2026 Linda Duttenhaver Distinguished Alumni Award recipient- Dr. Tina Cowan
Tina is a Professor of Pathology and Pediatrics at Stanford University, and Director of the Clinical Biochemical Genetics Laboratory at Stanford Health Care. She earned her BA and PhD degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed a fellowship at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, leading to board certification in Medical Genetics and Clinical Biochemical Genetics.
In 2002, Tina was recruited by Stanford to launch the Clinical Biochemical Genetics Laboratory and under her leadership, it has grown to become the premier facility regionally, serving thousands of residents in the Bay Area and beyond. Tina’s specialty is inborn errors of metabolism, rare genetic disorders that result from a missing or defective enzyme in the body. She works closely with California’s Newborn Screening Program and serves as a laboratory resource for follow-up testing for specialized genetic cases. Through Tina’s work, lives are saved, and infants are given a chance to thrive under extremely challenging circumstances. Tina has served on the board of directors of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, of the Society of Inherited Metabolic Disorders, and of the American Board of Medical Genetics. In these roles, her work has included updating laboratory accreditation standards and evaluating biochemical genetics programs and laboratories nationwide.
In her role as a Professor at Stanford, Tina teaches Applied Biochemical Chemistry to first-year medical school students. She is known as an outstanding teacher who brings interesting laboratory findings to the classroom. She also mentors postdoctoral fellows in clinical biochemical genetics, including many who have come to the US from other countries for their training. She also enjoys collaborating with scientists from around the world.
Tina has published in multiple professional journals (see the Publications tab in her Stanford profile) and has performed research throughout her career. In 2015, she was granted a patent in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods.