Diane Hamele-Bena, MD

Cytopathology
Pathology - Anatomic
More specialties
Accepting New Patients
Treats Children

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Overview

--Academic cytopathologist and breast pathologist with interest in innovative methods of teaching.--

Dr. Hamele-Bena is an award-winning and innovative educator, skilled diagnostician, experienced administrator, and graphic artist. She had the honor to train under mentors of world renown, including Paul Peter Rosen, MD and Leopold G. Koss, MD, throughout the early years of her career in breast pathology, surgical pathology, and cytopathology, and she continues to value being a lifelong mentee as well as a dedicated mentor to the classes of future medical professionals who are being educated at Columbia.

She served for a decade as the Director of the Division of Cytopathology at Columbia, during which time she brought increased process efficiency and academic rigor to the Division and built and developed an outstanding allied medical team.

Dr. Hamele-Bena is prolific in her academic publications, but is equally proud of illustrating and co-authoring a children's book that conveys a positive message to children about embracing diversity and being confident in one's self. She brings this mix of creativity and technical acumen to her teaching, embodied in her "whole-brain" learning approaches and being an early adopter of gamification to reinforce learning comprehension.

She has spoken at multiple external venues both within the US and internationally, and was honored to serve as the only pathologist to join a U.S. medical contingent that traveled to Poland for collaboration and teaching at a week-long multidisciplinary symposium, “Breast Cancer Awareness Program for Poland, at the invitation of the wife of the Polish Ambassador to the United States.

Email: dh129@cumc.columbia.edu

Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated

  • Anatomic Pathology
  • Breast Pathology
  • Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy
  • Thyroid Pathology

Academic Appointments

  • Associate Professor of Pathology & Cell Biology at CUMC

Hospital Affiliations

  • NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center
  • NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester
  • NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital

Gender

  • Female

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Insurance Accepted

Aetna

  • Aetna Signature Administrators
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • Medicare Managed Care
  • NYP Employee Plan
  • NY Signature
  • POS
  • PPO
  • Student Health

AgeWell

  • Medicare Managed Care
  • Special Needs

Cigna

  • EPO
  • Great West (National)
  • HMO
  • POS
  • PPO

Emblem/GHI

  • Medicare Managed Care
  • PPO

Emblem/HIP

  • ConnectiCare
  • EPO
  • Essential Plan
  • HMO
  • Medicaid Managed Care
  • Medicare Managed Care
  • POS
  • PPO
  • Select Care (Exchange)
  • Vytra

Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield

  • EPO
  • HMO
  • Medicare Managed Care
  • PPO

Local 1199

  • Local 1199

MagnaCare (National)

  • MagnaCare

Medicare

  • Railroad
  • Traditional Medicare

Multiplan

  • Multiplan

MVP Health Care

  • Child/Family Health Plus
  • Essential Plan
  • HMO
  • Medicaid Managed Care

Oxford Health Plans

  • Freedom
  • Liberty

RiverSpring

  • Special Needs

UnitedHealthcare

  • Columbia University Employee Plan
  • Compass (Exchange)
  • Empire Plan
  • HMO
  • Medicaid (Community Plan)
  • Medicare Managed Care
  • POS
  • PPO

*Please contact the provider’s office directly to verify that your particular insurance is accepted.

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • New York Medical College (Valhalla)
  • Residency: Montefiore Medical Center
  • Fellowship: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
  • Fellowship: Montefiore Medical Center

Committees, Societies, Councils

2007 – 2012
American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Council on Education (COE): Elected to 5-year term.
The AVMA COE is the accreditation body for veterinary schools and programs in the United States and Canada, as well as many international veterinary schools. Council members perform site visits of veterinary schools and spend hundreds of hours annually gathering, validating, and studying information related to the accreditation of veterinary colleges in the United States and abroad.

Board Certifications

  • Pathology - Anatomic
  • Cytopathology

Honors & Awards

June 2013
Department of Pathology and Cell Biology Karl Perzin Anatomic Pathology Faculty Teaching Award, Columbia University Medical Center

Research

Selected Publications

Publications
Chen XW, Arend R, Hamele-Bena D, Tergas AI, Hawver M, Tong GX, Wright TC, Wright JD. Uterine carcinosarcomas: clinical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical characteristics. International Journal of Gynecological Pathology. Accepted for publication in 2017.

Tong GX, Broadway K, Chang Q, Kong F, Hamele-Bena D. Metastatic insular thyroid carcinoma masquerades as neuroendocrine tumor in lung on CT-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy. Diagnostic Cytopathology. October 2016 44(10):857-859.

Chen X, Wright JD, Abellar RG, Koehne de Gonzalez A, Collins N, Wright TC, Hamele-Bena D. Cytological features of choriocarcinoma in a Pap smear: A case report and literature review. Diagnostic Cytopathology. April 2016 44(4):324-8.

Tong GX, Hamele-Bena D. Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Analysis of a Pendred Syndrome-Associated Thyroid Carcinoma. Endocrine Pathology. March 2016 27(1):70-5.

Tong GX, Hawver M, Wei JJ, Chen XW, Hamele-Bena D. Mutually Exclusive Expression of PAX8 and p63 in Transitional Cell Tumors of the Ovary: the Diagnostic and Histogenetic Significance. Journal of Pathology and Microbiology. February 2016 1(1):1-6.

Green DA, Whittier S, Greendyke W, Win C, Chen X, Hamele-Bena D. Outbreak of Rapidly Growing Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (RG-NTM) Among Patients Undergoing Cosmetic Surgery in the Dominican Republic. Annals of Plastic Surgery. January 2016 78(1):17-21.

Tong GX, Mody K, Wang Z, Hamele-Bena D, Nikiforova MN, Nikiforov YE. Mutations of TSHR and TP53 Genes in an Aggressive Clear Cell Follicular Carcinoma of the Thyroid. Endocrine Pathology. December 2015 26(4):315-9.

Wei XJ, Khader S, Hamele-Bena D. Senior author of Cytopathology Chapter in: Anatomic Pathology Board Review, Second Edition. Lefkowitch J, ed. Elsevier, Edinburgh, UK, 2014.

Chen X, Lagana, S, Poneros, J, Kato, T, Remotti, F, He, H, Kaminsky, D, Hamele-Bena, D. Cytologic diagnosis of angiosarcoma arising in an immunosuppressed patient 6 years after multi-visceral transplantation. Diagnostic Cytopathology. October 2014 42(10):884-889.

Chen X, Hamele-Bena D, Galic V, Ko YC, Liu-Jarin X, Herzog T, Wright JD, Wright TC. Infiltrating adenomyosis of the cervix with features of a low grade stromal sarcoma: a case report and literature review. International Journal of Gynecologic Pathology. May 2014 33(3):253-7.

Tong GX, Devaraj K, Hamele-Bena D. Abundant amyloid deposits in endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of pancreatic endocrine neoplasms. Diagnostic Cytopathology. December 2013 41(12):1115-7.

Chen X, Hamele-Bena D, Fai Chow K, Hawver M, He H, Raphael B, Jain S, Wright TC. B-cell lymphoma of the vagina occurring after treatment for classic Hodgkin lymphoma: A case report and literature review. Diagnostic Cytopathology. May 2013 41(5):463-5.

Tong GX, Hamele-Bena. The differential expression of PAX2 and PAX8 in the ovarian surface epithelium and fallopian tubal epithelium is an important issue. American Journal of Surgical Pathology. July 2012 36(7):1099-100.

Tong GX, Memeo L, Colarossi C, Hamele-Bena D, Magi-Galluzzi C, Zhou M, Lagana SM, Harik L, Oliver-Krasinski JM, Mansukhani M, Falcone L, Hibshoosh H, O'Toole K. PAX8 and PAX2 immunostaining facilitates the diagnosis of primary epithelial neoplasms of the male genital tract. American Journal of Surgical Pathology. October 2011 35(10):1473-1483.

Tong GX, Devaraj K, Hamele-Bena D, Yu WM, Turk A, Chen X, Wright JD, Greenebaum E. PAX 8: A marker for carcinoma of Mullerian origin in serous effusions. Diagnostic Cytopathology. August 2011 39(8): 567-574.

Chen X, Remotti F, Tong GX, Gorczyca E, Hamele-Bena D. Fine needle aspiration cytology of subcutaneous toxoplasmosis: A case report. Diagnostic Cytopathology. October 2010 38(10):716-720.

Chen X, Yu K, Tong GX, Hood M, Storper I, Hamele-Bena D. Fine needle aspiration of pleomorphic lipoma of the neck: report of two cases. Diagnostic Cytopathology. March 2010 38(3):184-187.

Tong GX, Yu WM, Beaubier NT, Weeden EM, Hamele-Bena D, Mansukhani MM, O'Toole KM. Expression of PAX8 in normal and neoplastic renal tissues: an immunohistochemical study. Modern Pathology. September 2009 22(9):1218-1227.

Tong GX, Weeden EM, Hamele-Bena D, Huan Y, Unger P, Memeo L, O'Toole, K. Expression of PAX8 in nephrogenic adenoma and clear cell adenocarcinoma of the lower urinary tract: evidence of related histogenesis? American Journal of Surgical Pathology. September 2008 32(9):1380-1387.

Tong GX, Hamele-Bena D, Liu JC, Horst B, Remotti F. Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Primary Osteosarcoma of the Thyroid: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature. Diagnostic Cytopathology. August 2008 36(8):589-594.

Herlitz IK, Tong GX, Hamele-Bena D, Greenebaum E. Nephrogenic adenoma identified on urine cytology using PAX-2 immunostaining. Diagnostic Cytopathology. January 2008 36(1):47-49.

Tong GX, Chiroboga L, Hamele-Bena D, Borczuk AC. Expression of PAX2 in papillary serous carcinoma of the ovary: immunohistochemical evidence of fallopian tube or secondary Mullerian system origin? Modern Pathology. August 2007 (8):856-863.

Tong GX, Hamele-Bena D, Wei XJ, O'Toole K. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of monophasic variant of spindle epithelial tumor with thymus-like differentiation of the thyroid: Report of one case and review of the literature. Diagnostic Cytopathology. February 2007 35(2):113-119.

Tong GX, Wei XJ, Hamele-Bena D. Senior author of Cytopathology Chapter in: Anatomic Pathology Board Review, Lefkowitch J, ed. Elsevier, Edinburgh, UK, 2006: 657-706.

Fou A, Schnabel FR, Hamele-Bena D, Wei XW, Cheng B, El Tamer M, Klein L, Joseph KA. Long-term outcomes of phyllodes tumor patients: an institutional experience. American Journal of Surgery. October 2006 192(4):492-495.

Tong GX, Hamele-Bena D, Borczuk A, Monaco S, KHOSH MM, Greenebaum, E. Fine needle aspiration biopsy of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the oral cavity: Report of one case and review of literature. Diagnostic Cytopathology. March 2006 34(3):218-223.

Mercado CL, Hamele-Bena D, Oken SM, Singer CI, Cangiarella J. Papillary lesions of the breast at percutaneous core-needle biopsy. Radiology. March 2006 238(3):801-808.

Yun SS, Hamele-Bena D, Tong GX. Immunohistochemical analysis of the micropapillary variant of urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder. Laboratory Investigation. January 2006 86:169A-782.

Medical illustrations in Koss' Diagnostic Cytology And Its Histopathologic Bases, Leopold G Koss (Author), Myron R Melamed (Author) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 5th edition, 2005.

Saqi A, Mazziotta R, Hamele-Bena D. Columnar cell lesions of the breast: fine needle aspiration biopsy features. Diagnostic Cytopathology. December 2004 31(6):370-375.

Fleischer J, Becker C, Hamele-Bena D, Breen TL, Silverberg SJ. Oxyphil parathyroid adenoma: a malignant presentation of a benign disease. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. December 2004 89(12):5948-5951.

Mercado CL, Naidrich SA, Hamele-Bena D, Fineberg SA, Buchbinder SS. Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia of the breast: sonographic features with histopathologic correlation. Breast Journal September-October 2004 10(5):427-432.

Saqi A, Ramdall RB, Hamele-Bena D. Metastatic epithelioid angiosarcoma of the heart in peritoneal fluid. Diagnostic Cytopathology. May 2004 30(5):350-352.

Komenaka IK, El-Tamer MB, Troxel A, Hamele-Bena D, Joseph KA, Horowitz E, Ditkoff BA, Schnabel FR. Pure mucinous carcinoma of the breast. American Journal of Surgery. April 2004 187(4):528-532.

Saqi A, Mercado CL, Hamele-Bena D. Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast diagnosed by fine needle aspiration. Diagnostic Cytopathology. April 2004 30(4):271-274.

Medical illustrations in Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNAB) Techniques; Approved Guideline-Second Edition, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, 2003
Roberts KE, Hamele-Bena D, Saqi A, Stein CA, Cole RP. Pulmonary tumor embolism: a review of the literature. American Journal of Medicine. August 2003 115(3):228-232.

Komenaka IK, Schnabel FR, Cohen JA, Saqi A, Mercado C, Horowitz E, Hamele-Bena D, Joseph KA. Recurrent eosinophilic mastitis. American Journal of Surgery July 2003 69(7):620-623.

Oktay MH, Oktay K, Hamele-Bena D, Buyuk A, Koss LG. Focal adhesion kinase as a marker of malignant phenotype in breast and cervical carcinomas. Human Pathology. March 2003 34(3):240-245.

Mercado CL, Koenigsberg TC, Hamele-Bena D, Smith SJ. Calcifications associated with lactational changes of the breast: mammographic findings with histologic correlation. American Journal of Radiology. 2002 179(3):685-689.

Mercado CL, Hamele-Bena D, Singer C, Koenigsberg T, Pile-Spellman E, Higgins H, Smith SJ. Papillary lesions of the breast: evaluation with stereotactic directional vacuum-assisted biopsy. Radiology. 2001 221(3): 650-655.

Greenebaum E, Hamele-Bena D. Author of book review: Guides to Clinical Aspiration Biopsy: Breast, Second Edition. Diagnostic Cytopathology. 2001 24: 145.

Matsushima AY, Hamele-Bena D, Osborne B. Fine needle aspiration biopsy findings in marginal zone B cell lymphoma. Diagnostic Cytopathology. 1999 20:190-198.

Hamele-Bena D, Kreitzer R. Cytology of the Lower Female Genital Tract. Author of chapter in: Heller DS, ed. The Lower Female Genital Tract: A Clinicopathologic Approach, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, 1998: 151-186.

Corey HE, Alfonso F, Hamele-Bena D, Greenstein SM, Schechner R, Tellis V, Geva P, Koss LG. Urine cytology and the diagnosis of renal allograft rejection. I. Studies using conventional staining. Acta Cytologica. 1997 41:1732-1741.

Corey HE, Alfonso F, Hamele-Bena D, Greenstein SM, Schechner R, Tellis V, Geva P, Koss LG. Urine cytology and the diagnosis of renal allograft rejection. II. Studies using immunostaining. Acta Cytologica. 1997 41:1742-1746.

Mandel L, Hamele-Bena D. Alcoholic parotid sialadenosis. Journal of the American Dental Association. 1997 128:1411-1415.

Medical illustrations in Diagnostic Cytology of the Urinary Tract: With Histopathologic and Clinical Correlations, Leopold G. Koss (Author). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1996.

Hamele-Bena D, Cranor ML, Rosen PP. Mammary mucocele-like lesions: Benign and malignant. American Journal of Surgical Pathology. 1996 20:1081-1085.

Hamele-Bena D, Cranor ML, Sciotto C, Erlandson R, Rosen PP. Uncommon presentation of mammary myofibroblastoma. Modern Pathology 1996 9:786-790.

Liberman L, Bonaccio E, Hamele-Bena D, Abramson AF, Cohen MA, Dershaw DD. Benign and malignant phyllodes tumors: mammographic and sonographic findings. Radiology 1996 198: 121-124.

Medical illustrations in Aspiration Biopsy: Cytologic Interpretation and Histologic Bases (Guides to Clinical Aspiration Biopsy), Leopold G. Koss (Author), Stanisaw Woyke (Author), Wlodzimierz Olsqewski (Author), Wodzimierz Olszewski (Author). Igaku-Shoin Medical Pub; 2nd edition, 1992.

Abstracts/Poster Presentations
American Association for Cancer Research, American Association for Cancer Research 110th Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., April 2017. Organ-specific epigenetic reprogramming of leukemic cells: Clues to chemoresistance.
Cunningham I, Hamele-Bena D, Papp A, Guo Y, Holmes AB, Shyr Y, Fisher R.

United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology's Annual Meeting, March 2017, San Antonio, Texas. Benign-Appearing Thyroid Follicles in Cervical Lymph Nodes from Patients with Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinomas: A Histologic and Immunohistochemical/Molecular Study. Tong GX, Chen XC, Hamele-Bena D.

4th International Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Barcelona, Spain, May 2016. Uterine Carcinosarcoma: Clinical, Histopathological, and Immunohistochemical Characteristics. Chen X, Arend R, Hamele-Bena D, Tergas AI, Hawver M, Tong GX, Wright TC, Wright J.

American Society of Cytopathology 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, November 2015. Multimodality Identification of Parathyroid Lesions from Cytopathologist-Performed or -Assisted Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies. Liu Y, Wang Z, Hiltzik D, Hamele-Bena D, Tong GX. Journal of the American Society of Cytopathology 4:6, S80-1, November 2015.

American Society of Cytopathology 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, November 2015. Evaluation of Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules Using Afirma Gene Expression Classifier (GEC) at an Academic Medical Center. Kuker A, Ebner S, Hamele-Bena D, Wood T, Tiscornia-Wasserman P. Journal of the American Society of Cytopathology 4:6, S77, November 2015.

15th International Thyroid Congress, Orlando, Florida, October 2015. Evaluation of Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules Using Afirma Gene Expression Classifier (GEC) at an Academic Medical Center. Kuker A, Ebner S, Hamele-Bena D, Wood T, Tiscornia-Wasserman P.

American Society of Cytopathology 61st Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida, November 2013. Diagnostic value of KRAS mutation in evaluation of synchronous or metachronous pancreatic and lung adenocarcinomas. Chen XC, Mansukhani M, Borczuk A, Singh B, He H, Hamele-Bena D.

American Society of Breast Surgeons 14th Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, May 2013. What should breast surgeons know about leukemia? Hamele-Bena D, Shiomi, T, Cunningham, I. Ann Surg Oncol 20:55, 2013.

American Association for Cancer Research 104th Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., April 2013. Hiding from chemo: leukemic cells forming tumors to survive. Cunningham I, Shiomi T, D'Armiento JM, Rui H, Cordon-Cardo C, Hamele-Bena D. Cancer Res 73: 1096, April 2013.

United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology's 101st Annual Meeting, March 2012, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Mutually exclusive expression of PAX8 and p63 in transitional cell tumors of the ovary. Hawver M, Wei XJ, Chen XW, Hamele-Bena D, Wright J, Tong GX.

Combined Otolaryngology 112th Annual Meeting, May 2009, Phoenix, AZ. Pleomorphic Lipoma: Case report of a benign neoplasm with unusual pathology. Chen XW, Yu K, Tong G, Hood M, Storper I, Hamele-Bena D.

The 96th Annual Meeting of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, March 2007, San Diego, CA. Expression of transcription factor PAX2 in ovarian papillary serous carcinoma: an aid in differential diagnosis with peritoneal malignant mesothelioma. Tong GX, Chiriboga L, Hamele-Bena D, Borczuk AC.

American Society of Cytopathology, November 2006, Toronto. Detection of transformation zone component in Pap cases screened with the ThinPrep Imaging System. Gorczyca E, Wood T, Hamele-Bena D.

American Society of Cytopathology, November 2006, Toronto. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of benign pancreatic cystic neoplasms. Wei XJ, Hamele-Bena D, Greenebaum E, Tong GX.

The 95th Annual Meeting of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, February 2006, Atlanta, GA. Immunohistochemical analysis of the micropapillary variant of urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder. Yun S, Hamele-Bena D, Tong GT.

American Society of Cytopathology, November 2005, San Diego, CA. Effect on Abnormal Rates and Cytologic-Histologic Correlations Using the ThinPrep Imaging System: A Metropolitan Academic Center's Experience. Wood T and Hamele-Bena D.

For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov

Global Health Activities

Invited lectureship: 1997
Czestochowa, Poland
Invited as the only consultant pathologist to lecture at a week-long multidisciplinary symposium, “Breast Cancer Awareness Program for Poland.”