Carilion Home Page

Our Staff
Our Physicians


Dr. David A. Birdwell serves as the Medical Director of East Tennessee Children's Hospital laboratory. Dr. Birdwell is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis, Tennessee and completed his residency at Baptist Memorial in Memphis. Dr. Birdwell is board certified in Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Pathology and in Pediatric Pathology.

Dr. Michael L. Dyer is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. He completed his residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. Dr. Dyer is board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and has a special interest in Neuropathology, and Imaging in Pathology. He helped write and edit a Neuropathology textbook, Davis and Robertson: Textbook of General Neuropathology.

Dr. Gary L. Cooper is Board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Blood Banking, Transfusion Medicine and in Cytopathology. He has special interest in Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology as well as Imaging in Pathology. Dr. Cooper is Medical Director of Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center laboratories and Woods Memorial Hospital laboratory. He is a graduate of East Tennessee State University College of Medicine. His pathology residency was completed at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. He completed a cytopathology fellowship at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Dr. Stephen J. Swanger serves as the Medical Director for IPS Anatomic Pathology laboratory and Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center laboratory. He is a graduate of East Carolina University Medical School and completed his residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Swanger is board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology as well as Cytopathology. His fellowships in Cytopathology and Hematopathology were completed at Emory University Hospital. He has a special interest in Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology as well as Computer Applications and Imaging in Pathology. Dr. Swanger is the President of Innovative Pathology Services, PLLC.

Dr. Frank J. Beuerlein is board certified in Anatomic, Clinical Pathology and in Cytopathology. He has a special interest in Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology as well as Computer Applications and Imaging in Pathology. Dr. Beuerlein is the Medical Director for SMMC laboratory and for Sweetwater Hospital laboratory. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. He completed his pathology residency at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville following a rotating internship. Dr. Beuerlein has achieved the AMA Physician's Recognition Award with special commendation and has published several articles in the hematology and mycology literature.

Dr. James P. Craig is a graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa. He completed his pathology residency at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland following a pathology internship at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Dr. Craig is board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. He has a special interest in Gynecologic Pathology, Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology, and Computer Applications as well as Imaging in Pathology.

Dr. Darren P. Wirthwein is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He completed his residency in pathology at the Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas which included a combined fellowship in Surgical Pathology and Neuropathology. Dr. Wirthwein is board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. He has special interest in Breast, Gastrointestinal and Autopsy Pathology. He has published several papers in the medical literature in peer reviewed journals.

Dr. Michael Whitson is board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology as well as Cytopathology. He is a graduate of the University of Tennesee College of Medicine in Memphis, Tennessee and completed pathology residency training at Letterman Army Medical Center in San Francisco, California. His special interests include hematopathology, fine needle aspiration, cytopathology, and pulmonary pathology.

Dr. William Konomos is board certified in both Anatomic and Clinical pathology by the American Board of Pathology. His particular interests include gynecologic and breast pathology as well as blood banking. Following an undergraduate degree from Duke University in biomedical engineering, he attended medical school at Ohio State University and trained in pathology at Indiana University.

Dr. Dawn Nichols is board certified in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology and Dermatopathology. She is fellowshipped trained in skin and gastrointestinal pathology. She is a graduate of East Tennessee State University College of Medicine where she was elected to Alpha Omega Honor Society. She completed her pathology residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina with a fifth year fellowship in Gastrointestinal pathology. The following year she completed a fellowship in Dermatopathology. A native of Knoxville, she moved back to East Tennessee with her husband and four children in 2003.

Dr. Richard Sances is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Va. He completed his Pediatric residency training in Lexington, KY at the University of Kentucky. After 2 years of private practice pediatrics he completed a pathology residency at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. The following year he completed a pediatric pathology fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. He is board certified in Pediatrics, Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. He is board eligible in Pediatric Pathology.

Dr. Melissa Chiles is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. She completed her residency training in Little Rock at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences which included a fifth year in a surgical pathology fellowship with an emphasis in gastrointestinal pathology. She is board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.

Dr. Laurentia Nodit is board certified in Anatomic, Clinical Pathology and Cytopathology. She has a special interest in Gastrointestinal Pathology and Cytology. Dr. Nodit is a graduate of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania and completed her pathology residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center following an internship at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Nodit completed her cytopathology fellowship at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a fellowship in surgical pathology/gastrointestinal pathology at University of Alabama at Birmingham and a fellowship in surgical pathology /oral and maxillofacial pathology at Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington DC. She has published several articles in the medical literature in peer reviewed journals.

About Us

Innovative Pathology physicians are committed to providing the highest quality services with the best turnarond in the region.

Contact | © Copyright 2008, Carilion Labs-Knoxville and Innovative Pathology Services | Design: Luka Cvrk - Solucija