Ron Herbert, D.V.M., Ph.D., F.I.A.T.P.

The Pathology Support Group, within the Comparative & Molecular Pathogenesis Branch, provides technical, collaborative and consultative pathology support for NIEHS research programs. For over 25 years, the Pathology Support Group has been a valuable resource for research programs throughout the NIEHS Division of Intramural Research (DIR) and the Division of Translational Toxicology (DTT). The Group consists of five technical laboratories that are essential components of the DTT and NIEHS research programs.

Our primary mission is to maintain a group of centralized, in-house, pathology Core Laboratories that use the latest technologies to provide a broad range of critical cost effective, routine and specialized, pathology related, technical support for research programs across NIEHS. In addition to technical support, the group also serves as a consultative and collaborative resource for NIEHS scientists related to the technical services provided.

The Group consists of five core laboratories, including:

• Electron Microscopy
• Histology
• Imaging Sciences
  • Digital Imaging
  • Artificial Intelligence
• Immunohistochemistry
• Necropsy

The laboratories are staffed by highly experienced, professional, and technical personnel that include board certified, veterinary toxicologic pathologists, technical biologists, and on-site technical contractors.

Ronald Herbert, D.V.M., Ph.D., F.I.A.T.P., is a veterinary pathologist with over 30 years’ experience in anatomic and diagnostic toxicologic pathology and pathology peer review of short- and long-term rodent toxicity and carcinogenicity studies. Herbert is a graduate of Tuskegee University where he earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology, and Animal and Poultry Science, and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) from the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1985. He completed a 5-year residency/fellowship and a Ph.D. in anatomic and comparative pathology at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 1991. During this time, Herbert also trained in inhalation/pulmonary toxicologic pathology at the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (formerly the Lovelace Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute), Albuquerque, New Mexico completing his thesis research on the “Pathogenesis of Plutonium-induced Lung Cancer in Rodents”. Subsequently, Herbert completed a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship in toxicologic pathology and pathology peer review in the National Toxicology Program (NTP), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and joined as an NTP staff scientist in 1994. Currently, he serves as a senior scientist/toxicologic pathologist/consultant in pathology within the Comparative and Molecular Pathogenesis Branch (CMPB), Division of Translational Toxicology. He leads the Pathology Support Group and is responsible for managing the Necropsy, Histology, Immunohistochemistry and Electron Microscopy Core Laboratories and the Imaging Sciences (Artificial Intelligence/Image Analysis) Group. He has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles in leading biomedical journals as well as several book chapters and NTP technical reports. His areas of interest include chemical-induced toxicity and carcinogenesis, and toxicologic pathology with emphasis in pathology peer review, and pathology of the respiratory and female reproductive systems, digital pathology and Artificial Intelligence for qualitative and quantitative pathology evaluations and analyses.