Ronald Balassanian, M.D.

Pathologist

Dr. Ronald Balassanian is a pathologist in the Fine Needle Aspiration Clinic at UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion. He performs fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies, primarily on lumps or mass lesions in areas such as enlarged lymph nodes, nodules in the breast or thyroid, to help determine if a lump is benign or malignant. This procedure can yield a quick assessment, usually in a day or two. In some cases, ultrasound is used to guide the needle used to obtain a biopsy.

In his research, Balassanian studies minimally invasive diagnosis through FNA biopsy and investigates the use of molecular diagnostics to increase the value of FNA biopsy. He also studies breast cancer diagnosis, through FNA biopsy and surgical pathology. He earned a medical degree at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington and completed a residency in anatomic pathology at New York University. At UCSF, he completed pathology and laboratory medicine residencies, and surgical pathology and cytopathology fellowships. He is a member of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, a fellow of the College of American Pathologists, and a member of the American Society of Clinical Pathology, American Society of Cytopathology and Panicolaou Society of Cytopathology. Balassanian is an assistant professor of pathology at UCSF.

Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy Clinic
1600 Divisadero St., Suite 200
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (415) 353-7043
Fax: (415) 353-7676

Hours: Monday to Friday
9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.