Tammy Y. Sexton
Tammy Sexton has dedicated more than four decades to advancing scientific research and supporting groundbreaking medical discoveries through her expertise in histology and laboratory management. Currently serving as a Research Assistant and HT (ASCP) at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Tammy manages the Tumor Tissue Pathology Shared Resource Core, a highly utilized laboratory that supports both clinical research trials and basic science projects. Her work includes tissue processing, embedding, microtomy, staining, immunohistochemistry, tissue microarrays, and genomic-related research for both cancer and non-cancer studies. Known for her precision, reliability, and fast turnaround times, Tammy has become an invaluable resource for researchers working to meet critical publication and grant deadlines.
Tammy’s career began in the early 1980s after earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Appalachian State University. Throughout her 42-year career at Wake Forest, she has contributed to a wide range of research disciplines, including cholera studies in microbiology, physiology and pharmacology research focused on drug abuse, and comparative pathology projects involving atherosclerosis. As research needs evolved, Tammy helped establish and grow the Cancer Center-supported histology core laboratory into one of the institution’s most successful and heavily utilized shared resources. Her willingness to continuously learn and adapt has allowed her to remain at the forefront of an industry increasingly focused on molecular and genomic technologies.
Beyond her technical expertise, Tammy is deeply respected for her collaborative spirit, mentorship, and dedication to helping researchers succeed. She takes pride in working directly with investigators to understand their goals and develop the best possible solutions for their projects. Colleagues frequently recognize her for her attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and commitment to excellence, while many students, technicians, and postdoctoral researchers have benefited from her guidance and training over the years. Tammy considers building and managing the histology core laboratory to be the highlight of her career, reflecting both her passion for science and her enduring impact on medical research and innovation.
• HT Certification (Histotechnician)
• Appalachian State University- B.A.
• National Society for Histology (NSH)
• North Carolina Society for Histology
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to building and managing a much-needed histology core, strong mentorship from the pathologist who started the lab, consistent responsiveness (fast turnaround) for researchers, and a commitment to continual learning.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My supervisor suggested I try the new part-time histology role while finishing my old job — that opportunity led to full-time work and the chance to help launch the core. A relative also encouraged me to pursue Mohs training, which helped expand my clinical skills.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell her to always learn. In science, you cannot stop learning, and when you stop learning and turn that switch off, you're really not desirable anymore in the job field, because science changes every day. This histology now, instead of just staining an H&E slide, is constantly moving downstream to molecular and genomics. I can't... it's unbelievable. Everybody wants to do genomics because when you look at a slide, you can't really tell the disease state unless you do further testing. I also think it's important for people to understand that you don't have to do clinical work - you can have the clinical skills and do research. Some people think that to learn histology, you gotta go the clinical route, and you don't. I wish I could explain to people how interesting this job is, because I think when you go through these programs, all they see is the clinical side. I'm not bashing clinical, it's very important, but there's options out there. You're really more marketable if you do clinical and get your experience and do both.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Challenges and opportunities include grant funding instability, the shift from traditional staining toward molecular and genomics testing, widespread lack of awareness about allied health and research histology roles, and staffing strains despite high demand.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Lifelong learning, dependable service to researchers (fast turnaround), and advocating for greater awareness of histology and allied-health career paths.
