Daryoush Saeed-Vafa, MD

Dr. Daryoush Saeed-Vafa is an associate member of the Departments of Pathology (tenured), Machine Learning, and Translational Pathology, as well as the Medical Director of the Advanced Analytical and Digital Laboratory  at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute.  He is also associate professor at the University of South Florida.

Dr. Vafa earned his MD degree from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, as well as, completing an Anatomic and Clinical Pathology residency in their Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Following residency, Dr. Vafa completed a fellowship in Surgical Pathology at the University of California, San Diego (2013-2014) followed fellowships at Moffitt Cancer Center in Digital Pathology, Department of Cancer Imaging and Metabolism and Pathology (2014-2016); Oncologic Molecular Pathology, Department of Anatomic Pathology (2016-2017); Personalized Medicine, DeBartolo Family Personalized Medicine Institute (2017-2018). Upon completion of a clinical instructor position (2018-2019), Dr. Vafa was signed on as member of the Department of Pathology at Moffitt Cancer Center (2019-current).

Dr. Vafa currently practices Oncologic Molecular pathology signing out both next generation sequencing solid tumor (Moffitt STAR) and myeloid panels with significant research interests/efforts in digital image analysis, machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, biomarker development, and spatial transcriptomics via the Advanced Analytical and Digital Laboratory which houses numerous cutting edge spatial transcriptomics tools such as the GeoMx, CosMx, Visium, and Xenium and powerful high throughput stainers (Leica) and scanners (Aperio GT 450).

Education & Training

Fellowship:

• University of California - Surgical Pathology
• Moffitt Cancer Center - Digital Pathology
• Moffitt Cancer Center - Oncologic Molecular Pathology
• Moffitt Cancer Center - Personalized Medicine

Residency:

• Temple University Hospital - Anatomic and Clinical Pathology

Medical School:

• Temple University School of Medicine - MD

• Tripathi A, Waqas A, Venkatesan K, Ullah E, Khan A, Khalil F, Chen WS, Ozturk ZG, Saeed-Vafa D, Bui MM, Schabath MB, Rasool G. Using consensus-based reasoning and large language models to extract structured data from surgical pathology reports. Lab Invest. 2025 Dec.104272. Pubmedid: 41412350.
• Waqas A, Khan A, Ozturk ZG, Saeed-Vafa D, Chen W, Dhillon J, Bychkov A, Bui MM, Ullah E, Khalil F, Chumbalkar V, Jameel Z, Bittar HT, Singh RS, Parwani AV, Schabath MB, Rasool G. REASONING BEYOND ACCURACY: EXPERT EVALUATION OF LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS IN DIAGNOSTIC PATHOLOGY. medRxiv. 2025 Apr. Pubmedid: 40297448. Pmcid: PMC12036407.
• Tripathi A, Waqas A, Venkatesan K, Ullah E, Khan A, Khalil F, Chen WS, Ozturk ZG, Saeed-Vafa D, Bui MM, Schabath MB, Rasool G. Employing Consensus-Based Reasoning with Locally Deployed LLMs for Enabling Structured Data Extraction from Surgical Pathology Reports. medRxiv. 2025 Apr. Pubmedid: 40343037. Pmcid: PMC12060942.
• Saeed-Vafa D, Chatzopoulos K, Hernandez-Prera J, Cano P, Saller JJ, Hallanger Johnson JE, McIver B, Boyle TA. RET splice site variants in medullary thyroid carcinoma. Front Genet. 2024 Mar.15:1377158. Pubmedid: 38566816. Pmcid: PMC10985236.
• Hathaway CA, Townsend MK, Wang T, Vinci C, Jake-Schoffman DE, Hecht JL, Saeed-Vafa D, Moran Segura C, Nguyen JV, Conejo-Garcia JR, Fridley BL, Tworoger SS. Lifetime Exposure to Cigarette Smoke, B-Cell Tumor Immune Infiltration, and Immunoglobulin Abundance in Ovarian Tumors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2024 Jun.33(6):796-803. Pubmedid: 38517322. Pmcid: PMC11147730.
• Shahamatdar S, Saeed-Vafa D, Linsley D, Khalil F, Lovinger K, Li L, McLeod HT, Ramachandran S, Serre T. Deceptive learning in histopathology. Histopathology. 2024 Jul.85(1):116-132. Pubmedid: 38556922. Pmcid: PMC11162337.
• Furlan KC, Saeed-Vafa D, Mathew TM, Saller JJ, Tabbara SO, Boyle TA, Wenig BM, Hernandez-Prera JC. Utility of UV Signature Mutations in the Diagnostic Assessment of Metastatic Head and Neck Carcinomas of Unknown Primary. Head Neck Pathol. 2024 Feb.18(1):11. Pubmedid: 38393464. Pmcid: PMC10891032.
• Gallagher JE, Saeed-Vafa D, Bui MM, Makanji R. Coffin-Siris Syndrome and SMARCB1 Mutation Presenting With Schwannomatosis: A Case Report and Literature Review. Cureus. 2024 Aug.16(8):e67333. Pubmedid: 39170644. Pmcid: PMC11336513.
• Hathaway CA, Townsend MK, Conejo-Garcia JR, Fridley BL, Moran Segura C, Nguyen JV, Armaiz-Pena GN, Sasamoto N, Saeed-Vafa D, Terry KL, Kubzansky LD, Tworoger SS. The relationship of lifetime history of depression on the ovarian tumor immune microenvironment. Brain Behav Immun. 2023 Nov.114:52-60. Pubmedid: 37557966. Pmcid: PMC10592154.
• Hathaway CA, Conejo-Garcia JR, Fridley BL, Rosner B, Saeed-Vafa D, Moran Segura C, Nguyen JV, Hecht JL, Sasamoto N, Terry KL, Tworoger SS, Townsend MK. Measurement of Ovarian Tumor Immune Profiles by Multiplex Immunohistochemistry: Implications for Epidemiologic Studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2023 Jun.32(6):848-853. Pubmedid: 36940177. Pmcid: PMC10239319.
• Hathaway CA, Wang T, Townsend MK, Vinci C, Jake-Schoffman DE, Saeed-Vafa D, Moran Segura C, Nguyen JV, Conejo-Garcia JR, Fridley BL, Tworoger SS. Lifetime Exposure to Cigarette Smoke and Risk of Ovarian Cancer by T-cell Tumor Immune Infiltration. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2023 Jan.32(1):66-73. Pubmedid: 36318652. Pmcid: PMC9839509.
• Chakiryan NH, Kim Y, Berglund A, Chang A, Kimmel GJ, Hajiran A, Nguyen J, Moran-Segura C, Saeed-Vafa D, Katende EN, Lopez-Blanco N, Chahoud J, Rappold P, Spiess PE, Fournier M, Jeong D, Wang L, Teer JK, Dhillon J, Kuo F, Hakimi AA, Altrock PM, Mulé JJ, Manley BJ. Geospatial characterization of immune cell distributions and dynamics across the microenvironment in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. J Immunother Cancer. 2023 Apr.11(4). Pubmedid: 37185232. Pmcid: PMC10151991.
• Magliocco AM, Moughan J, Miyamoto DT, Simko J, Shipley WU, Gray PJ, Hagan MP, Parliament M, Tester WJ, Zietman AL, McCarthy S, Saeed-Vafa D, Xiong Y, Ayral T, Hartford AC, Patel A, Rosenthal SA, Chafe S, Greenberg R, Schwartz MA, Augspurger ME, Keech JA, Winter KA, Feng FY, Efstathiou JA. Analysis of MRE11 and Mortality Among Adults With Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Managed With Trimodality Therapy. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Nov.5(11):e2242378. Pubmedid: 36383379. Pmcid: PMC9669810.
• Hernandez-Prera JC, Saeed-Vafa D, Heidarian A, Gewandter K, Otto K, Wenig BM. Sclerosing Polycystic Adenoma: Conclusive Clinical and Molecular Evidence of Its Neoplastic Nature. Head Neck Pathol. 2022 Jun.16(2):416-426. Pubmedid: 34410594. Pmcid: PMC9187789.
• Saeed-Vafa D, Marchion DC, McCarthy SM, Hakam A, Lopez A, Wenham RM, Apte SM, Chen DT, Magliocco AM, Lancaster JM, Reid BM, Permuth JB. Utilizing digital pathology to quantify stromal caveolin-1 expression in malignant and benign ovarian tumors: Associations with clinicopathological parameters and clinical outcomes. PLoS One. 2021 Nov.16(11):e0256615. Pubmedid: 34813586. Pmcid: PMC8610269.
• Boyle TA, Mondal AK, Saeed-Vafa D, Ananth S, Ahluwalia P, Kothapalli R, Chaubey A, Roberts E, Qin D, Magliocco AM, Rojiani AM, Kolhe R. Guideline-Adherent Clinical Validation of a Comprehensive 170-Gene DNA/RNA Panel for Determination of Small Variants, Copy Number Variations, Splice Variants, and Fusions on a Next-Generation Sequencing Platform in the CLIA Setting. Front Genet. 2021 May.12:503830. Pubmedid: 34093633. Pmcid: PMC8172991.
• Fusco MJ, Saeed-Vafa D, Carballido EM, Boyle TA, Malafa M, Blue KL, Teer JK, Walko CM, McLeod HL, Hicks JK, Extermann M, Fleming JB, Knepper TC, Kim DW. Identification of Targetable Gene Fusions and Structural Rearrangements to Foster Precision Medicine in KRAS Wild-Type Pancreatic Cancer. JCO Precis Oncol. 2021 Jan.5. Pubmedid: 34250383. Pmcid: PMC8232071.
• Cory P, Qiong G, Yun G, Liron P, Evita HJ, Daryoush SV, Nancy M, Daniel P, Nazeel A, Atif A, Marilyn B. Sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma: cytologic characterization with histologic, immunohistologic, molecular, and clinical correlation of 8 cases. J Am Soc Cytopathol. 2020 Nov.9(6):513-519. Pubmedid: 32624384.
• Boac BM, Abbasi F, Ismail-Khan R, Xiong Y, Siddique A, Park H, Han M, Saeed-Vafa D, Soliman H, Henry B, Pena MJ, McClung EC, Robertson SE, Todd SL, Lopez A, Sun W, Apuri S, Lancaster JM, Berglund AE, Magliocco AM, Marchion DC. Expression of the BAD pathway is a marker of triple-negative status and poor outcome. Sci Rep. 2019 Nov.9(1):17496. Pubmedid: 31767884. Pmcid: PMC6877530.
• Saglam O, Xiong Y, Marchion DC, Strosberg C, Wenham RM, Johnson JJ, Saeed-Vafa D, Cubitt C, Hakam A, Magliocco AM. ERBB4 Expression in Ovarian Serous Carcinoma Resistant to Platinum-Based Therapy. Cancer Control. 2017 Jan.24(1):89-95. Pubmedid: 28178720. Pmcid: PMC7771303.
• Saeed-Vafa D, Magliocco AM. Practical Applications of Digital Pathology. Cancer Control. 2015 Apr.22(2):137-141. Pubmedid: 26068757.
• Saeed-Vafa D, Huang Y, Manucha V. Should cervical cancer screening begin at age 21 for everyone? A quantitative analysis in a high-risk, low-income, African American/Hispanic young-adult population. Diagn Cytopathol. 2014 Mar.42(3):205-212. Pubmedid: 23897742.
• Saeed-Vafa D, Myers E, Huang Y, Ferriss JS, Manucha V. Localized cavernous hemangioma of the uterus involving adenomyotic foci. J Cancer Res Ther. 2010 Dec.7(1):69-71. Pubmedid: 21546746.
• Bhavsar T, Saeed-Vafa D, Harbison S, Inniss S. Retroperitoneal cystic lymphangioma in an adult: A case report and review of the literature. World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. 2010 Dec.1(5):171-176. Pubmedid: 21607159. Pmcid: PMC3097960.