Alumni Spotlights
From undergraduate and graduate degrees to residencies and fellowships, UT MD Anderson's education and training programs are as diverse as the types of care we provide.
Here's a look at how our alumni are using the knowledge they gained here to make a difference in their chosen fields.
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Alumni Spotlight | April 2026
Mark Bailey
Program Director, Histotechnology
Associate Professor
School of Health Professions
From Student to Leading the Next Generation of Histotechnologists
When Mark Bailey stepped onto UT MD Anderson’s campus in 1987, he hoped to apply for an entry level pathology position, but what he found was a calling that would define his career for decades to come.
“At that time, you had to physically come up to UT MD Anderson. You would start in Human Resources to inquire about educational programs or job openings,” Bailey recalls.
Although no roles matched his qualifications, a representative recommended he complete a training program in histotechnology and invited him to tour the facilities.
That tour changed everything.
Bailey visited eight different laboratories, seeing firsthand the scope of subspecialties behind patient diagnoses. One stop stood out: the frozen sections laboratory, where surgically excised tissue is rapidly analyzed to help determine a patient’s disease stage.
“I witnessed a surgical pathologist examine the tissue and hand a small piece to someone for testing. That’s when I realized the person was a histotechnologist. The procedure really intrigued me,” Bailey says. “I started asking lots of questions.”
By the end of the tour, Bailey knew he wanted to apply despite the competitive nature of the program, which accepted four of 20 applicants.
His fascination with the world of science and medicine wasn’t new. In high school, Bailey completed courses on health professions, later taking college-level science courses while pursuing his associate’s degree in biology. Even television shows fueled his curiosity.
“I needed a part-time job, and while watching Quincy, M.E., I became intrigued by the lab scenes where tissue was being sectioned on a cryostat,” he says. “That curiosity led me to contact the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office, where I learned that working as a lab technologist required certification through formal training at the UT medical school or UT MD Anderson.”
But after he earned his associate’s degree in 1982, a unique opportunity drew Bailey to the oil industry. Four years later, the oil market crashed, and he was out of a job.
“I was talking to different friends of mine and remembered back to what the medical examiner’s office told me,” he recalls. “That’s when I looked up UT MD Anderson. I called them, and they asked me to come in to look at the job postings.”
Bailey joined the histotechnology certificate program in December 1987 and completed it a year later. He still remembers his first rotation, back in the frozen section laboratory that sparked his initial interest.
“I was working shoulder-to-shoulder with the surgical pathology team, learning stat procedures,” Bailey says. “It was a heady experience that I will never forget. The team worked together quickly to provide a precise diagnosis for the patient who was under anesthesia in the operating room adjacent to our lab.”
It was there he learned one of the most important lessons he still shares with his students today:
“I learned the importance of logistical management of the hundreds of thousands of surgical specimens and clinical biopsies, the importance of the continuous evolvement of managing the specimens, avoiding the errors, which could lead to a poor outcome for our patients,” he says.
Following graduation, Bailey remained at UT MD Anderson, working as a research histology technician specializing in ovarian cancer and a clinical histology technician in the institution’s first molecular diagnostics lab.
“That’s really where my career got started,” he says. “There was a shortage of histotechnologists at the time, much like there is now.”
In 1992, Bailey joined Baylor College of Medicine’s Department of Cellular Biology as a research assistant, working in a basic science laboratory investigating retinoblastoma. During his six-year tenure, he also earned a master’s degree in education and humanities from Texas A&M University. He then transitioned to teaching biology at a high school for health professions.
“I thought it would be interesting to teach high school and share my experience of working in research where biology is practiced,” Bailey says.
After five years in the classroom, a chance encounter with a former UT MD Anderson colleague at a conference brought Bailey back to his roots. In 2003, he returned as a pathology tissue specialist in the Department of Pathology’s frozen section labs. He was soon recruited to the School of Health Professions, where he began teaching the very program that launched his career.
“I happened to be in the right place at the right time,” he says.
In 2009, the histotechnology program transitioned from a certificate to a bachelor’s degree. Bailey advanced to program director, the same role he holds today.
Under his leadership, the program has grown to more than 30 students across four labs. In 2025, it recorded 100% graduation and job placement rates.
“I enjoy working with the students, love teaching and sharing my years of knowledge with them, that's my favorite thing,” he says.
Bailey oversees the ongoing review of curriculum to ensure coursework stays up to date with the latest advances in clinical and research histotechnology. He is also leading the program’s development of a comprehensive, cloud-based library of digital histology images for students and instructors to use in their educational and research activities.
He has also used his expertise has also been used to advance outreach initiatives worldwide.
Through UT MD Anderson’s global oncology efforts, Bailey traveled with UT MD Anderson’s pathology faculty as a histotechnology consultant to Zambia and Ethiopia, where he led weekly workshops, worked in a laboratory and helped develop a breast surgical pathology quality assurance protocol.
Bailey is one of the few who have seen the School of Health Professions grow from its early beginnings to its nearly 139,000 square foot home in 1MC, a full circle journey that inspires him to encourage students to embrace every opportunity.
“It’s a bit melancholy reflecting back on the beginning of my career and experiences in such a significant institute of cancer care,” Bailey says, sharing this advice. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Take advantage of participating in talks, volunteer, become involved in your disciplines. Be lifelong learners, carry on and advocate for yourself in your career.”
Outside work, Bailey enjoys journaling and outdoor activities such as wing shooting and fishing.
2026 Alumni Spotlights
March 2026
2026 UT MD Anderson Distinguished Alumnus
Qihui "Jim" Zhai, M.D., FCAP
Professor and Chairman
Albert G. and Harriet G. Smith Endowed Chair
Department of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology
Louisiana State University Health Shreveport
President, College of American Pathologists (CAP), 2025-2027
Pathologist-in-Chief
Ochsner Louisiana State Unversity Health Shreveport
Qihui “Jim” Zhai, M.D., FCAP, is a board-certified surgical pathologist specializing in head, neck, genitourinary and endocrine pathology. He is a professor in and the Albert G. and Harriet G. Smith Chair of the Department of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology at Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Shreveport. Additionally, Zhai is the pathologist-in-chief with Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport’s pathology service.
He earned his medical degree from the Medical School of Shandong University in Shandong, China, and completed his graduate studies at Peking Union Medical College and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing. Zhai then undertook postdoctoral research training in neurology at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., before joining the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo as an assistant professor (research track). He later advanced to associate professor (research track) at Henry Ford Health in Detroit. Zhai subsequently completed a pathology residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and an oncologic pathology fellowship at MD Anderson.
Prior to joining LSU Health Shreveport, Zhai held a faculty appointment at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Jacksonville, Fla. There, he served as a professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, where he was also the director of research and the founder and medical director of the Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization and Molecular Laboratory .
Zhai has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, manuscripts, and abstracts, and he has authored and edited nine major textbooks spanning his subspecialties, including best practices and quality assurance. Additionally, Zhai has served on the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine editorial board since 2005. He has extensive experience leading extramurally funded, hypothesis-driven initiatives that have been successfully implemented in clinical practice. His work spans basic science and translational research, morphological studies, clinical correlations, the application of artificial intelligence, and liquid biopsy techniques. He also has been instrumental in translating technological advances into patient care, ensuring the continued delivery of effective, accurate and up-to-date diagnostic and therapeutic services.
Zhai’s pathology practice experience encompasses academia, large group settings and private practice. As a passionate advocate for pathology, pathologists, an integrated care model and optimal patient care, Zhai remains a dedicated educator and mentor, guiding junior faculty members in their career trajectories.
Zhai is an active member of numerous organized medicine and pathology societies, including the Houston Society of Clinical Pathologists, the Florida Society of Pathologists, the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the American Board of Pathology, the Association for Molecular Pathology, the Association of Pathology Chairs, the Chinese American Pathologists Association and the College of American Pathologists (CAP).
He has been a fellow of the CAP since 2004 and actively served on several of its committees and councils as a member, vice chair or chair. He was elected to the CAP’s Board of Governors in 2019.
In 2023, Zhai became the CAP’s president-elect, and in 2025, he was inaugurated for a two-year term as the CAP’s 39th president.
February 2026
Alexandria Cogdill, Ph.D.
Head, Strategic Initiatives, Global Business Development
Daiichi Sankyo
Basking Ridge, NJ
Tokyo, Japan
Leading at the Intersection of Science and Strategy
Alexandria Cogdill, Ph.D., has always been driven by a deep curiosity about why, a mindset that now shapes how she leads large-scale level projects in the pharmaceutical industry.
As head of Strategic Initiatives in Global Business Development at Daiichi Sankyo, Cogdill operates with a wide-angle perspective, connecting science, strategy and execution to accelerate patient impact. Her team is responsible for leading some of the company’s highest priority cross-functional work, translating scientific opportunity into clear business strategy and coordinating execution across the global drug development enterprise.
A first-generation college graduate, Cogdill says her career has been defined by seeing potential where others may not.
“My path wasn’t linear, but it was intentional,” she says. “I’m energized by solving high-stakes problems with top-tier talent. Over time, that naturally evolved into a career in business development.”
After earning her Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Cogdill conducted research at the National Institutes of Health and Harvard. In 2012, she joined the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, where she contributed to the development and commercialization of the first Cluster of Differentiation 19 (CD19) CAR-T cell therapy. While at Penn, she also earned a Master of Engineering in Biotechnology, with a minor in Entrepreneurship.
In 2016, she went on to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in Immunology at 911爆料- 每日吃瓜情报站 MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
“I’m genuinely obsessed with immunology because it sits at the frontier of what we know and what we still need to discover,” Cogdill says. “Despite unanswered mechanistic questions, immunology has already delivered global breakthroughs in patient care. That combination of mystery and impact keeps me relentlessly engaged.”
Throughout her research training, Cogdill has built relationships with mentors who shaped her next chapter, including James Allison, Ph.D., vice president, Immunobiology, Immunology; Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., associate vice president, Immunobiology, Genitourinary Medical Oncology; Jennifer Wargo, M.D., professor, Surgical Oncology; and Stephanie Watowich, Ph.D., professor, Immunology.
“When deciding where to train and who to work with during my Ph.D., GSBS and MD Anderson were the clear choice because of the caliber of both the science and the people,” she says. “I wanted to train in an environment where discovery, clinical translation and patient impact were deeply connected. Looking back, I can confidently say it was absolutely the right choice. MD Anderson is unmatched in translational depth.”
Co-mentored by Allison and Wargo, Cogdill worked across multiple projects and collaborative teams, contributing to more than 30 publications focused on treatment response and resistance. The experience reinforced a core leadership principle she carries into her role today: team science is not optional; it is foundational.
During her graduate training, Cogdill also became the first Fulbright Scholar from the graduate school, completed a venture fellowship at Flagship Pioneering and intentionally pursued experiences beyond the bench to broaden her perspective on innovation and translation. She earned her Ph.D. in 2020, as the pandemic reshaped research and career pathways across academia.
“For a long time, I thought my future would be in academia,” she says. “The pandemic changed the timing and the route, but not the purpose. I’ve always been driven by moving science from discovery to patients.”
After beginning her career in the pharmaceuticals industry at a startup, Cogdill joined Daiichi Sankyo in 2022. Today, she applies her scientific training to enterprise-scale strategy in global business development while remaining grounded in patient impact.
“While my role has evolved, the mission has not,” she says. “I’m driven to align science and strategy so breakthroughs can reach patients sooner.”
Though she has moved from bench science into executive leadership, Cogdill says the mentorship she experienced at MD Anderson remains one of the most enduring parts of her journey.
“Even after leaving the bench, my mentors are still a phone call away,” she says. “Mentorship at MD Anderson doesn’t end when you leave, it evolves with you.”
She now aims to do the same for others. “When you leave an institution, relationships are what endure,” she says. “Surround yourself with people who challenge you, champion you and invest in your growth; that’s what shapes your trajectory.”
At home and around the world, Cogdill remains guided by the same principle that has defined her career: stay curious, keep building and lead where science can matter most.
January 2026
Monica Reyes, Ph.D.
Research Project Manager
Thoracic Oncology
Moffitt Cancer Center
Go beyond your comfort zone
Monica Reyes, Ph.D., began her pre-doctoral training with a clear vision of her future: working at the bench, conducting experiments to advance the scientific community’s understanding of cancer. But today, more than a decade later, she is shaping cancer research in ways she never imagined.
Reyes had a passion for science for as long as she could remember, but personal experiences with friends and family members living with cancer ultimately compelled her to pursue a career in oncology.
“Their stories inspired me to want to make an impact to help improve cancer treatments and outcomes,” she says.
After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from the University of South Florida in 2005, Reyes spent three years gaining hands-on lab experience. In 2007, she decided to leave the state she’d always called home to pursue a year-long postbaccalaureate at Baylor College of Medicine.
That experience became a turning point, solidifying her ambition to become a biomedical researcher. In 2008, she joined the Cancer Biology Ph.D. program at the MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, investigating the RANK/RANKL signaling pathway in triple-negative breast cancer and COX2 signaling pathway in inflammatory breast cancer.
“MD Anderson is among the top-ranked institutions that has a Cancer Biology Ph.D. program and provides exceptional training in Biomedical Sciences for graduate students,” says Reyes. “I envisioned training at an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center to achieve my goal of becoming a biomedical researcher, and so I knew with the cross-disciplinary environment and multiple opportunities for career development, MD Anderson would be the right choice for me.”
After earning her Ph.D. in 2014, Reyes immediately began her postdoctoral training at MD Anderson – this time, in epidemiology and under the mentorship of Michelle Hildebrandt, Ph.D., professor, Lymphoma-Myeloma Research.
“At one point, I realized I wanted to try something different; that’s why I went to epidemiology,” says Reyes. “Although my pre-doctoral and doctoral training was in pre-clinical and translational cancer research, I became interested in learning about the impact of cancer treatments on quality of life and how biomarkers can predict outcomes among patients diagnosed with cancer. I leveraged the skills and knowledge, like protocol writing and data analytics, I gained from the laboratory to pursue research in cancer prevention and epidemiology as a postdoctoral fellow.”
Her postdoctoral journey reached a defining moment when she earned the highly competitive R25T Cancer Prevention Research Training Fellowship. The award enabled her to conduct advanced RNA sequencing research in stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes, revealing critical changes caused by doxorubicin in DNA damage and cell cycle-associated genes. Beyond yielding these scientific findings, the experience gave Reyes skills that continue to shape her career.
“My experience with managing projects and being mentored at MD Anderson – a lot of these skills transferred over and have been invaluable in my current role. There are so many faculty, workshops and different opportunities,” says Reyes. “I recall taking a grant writing workshop, from which I learned how to draft a manuscript for one of my studies. Even today, I will refer to what I learned for drafting materials for clinical trials.”
“There’s so much structure and organization, and that makes a difference and sets MD Anderson apart,” adds Reyes.
Following her training at MD Anderson, Reyes stepped into academia as an adjunct professor and lecturer at local colleges before returning to Florida to complete an additional postdoctoral fellowship at Moffitt Cancer Center. In 2022, after a brief role as an epidemiologist in biotechnology research, she returned to Moffitt Cancer Center, where she works as a Research Project Manager today.
In her current role, Reyes manages The Justice Study, a large, prospective multi-site phase II investigator-initiated trial. This study focuses on real-world outcomes and biomarker-driven responses to immunotherapy and chemotherapy in patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. Her day-to-day tasks include protocol editing and writing, manuscript and abstract editing and overseeing tasks for the study.
“I couldn’t have predicted this was something I would enjoy doing,” says Reyes. “I am still supporting cancer research, just in a different way and in an environment that I really enjoy.”
Reyes says while her journey didn’t follow the route she first envisioned, embracing the unfamiliar opened doors to roles that continue to broaden her career and research – a mindset she now encourages others to adopt.
“Go beyond your comfort zone. If there’s ever an opportunity to pursue a different field that you’re interested in or to join a training program outside of your home state, I would say take the chance to do that. The network connections you make and the skills you develop will be invaluable to your career.”
Outside of work, Reyes enjoys spending time with her two kids, going to soccer games, reading novels and attending yoga and Pilates classes.
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