Professionally, Megan Dishop, MD, was known as a brilliant clinician-scientist, consummate teacher and dedicated leader. In her capacity as division chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Phoenix Children’s, she was a strong advocate for her team and was instrumental in strengthening her division’s focus on academics and research. But for those who knew her, it was her caring and compassionate nature that made her stand out.
“No matter how busy Megan was, she would give each person 100% of her attention. Even if you didn’t know her well, Megan made you feel that not only were you her friend, but you were the most important thing at that moment,” says Jared T. Muenzer, MD, MBA, chief physician executive of Phoenix Children’s and chief operating officer of Phoenix Children’s Medical Group.
Dr. Dishop died unexpectedly in July 2023. Members of the Phoenix Children’s community remember her as a leader who treated her team with kindness, collegiality and intentionality.
“Megan was passionate and ingrained about the work she was doing—but also about promoting the work of her colleagues. She wanted her team to reach its full potential and was committed to supporting its goals, and she knew how to encourage and coach people to get the best out of them,” Dr. Muenzer says.
Over her career, she spent more than 26 years treating patients across Texas, Colorado, Minnesota and Arizona with her clinical expertise in lung biopsies and lung pathology. Since joining Phoenix Children’s in 2018, Dr. Dishop expanded the health system’s testing capabilities and added a genomics laboratory. She also partnered with the research team to bolster public participation in research and clinical trials.
As a professor of child health and pathology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, Dr. Dishop was dedicated to developing the next generation of pediatric pathologists and laboratory professionals. She also regularly received consultation and speaking requests from all over the world. She was recently asked to work on the first-ever World Health Organization Blue Book on pediatric tumors.
“We are united in our grief over her passing, and our hearts go out to her family and team,” Dr. Muenzer says.
Read the full issue of Moments.
