Anita J. Huttner, MD

Anita Huttner, MD, is a pathologist who specializes in identifying diseases and cancers in the brain. “By looking at tumor cells under a microscope, I can see how they behave, which helps to shed light on their behavior in the brain as soon as they become tumor cells,” Dr. Huttner says.

In addition to her specialty in neuropathology, Dr. Huttner has studied molecular diagnostic pathology. “This means I can incorporate the genetic sequencing results of a brain tumor into my visual analysis of the tumor cells,” she says.

For her research, Dr. Huttner uses stem cells to “recreate the brain’s disorder found in diseases like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.” Even though this research is in the early stages of development, she hopes to find better treatments for brain tumors soon. Dr. Huttner explains that she feels compelled to investigate brain tumors because her father died from one. “I feel for my patients,” she says.

At Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Huttner is an associate professor of pathology.