Sara Szabo, MD, PHD

Curiosity about nature’s mysteries drove me to the sciences in my teens, with the thrill of small daily discoveries as I tinkered in my mother’s kitchen or my father’s workshop. Yet, my grandfather saw me as a future pediatrician, as a “lady doctor” caring for the neighborhood’s babies and children. Since then, I’ve walked a meandering professional path in diagnostics — from radiology, through molecular virology to pediatric pathology. My daily thrill now comes from correlative diagnostics, working with clinicians to provide personalized care for children and young adults.

My routine clinical work is microscopy-based, with molecular diagnostics, which is salient to data-driven discovery with researchers and is driving better care for every patient we see. In other words: It is an engine of personalized medicine and a motivator for me as a physician.

I make comprehensive diagnoses, focusing on tumors arising in soft tissues and bones, pediatric tumors of abdominal and thoracic organs, and of vascular tumors and malformations. While I’m mostly invisible to families, I do enjoy the trust of my clinician colleagues and like to hear how their patients are doing.

An award that is personal to me was one I received 2015 — the Society for Pediatric Pathology President’s Distinguished Colleague Award. It bespoke of Dr. Kapur’s humanity, collegiality and professional philosophy as a pediatric pathologist.

In research, I've teamed up with clinical and basic scientists to advance therapy for:

• Soft tissue tumors such as rhabdomyosarcomas and neurofibromatosis
• Vascular malformations
• Inflammatory conditions in fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
• Bone marrow transplantation

This work transforms our personal and team practices. I sometimes joke that I’m a neighborhood pathologist-scientist to serious basic scientists.

In my free time, I dance free-style while cardio-kickboxing and “kick” while dancing. I dream of creating a chocolate shop, with neighborhood photos and children’s portraits.