Dr. Grignon, who previously served as professor and interim chairman of the department, succeeds John Crissman, MD, who left the job to serve as dean of the School of Medicine.

As a fellow pathologist, Dr. Crissman has a special appreciation of Dr. Grignon's research skills as well as his administrative abilities.

"After working closely with Dr. Grignon for several years, I have absolutely no doubts that he will serve both the Department of Pathology and the School of Medicine well," Dr. Crissman said. "His work is impeccable, and he will help us achieve the goals we have set to continue improving our institution."

Dr. Grignon received his medical degree in 1981 from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., and completed his pathology residency at the same institution. He went on to serve as chief fellow in surgical pathology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

An expert on genitourinary cancers, Dr. Grignon has published extensively on surgical pathology aspects of kidney, bladder and prostate tumors as well as the role of markers in predicting tumor behavior and determining what types of treatment are necessary for some kinds of urologic malignancies.

Dr. Grignon is a member of several editorial boards, including Modern Pathologv and Oncology Reports. He serves as the chair of the Pathology Committee for the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, an NCI sponsored clinical trials organization. He also teaches short courses for the continuing medical education programs of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology and the American Urological Association.

Dr. Grignon lives in Grosse Pointe Park with his wife and two sons.