Dr. Y. Lynn Wang, MD, PhD

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Get to know Pathologist Dr. Y. Lynn Wang, who serves cancer patients in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Wang, a board-certified molecular pathologist, is specialized in the development and interpretation of molecular and genomic clinical assays including PCR, RT-PCR, FISH, Sanger sequencing, microsatellite analyses and Next-gen sequencing assays. 

Since 2021, she has been serving as the Medical Director of Molecular Pathology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She holds a rank of full Professor within the Department of Pathology and Blood Cell Development and Function Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center since 2018.

As a principal investigator & physician-scientist, Dr. Wang leads several translational research projects on aberrant signal transduction pathways in B-cell lymphoma and leukemia. She is an expert on cell signaling and sensitivity/resistance to targeted therapies.

Her lab works on molecular-targeted therapies in CLL and non-Hodgkin lymphoma with emphasis on: B-cell receptor signaling in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and CLL, mechanisms of sensitivity and resistance to targeted therapies in non-Hodgkin lymphoma, rational drug combination in non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and ex vivo models.

Prior to joining Fox Chase Cancer Center, she served as the Founding Director of the Genomic and Molecular Pathology Division and the Director of Lymphoma Translational Pathology at the University of Chicago from 2013 to 2018, and as the Director of Molecular Hematopathology at Weill Cornell Medical College from 2002 to 2013.

Dr. Wang graduated with her medical degree from Beijing Medical University in China in 1988. She then relocated to the United States, earned her PhD in molecular biology/biochemistry at Brandeis University in 1995, and her fellowship in molecular pathology within the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in 1997.

Furthering her training, she performed her residency in clinical pathology within the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in 2002, her postdoctoral research in cancer biology at Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute in 2002, and her medical degree at the University of the State of New York, also in 2002.

Subsequent to her education, Dr. Wang attained board certifications in molecular genetic pathology & clinical pathology through the American Board of Pathology. Its mission is to serve the public and advance the profession of pathology by setting certification standards and promoting lifelong competency of pathologists.

Remaining up to date in her field, she is an active member of the American Society of Hematology, the Association for Molecular Pathology, the College of American Pathologists (Fellow), the American Society for Investigative Pathology, and the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology.

Pathology is a branch of medical science that involves the study and diagnosis of disease through the examination of surgically removed organs, tissues, bodily fluids, and in some cases, the whole body. Pathologists are physicians who specialize in the diagnosis and management can help your primary care doctors make a diagnosis about your medical condition. 

A well accomplished investigator, Dr. Wang has made 75 contributions to peer-reviewed medical and scientific literature. Her work on B-cell receptor signaling and ibrutinib resistance have appeared in journals such as New England Journal of Medicine, Blood, Leukemia, JAMA Oncology, British Journal of Hematology, Oncogene, Blood Advances, and many others. She has presented her laboratory findings at numerous national and international meetings and her work is widely cited by her peers. Dr. Wang, in addition, is the inventor on two patents related to resistance to BTK inhibitor ibrutinib.

Among her various accolades include the Yao Yuan Award for Research Excellence (2017) & Travel Award, American Society for Clinical Investigation (2006, 2008).

On a more personal note, Dr. Wang’s hobbies include photography and outdoor activities such as skiing and kayaking. She speaks both English and Chinese.

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