Department of Pathology

Jose A. Plaza, MD

Professor-Clinical

Portrait of Jose A. Plaza, MD
  • Office Location:
  • 2030 Blankenship Hall
  • 901 Woody Hayes Dr.
  • Columbus, OH 43210

Biosketch

Dr. Jose A. Plaza is a Professor of Pathology and Dermatology and serves as the Director of Dermatopathology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where he is also the Medical Director of the dermatopathology laboratory. He completed his residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at The Ohio State University Medical Center, serving as Chief Resident from 2004 to 2006. He then pursued fellowship training in Surgical Pathology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and in Dermatopathology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.

Board certified in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, and Dermatopathology by the American Board of Pathology, Dr. Plaza served as Director of Dermatopathology at the Medical College of Wisconsin from 2008 to 2015. A prolific author, he has contributed extensively to peer-reviewed literature, reviews manuscripts for numerous journals, and holds editorial board positions (including the Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, The American Journal of Dermatopathology, Seminars in Diagnostic Pathology, and Annals of Diagnostic Pathology).

Dr. Plaza has authored multiple book chapters in pathology, dermatopathology, and dermatology, as well as four textbooks in dermatopathology. His areas of expertise include pigmented skin lesions, adnexal skin neoplasms, and the use of immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of cutaneous tumors.

Board Certifications

2008 Dermatopathology, American Board of Pathology and Dermatology

2007 Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, American Board of Pathology

Academic and Medical Appointments

2020-Present Professor, Department of Pathology and Dermatology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

2013-2015 Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

2008-2013 Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Education and Training

2007-2008 Fellow, Dermatopathology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

2006-2007 Fellow, Surgical Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

2002-2006 Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH

Selected Publications

Search in PubMed

Publications:

  • Plaza JA, Gru AA. Primary cutaneous sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma: a comprehensive clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study focusing on diagnostic pitfalls Histopathology. 2025 Aug;87(2):284-298.
  • Satturwar S, Plaza JA. Cutaneous Vascular Tumors. Surg Pathol Clin. 2026 Mar;19(1):45-61.
  • Lee-Diaz E, Dulmage BL, Satturwar S, Plaza JA. A rare case of metastatic osteoblastic osteosarcoma to the scalp. J Cutan Pathol. 2025 Jan;52(1):1-4.
  • Luniewski A, Plaza JA, Caire ST, Sangueza JM, Gru AA, Obiorah IE. Distinctive genomic features of hydroa vacciniforme lymphoproliferative disorder in Latin American patients: A multicenter multi-omics study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2026 Feb;94(2):646-649.
  • Shafi S, Gru AA, Roman J, Maupin J, Plaza JA. A Case Series of Primary Cutaneous Sarcomatoid Carcinoma with Aberrant Smooth Muscle Actin Expression: A Clinicopathologic and Immunophenotypic Study. Am J Dermatopathol. 2025 Feb 1;47(2):83-92.
  • Adeuyan O, Schreidah CM, Craig JW, Kempf W, Morsia E, Plaza JA, Mitteldorf C, Pileri A, Geskin LJ, Gru AA. Pediatric primary cutaneous CD4+ small/medium T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder: A retrospective analysis and review of the literature. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 May;92(5):1157-1159.
  • Mager L, Plaza JA, Sopkovich J, Kaffenberger BH, Dulmage B. Eruptive keratoacanthoma secondary to immune checkpoint inhibitors: a narrative review. Arch Dermatol Res. 2025 Jan 13;317(1):234.
  • Lee-Diaz E, Contreras C, Plaza JA. Metastatic Adrenocortical Carcinoma to the Skin: A Case Report and Review of This Unusual Neoplasm. Am J Dermatopathol. 2024 Oct 1;46(10):696-699.
  • Hosler GA, Goldberg MS, Estrada SI, O'Neil B, Amin SM, Plaza JA. Diagnostic discordance among histopathological reviewers of melanocytic lesions. J Cutan Pathol. 2024 Aug;51(8):624-633.
  • Mital R, Fisher K, Korman AM, Plaza JA, Kaffenberger BH, Chung CG. Histopathologic Findings of Evolving Mpox Lesions. Am J Dermatopathol. 2024 Oct 1;46(10):679-684.
  • Mark E, Kempf W, Guitart J, Pulitzer M, Mitteldorf C, Hristov A, Torres-Cabala C, Marchi E, Cropley T, Rodriguez Pinilla SM, Griffin T, Fernandez R, Pileri S, Pileri A, Tabanelli V, Borretta L, Subtil A, Plaza JA, Piris JAMA, Feldman AL, Cerroni L, Gru AA. Lymphomatoid Papulosis With T-cell Receptor-Gamma Delta Expression: A Clinicopathologic Case-series of 26 Patients of an Underrecognized Immunophenotypic Variant of Lymphomatoid Papulosis. Am J Surg Pathol. 2024 May 1;48(5):501-510.
  • Giubellino A, He Y, Munro SA, Zhou Y, Song KY, Plaza JA, Torres-Cabala CA, Nelson AC. Gene Expression Profile of Benign, Intermediate, and Malignant Spitz and Spitzoid Melanocytic Lesions. Cancers (Basel). 2024 May 8;16(10):1798.
  • Shafi S, Bechtel M, Contreras CM, Plaza JA. Pleomorphic Dermal Sarcoma with Metastasis to the Lung: A Case Report. Am J Dermatopathol. 2023 Oct 1;45(10):708-711.
  • Plaza JA, Wakely P, Roman J, Gru AA, Sangueza JM, Davey J, Brenn T. Low-grade Hidradenocarcinomas: A Clinicopathologic Study of an Unusual Carcinoma That Can Mimic its Benign Counterpart. Am J Surg Pathol. 2023 Aug 1;47(8):907-914.
  • Plaza JA, Brenn T, Gru AA, Matoso A, Sheldon J, Sangueza M. Poorly differentiated cutaneous apocrine carcinomas: histopathological clues and immunohistochemical analysis for the diagnosis of this unusual neoplasm. Histopathology. 2023 Jan;82(2):276-284.
  • Plaza JA, Kastnerova L, Gru AA, Dulmage B, Sangueza MJ, Kazakov DV. Spiradenoma With Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma-like Changes: A Case Series of This Rare Variant with a Potential Diagnostic Pitfall. Am J Surg Pathol. 2023 Dec 1;47(12):1409-1416.
  • Hornick JL, Plaza JA, Mentzel T, Gru AA, Brenn T. PRAME Expression Is a Useful Tool in the Diagnosis of Primary and Metastatic Dedifferentiated and Undifferentiated Melanoma. Am J Surg Pathol. 2023 Dec 1;47(12):1390-1397.
  • Roman J, Chung CG, Sangueza M, Plaza JA. Low-Grade Hidradenocarcinoma of the Foot with Metastasis to a Lymph Node. Am J Dermatopathol. 2023 Apr 1;45(4):269-272.
  • Okonkwo PC, Henning A, Plaza J, Agrawal A, Contreras CM. A rare tonsillar metastasis of Merkel cell carcinoma: A case report. Clin Case Rep. 2023 Mar 19;11(3):e7063.