communications, Oncogene, and PNAS. She contributes her pathology expertise to major programs in cancer biology, immune regulation, aging, epigenetics, gut immunology, Peromyscus-based disease models, and medical education. She is continuously funded as a co-principal investigator or co-investigator on NIH and NSF grants, is a co-inventor on U.S. patents, and maintains strong collaborative partnerships across USC and national institutions. She also serves on editorial boards and reviews manuscripts for scientific journals as well as grant proposals for NIH and scientific foundations. Dr. Chatzistamou participates in national and international scientific and medical education organizations and presents her work at regional, national, and international conferences. Her recent scholarly contributions include published perspectives on medical education reform and educator wellness.

Publications

Complete List of Dr. Chatzistamou’s Published Work