A longtime interest in science led Dr. Giovanni Botten to UT Southwestern, while lab experience involving pathology research solidified his focus. His long-term goal is to run his own laboratory at an academic medical center, specializing in either hematopathology or molecular pathology.

Giovanni Botten, M.D., Ph.D.

What this award means: It is a great honor to receive this award. The faculty members within the Department are exceptional at embracing students and are genuinely interested in our journey to becoming pathologists.

Mentor comment: Giovanni Botten has distinguished himself academically in both medical and graduate school. He has authored or co-authored 13 peer-reviewed manuscripts, a book chapter, and four poster presentations. He was awarded the Best Poster Presentation in 2019 for the Genetics, Development and Disease UTSW Graduate Program. – Kathleen Wilson, M.D., Professor of Pathology and in the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development

Background and family: I was born and raised in Los Angeles. My mother emigrated from Peru at a young age and is an accountant and partner at a business management firm. My father is from Michigan and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. My younger sister is a nurse. My wife is a neonatal nurse practitioner and doula. I am the first in my family to attend college and medical school.

What led to your career path: After college, I completed a Master of Health Science at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, where I was inspired to pursue a career in science. I joined a laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a research technician, investigating transcriptional responses to inflammatory stimuli within innate immune cells. I worked closely with a postdoctoral fellow who previously received combined M.D./Ph.D. training and completed a dermatopathology fellowship at UCLA. My thesis adviser at UTSW received his Ph.D. training from the same lab at UCLA under the same Principal Investigator I worked with previously. I had joined UTSW familiar with the field of pathology, and my passion for the field grew.

College: I graduated from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and immunology. I participated in the UCI Excellence in Research and Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programs, investigating pediatric cancer-related pain. I was a resident adviser for student housing, and a statistician for the men’s volleyball team when the Anteaters won the NCAA title.

UTSW activities: I have been actively involved in research at UTSW as a student in the Perot Family Scholars Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). I conducted my dissertation research with former faculty member Jian Xu, Ph.D., investigating how large-scale genomic mutations that do not disrupt protein-coding sequences influence gene expression in leukemia cells. I was an executive member of the MSTP Grand Rounds committee and the former MSTP Social Committee (pre-COVID-19). I also served as an Executive Committee member for the Latino Medical Student Association and Southwestern Garden Club.

Surprising fact: English was not my first language.

Future plans: I plan to complete residency training at UCLA and pursue a clinical fellowship in hematopathology or molecular pathology. My long-term goal is to run my own laboratory at an academic medical center.

About the award: The award was established by friends and colleagues of Dr. Stembridge, a former Chair of Pathology, who died in 2000. The $1,500 award is given to a fourth-year medical student entering the field of pathology who has exhibited exemplary academic performance.