Bio
I was born in Toledo, Ohio and have spent most of my life in the Midwest. My wife and I moved to California in the summer of 2003.
I came to California for the opportunity to be a member of Kaiser Permanente and its mission of a healthy community with excellence in quality and service. Also, we came to Northern California for its beautiful scenery and climate. (Side note: My wife refers to the Midwest as the frozen tundra.)
I am a practicing pathologist in the Department of Pathology at the Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center in Northern California. My job responsibilities include surgical pathology, cytology, and clinical pathology with special interests in transfusion medicine, hematology, and coagulation medicine.
I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from The University of Michigan in 1988. I am a hugely big University of Michigan football fan, Go Blue! I received my medical degree from The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1995. I did my residency training in anatomic and clinical pathology, along with a fellowship in surgical pathology and cytology at University Hospitals of Cleveland affiliated with Case Western Reserve University. I completed my training in 2001. I am board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology by the American Board of Pathology.
I practiced two years in a community practice in the eastern hinterland of Cleveland where I got to experience firsthand what Lake Effect Snow means. Did I happen to mention we really like Northern California?
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More details about my specialty:My family members still think that my job is akin to the pathologist on CSI or Quincy. To set the record straight, once and for all, I only spend a limited time doing autopsies. Now that I have addressed that, what is a pathologist?
A pathologist helps care for patients every day by providing your doctor the information needed to ensure appropriate patient care. A pathologist is a physician who studies body fluids and tissues, helps your primary care doctor make a diagnosis about your health or any medical problems you have, and uses laboratory tests to monitor the health of patients with chronic conditions. A pathologist will examine cells or a tissue biopsy to determine if it is benign or if you have cancer, and shares that information with your doctor.
A pathologist is a medical doctor who wears four different hats: a surgical pathologist, a cytopathologist, a clinical pathologist, and one who conducts autopsies. As a specialized medical doctor, a pathologist examines cells (cytology), examines body tissues (surgical pathology), examines bodies (autopsies), and is responsible for performing laboratory tests (clinical pathology). A pathologist helps other physicians reach diagnoses and is an important member of the treatment team. A pathologist is known as a physicians' physician, based on his/her vital role in patient treatment and physician education.
I chose pathology because I was fascinated by the subject matter when I was a medical student. My pathology instructors and patients captivated me and inspired me to learn more about this field. The more I learned, the more I liked. I realized that as a pathologist, I would experience tremendous satisfaction in contributing to effective patient care by providing essential information necessary for the problem solving that goes on in clinical practice.
The medical laboratory is one of the "first stops" in preventive medicine, which puts pathology among the most cost-effective health care services. Since Americans are living longer than previous generations, forecasters predict that preventive medicine will become even more important, for it provides the best chance of containing spending on the nation's health care. This means the laboratory and medical testing will be in greater demand to rule out incorrect diagnoses, to detect diseases early, in many cases before any symptoms arise, and to insure that a chosen treatment is working.
Kaiser Permanente and its pathologists are pledged to foster wise use of pathology laboratory services and to be the patient's advocate for high quality, cost-effective laboratory testing. Our goal is to help patients be healthier and more productive throughout their longer lives. Thrive!
My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:Within the field of pathology, I am particularly interested in Transfusion Medicine, and Hematology.
Affiliations:
Diplomat of the American Board of Pathology
Fellow of the College of American Pathology
Sonoma County Medical Association Member Current projects or research:The treatment of cancer is being revolutionized by the use of monoclonal antibodies that directly bind to cancer cells. A monoclonal antibody is a laboratory-produced substance that can locate and bind to cancer cells wherever they are in the body. Many monoclonal antibodies are used in cancer detection or therapy; each one recognizes a different protein on certain cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies can be used alone, or they can be used to deliver drugs, toxins, or radioactive material directly to a tumor.
In pathology, we assess certain tumors to see if they would be amenable to this therapy. The article below from the Wall Street Journal highlights how a monoclonal antibody, Herceptin, previously approved only for women with advanced breast cancer, is now being used to treat women with early-stage HER2 cancer. The change follows a May report that early Herceptin use lowered the risk of the cancer coming back by 52%, one of the largest gains ever in the battle against breast cancer.
All cases of breast cancer diagnosed at Kaiser Permanente are tested for the following breast cancer markers: estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and Her2 (protein that the monoclonal antibody Herceptin targets). Great health resources that I refer to:I find that the following weblinks are great resources. (See below)
The labtestonline link is a great resource for providing to help you better understand the many clinical lab tests that are part of routine care as well as diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of conditions and diseases. |
Photos from My Training Years or of Practicing Medicine in My Field:
"The Jake," The Best Ballpark 
Institute of Pathology at Case Western Reserve University |
People in my life:My wife, Nikki, and I were married in February of 1998 in beautiful St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands. Nikki is a senior manager of global pricing strategy.
My children and people I care about:Our children consist of our four dogs and our bird. An interesting story about my family or friends:In 2004, we won first place in the Healdsburg Halloween Canine Costume Contest. The dogs were dressed as the three little pigs, my wife as Little Red Riding Hood, and myself as the Big Bad Wolf. A very special day indeed for the Kunkel family. |
Photos of my Family & Friends:
Family at Sunset 
Fun in the Sun 
Halloween 2004 |
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My pets: We have 4 lovely dogs, including two Maltese and two Japanese Chins. The oldest is Miss B which is an abbreviation for Miss B Haven. She is 10 years old and is a retired show dog. Noah, the other Japanese Chin, was born in 2001. He is a rescue dog. He was given up because he tends to pee in the house. He is an adorable little dog and we are very fortunate to have him in our life.
Jake is the oldest Maltese and was born in 2002. Suki was also born in 2002 but is six months younger. They are mischievous little dogs.
Caesar is a Senegal parrot that rules the house. |
Pet Photos:
Three Little Pigs 
Patriotic Dogs |
An adventure I've had:The best adventure I ever experienced was taking a tour of the British Virgin Islands on a power boat with my wife during our honeymoon. The sights and the stories were straight out of Treasure Island. Favorite place in the world:Virgin Gorda is an island in the British Virgin Islands. On our honeymoon we visited this island and were impressed with this natural spectacularly beautiful sight. Picture this: huge granite and marble boulders piled on top of each other, creating a mystical wonderland of coves, grottos and cathedral-like walk-throughs to the ocean; sun rays slant through openings and sparkle on shallow pools of water. It was awe inspiring. One of my recent trips:I recently went back to Toledo this summer for a family reunion. It was great to visit with family members and friends.
Three weeks prior to the family reunion, my mother had both of her knees replaced. She had begun her physical rehabilitation and was doing quite well. I was very proud of her dedication and desire to do her rehab even when she didn't quite feel up to it. She went from a walker to a cane while I was visiting. She now can walk without assistance and will be returning to work shortly. (Yes, she is 67+ years young).
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Travel Photos:
Treasure Island A Photo of One of My Favorite Places:
Virgin Gorda - So Beautiful and Relaxing! Trip Photos:
Muddy, The Mascot for the Toledo Mudhens |
