Michael (Mike) Kyriakos, M.D., passed away after a short illness on March 5, 2025. With his passing, another direct link with Lauren V. Ackerman, M.D., has joined the ages. Mike came to St. Louis to join the pathology residency after his graduation from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1962.

Having completed the first 2 years of residency at Barnes Hospital, Washington University Medical Center, he became a Research Associate at National Institutes of Health and returned to St. Louis to complete his training as one of Ackerman’s coveted surgical pathology fellows. It was at this time that one of us, Leonard B. Kahn, M.D., joined the surgical pathology fellowship and had the opportunity to experience the unique pedagogical skills of Drs. Ackerman and Kyriakos. Kyriakos remained on in St. Louis after Ackerman’s departure in 1973. His attention to gross and microscopic details provided the trainee with a depth of understanding into the pathologic process and the ability to convey that into a surgical pathology report known for its essential elements in a literate style. Generations of young pathologists-in-training who came through the program at Barnes Hospital left with unforgettable memories of his unique, intense teaching style that set the highest standard for the practice of surgical pathology.

During Kyriakos’ long tenure at Washington University, he served as director of the Cytotechnology Laboratory for 25 years. In 1981, both he and Dr. Kahn were inducted as members of the International Skeletal Society where they served as members of the editorial board of Skeletal Radiology and where Dr. Kyriakos participated as a member of the then designated “closed program committee.” He was awarded the Founders Gold Medal as well as the Corrine Farrell Award of the International Skeletal Society and the Henry Jaffe Gold Medal from the Hospital for Joint Disease, New York. In 2010, Dr. Kyriakos was awarded the Distinguished Clinician Award by Washington University School of Medicine, in recognition of his standing as one of the outstanding pathologists in this institution. He was a founding associate editor of the journal “Seminars in Diagnostic Pathology,” a position he held for 25 years. His academic achievements also included 150 articles in peer reviewed journals.

In 1989, I, Louis P. Dehner, M.D., came back to St. Louis and Barnes Hospital to rejoin Mike on the faculty in surgical pathology. We became steadfast friends. In addition to the many opportunities of sharing difficult cases with Mike, there was the added bonus of discussions about Cardinal baseball, Duke basketball, politics, and theology. During those years that we were together on a daily basis, he was always there for me or anyone else who came through his office door.

Most notably, he appeared somewhat feisty, opinionated, and demanding in outward demeanor but was kind, warm hearted, and collegial on the inside. He will be sorely missed by all who had the privilege of working and interacting with him (Figs. 1 and 2).

Michael Kyriakos, M.D., in his office in the late 1980s

Michael Kyriakos, M.D., on the day that he received the Distinguished Faculty Award in 2010, and with him is Louis P. Dehner, M.D