Mai Hoang

Mai Hoang, MD is Director of Dermatopathology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. She oversees diagnostic services for patients and consultation services for pathologists across the United States, working closely with dermatologists, surgeons, and oncologists. Her leadership in the Dermatopathology Unit began in January 2020, succeeding Dr. Lyn Duncan who had served as director since 2007.

Dr. Hoang completed her medical degree at UT Southwestern Medical School, followed by residency at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and fellowships at Duke University Medical Center and the University of Texas - MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is board certified in both Dermatopathology and Anatomic/Clinical Pathology by the American Board of Pathology.

Her research focuses on immunohistochemistry as diagnostic tools in pathology and predictive/prognostic markers in rare cutaneous tumors. She has conducted significant work distinguishing benign versus malignant adnexal neoplasms, porocarcinoma versus squamous cell carcinoma, and primary adnexal carcinomas versus cutaneous metastases. Her validation studies have confirmed the role of BRAFV600E, BAP1, and ROS1 immunostains as sensitive, specific screening tests for underlying molecular abnormalities.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on molecular pathology in cutaneous malignancies, particularly melanoma variants and Merkel cell carcinoma. Her work spans basic research on gene mutations (NRAS, KIT, BRAF, SF3B1) to clinical applications of immunohistochemical markers, with increasing focus on immunotherapy response mechanisms in recent years.

Dr. Hoang has directed the Harvard Dermatopathology Update 3-day CME course from 2008-2017 and continues to be actively involved in teaching residents in Pathology and Dermatology, as well as Dermatopathology Fellows. She participates in numerous teaching conferences including Dermatology Clinicopathologic Correlation, Dermatopathology Consensus, and Melanoma Multidisciplinary Conferences.

The Dermatopathology Unit she leads at Massachusetts General Hospital is described as a world leader in diagnostic dermatopathology, with missions focused on providing exceptional patient care, training future leaders in the field, and contributing to dermatopathology through scholarly works. Her international collaborative efforts include investigators from 10 clinical centers across the U.S., Spain, Poland, and Taiwan.