Karen L. Rech

Karen L. Rech, M.D., is a physician-scientist and Medical Director of the Immunostains Laboratory at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. She specializes in Hematopathology, with expertise in diagnosing hematolymphoid neoplasms, bone marrow disorders, and histiocytic/dendritic cell neoplasms through integrated ancillary techniques like immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry.

• Education:
  • M.D., University of North Carolina School of Medicine (1998)
  • Hematopathology Residency, Mayo Clinic (2004)
  • Anatomic & Clinical Pathology Residency, Mayo Clinic (2002)

Her research focuses on histiocytic neoplasms, including Erdheim-Chester Disease, Rosai-Dorfman Disease, and Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. She leads the Mayo Clinic Histiocytosis Working Group and contributes to WHO tumor classification projects. Recent publications highlight biomarker development (e.g., neurofilament light chain), personalized medicine strategies, and consensus guidelines for adult histiocytosis diagnosis.

• Scientific Contributions:
  • International consensus recommendations for Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis
  • Diagnostic algorithms for Rosai-Dorfman Disease
  • WHO classification updates for hematopoietic neoplasms
  • Personalized therapy frameworks for non-MAPK histiocytic disorders
  • Neurological manifestations in CNS histiocytic neoplasms
  • Development of amyloid typing via mass spectrometry