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N. Paul Ohori, MD

Professor of Pathology, Division of Anatomic Pathology

Dr. Ohori is Medical Director of Cytopathology at UPMC-Presbyterian.  He specializes in Non-Gynecologic Cytopathology with a focus in thyroid, pancreatobiliary, and pulmonary areas.  He is recognized internationally for his research in thyroid cytopathology and is a member of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology.

Clinical Expertise

  • Head and Neck and Thoracoabdominal Cytopathology
  • Pulmonary Pathology
  • Application of Ancillary Testing to Cytopathology

Certification

  • Anatomic and Clinical Pathology from the American Board of Pathology
  • Cytopathology from the American Board of Pathology
Education & Training
BA with Honors - Johns Hopkins University
MD - Medical College of Virginia
Pathology Residency - Hospitals of the University Health Care Center of Pittsburgh (UPMC)
Awards
Residency Program Director’s Award. UPMC-Presbyterian Cytopathology Rotation, 2003.
Top cited article in Cancer Cytopathology, 2010.
International Award for Publishing Excellence in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2012.
Advances in Thyroid Cytology Award at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Cytopathology, 2018.
Research Interests

Dr. Ohori’s research interests have focused on clinicopathologic, cytopathologic, and molecular correlation of thyroid, pancreas, pulmonary diseases to develop better understanding and application of techniques to practice.  In addition, he participates in research in quality assurance and resident and fellow training.

Representative Publications

View Dr. Ohori's publications on PubMed.

Selected Publications

  1. Ohori NP, Minkowitz JM, Nikiforov YE, Seethala RR. The fascinating history of papillary thyroid carcinoma nuclei: revelation of two nuclear morphologies-"Classical papillary" and "papillary-like", with different pathobiologic characteristics. Cancer Cytopathol. 2026 May;134(5):e70100. doi:10.1002/cncy.70100. Erratum in: Cancer Cytopathol. 2026 Jun;134(6):e70115. doi:10.1002/cncy.70115. PMID: 42018436; PMCID: PMC13102140.

  2. Starr D, Tjendra Y, Velez Torres JM, Gomez-Fernandez C, Khader SN, Karslioglu-French E, Yip L, Carty SE, Skaugen JM, Nikiforov YE, Seethala RR, Ohori NP. Parsing the thyroid cytopathology suspicious for malignancy diagnosis through molecular-derived risk of malignancy and other related parameters: Insights into nodule characteristics and practice patterns. Cancer Cytopathol.2025 Jan;133(1):e22904. doi: 10.1002/cncy.22904. Epub 2024 Sep 11. PMID:39258823.

  3. Ohori NP. Evolving concepts in thyroid cytology. J Am Soc Cytopathol. 2024 Nov-Dec;13(6):389-396. doi: 10.1016/j.jasc.2024.08.127. Epub 2024 Aug 14. PMID:39256135.

  4. Ohori NP, Cuda JM, Bastacky SI, Yip L, Karslioglu-French E, Morariu EM, Ullal J, Ramonell KM, Carty SE, Nikiforov YE, Schoedel KE, Seethala RR. Molecular-derived risk of malignancy and the related positive call rate of indeterminate thyroid cytology diagnoses as quality metrics for individual cytopathologists. Cancer Cytopathol. 2024 Feb;132(2):109-118. doi: 10.1002/cncy.22772. Epub 2023 Oct 17. PMID: 37849056.

  5. Geisler DL, Karslioglu French E, Yip L, Nikiforova MN, Nikiforov YE, Schoedel KE, Seethala RR, Ohori NP. A thyroid EIF1AX story: how clinical, cytologic, and molecular surveillance led to appropriate management. J Am Soc Cytopathol. 2023 Mar-Apr;12(2):105-111. doi: 10.1016/j.jasc.2022.11.002. Epub 2022 Nov 18. PMID: 36504010; PMCID: PMC11194791.

  6. Ohori NP, Nishino M. Follicular Neoplasm of Thyroid Revisited: Current Differential Diagnosis and the Impact of Molecular Testing. Adv Anat Pathol. 2023 Jan 1;30(1):11-23. doi: 10.1097/PAP.0000000000000368. Epub 2022 Sep 14. PMID: 36102526.

  7. Geisler DL, Nestler RJ, Mosley BL, Walko AL, Cuda JM, Schoedel KE, Davison JM, Ohori NP. Accuracy of definitive rapid onsite evaluation cytopathology diagnoses: Assessment of potentially critical diagnoses as a quality assurance measure. J Am Soc Cytopathol. 2022 May-Jun;11(3):133-141. doi:10.1016/j.jasc.2022.02.002. Epub 2022 Feb 11. PMID: 35260377.

  8. Ohori NP. A decade into thyroid molecular testing: where do we stand? J Am Soc Cytopathol. 2022 Mar-Apr;11(2):59-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jasc.2021.11.002. Epub 2021 Nov 25. PMID: 34916171.

  9. Ohori NP, Landau MS, Manroa P, Schoedel KE, Seethala RR. Molecular-derived estimation of risk of malignancy for indeterminate thyroid cytology diagnoses. J Am Soc Cytopathol. 2020 Jul-Aug;9(4):213-220. doi: 10.1016/j.jasc.2020.03.004. Epub 2020 Apr 8. PMID: 32336670.