Malini Harigopal, MD

Malini Harigopal, MD, is a professor of pathology, vice chair of surgical pathology, chief of breast pathology, program director of the breast fellowship, and director of the immunohistochemistry laboratory at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her academic journey began in Hyderabad, India, where she completed her MBBS at the University of Health Sciences and earned a diploma in Clinical Pathology. She moved to the United States in 1995 and completed her residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Chicago, followed by three prestigious fellowships at Weill Cornell Medical Center in cytopathology, breast pathology, and renal pathology. Her academic career flourished at Yale School of Medicine, where she progressed from instructor to professor of pathology on the clinician educator track. She served in key leadership roles while at Yale, directing the Circulating Tumor Cell Division of Cytology and later becoming director of Breast Pathology and the Immunohistochemistry Laboratory. At Yale she shaped innovative diagnostic approaches and strengthened interdisciplinary collaborations. She transitioned to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. Dr. Harigopal’s translational research is on breast biomarkers using modern platforms. It focuses on the shift from traditional diagnosis to the quantitative assessment of biomarkers and discovery of novel biomarkers in rare breast cancer subtypes. She has been a principal investigator and co-investigator in numerous clinical trials and grants, has published numerous original articles in high-impact journals, and has contributed to book chapters and review articles, as well as being the editor of the Radiology Pathology Correlations of Breast Lesions textbook. She is an invited speaker and moderator at international and national conferences, including the USCAP Annual Meeting, the American Society of Cytopathology (ASC), educational global symposia, and networks in India, Italy, and Africa. She has been recognized for her excellent mentorship roles both at Yale and at Mount Sinai. Finally, she is an active member of the NYMBCG (NY metropolitan breast cancer group) where she serves on the education and planning committee. Dr. Harigopal is currently working on advancements in breast pathology using data-driven, objective assessments enabled by digital and computational tools.