Humans of LMP: Mario Capitano

Each month we speak to a member of the Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology community and find out more about them as part of an initiative from our Wellness, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Committee (WIDE).

This month, we feature faculty member Dr. Mario Capitano, a pathologist at Unity Health who helps lead our outreach and teaching activities with medical students. He talks to us on National Physicians Day about the role pathologists play in patient care.

How long have you been in LMP and what does your role involve?

I’ve been at LMP for about five years. I’m a pathologist specializing in hematopathology and dermatopathology. My work involves examining blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes, skin, and other tissues to diagnose disease. Much of what I do is about translating patterns in cells and tissue into meaningful clinical information that guides patient care.

Some examples of questions I might answer include: “does this person presenting to the ER have an infection, leukemia, or another condition that explains their fatigue?”, “did the surgery excise all of the cancer or do we need to go back for more?”, or “what type of cancer is this?”

Alongside clinical work, a large part of my role is education, particularly undergraduate medical education. I’m involved in designing and delivering curriculum that helps learners understand not just what disease looks like, but how to formulate a diagnosis. 

Tell us about your research

My research focuses on medical education, with a focus on how we teach diagnostic reasoning. I’m interested in how learners move from recognizing patterns to actually understanding what those patterns mean, and how we can design curriculum to make that process clearer and easier to apply across disciplines.

What led you to pursue your current career path?  

I came upon pathology somewhat by chance. As a medical student, I observed a neurosurgery frozen section and was struck by the idea that you could diagnose disease simply by looking at tissue. It felt like uncovering a hidden layer of medicine.

I had always been drawn to the immune system, which led me toward hematopathology, where you’re essentially trying to understand complex populations of immune cells. I also enjoy working closely with the hematologists treating the patients. Dermatopathology appealed to me for similar reasons: it requires careful pattern recognition and close collaboration with colleagues.

At the same time, I always enjoyed teaching and had even considered careers in education or cognitive psychology. Pathology allowed me to bring those interests together: practicing diagnostic medicine while also thinking deeply about how we learn.

On National Physicians Day, what do you wish more people understood about the role pathologists play in patient care?

Pathologists care deeply about patients. Even though we don’t meet them directly, every case is a person going through something difficult, often life-changing.

Our role is to provide clear, accurate diagnoses that guide treatment decisions. There’s a lot of responsibility in that and getting it right matters. 

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of my work in the MAPS (Medicine, Anatomy, Pathology, Surgery) curriculum for undergraduate medical education.

During my own training, I benefitted greatly from the education I received in collaborating with others and carefully thinking through cases. MAPS is built around integration. It brings disciplines together and focuses on diagnostic reasoning rather than isolated facts. The goal is to help students develop a framework for thinking through clinical problems early in their training.

Seeing that approach resonate with learners has been very rewarding.

What was the best career advice you ever received?  

The best advice I received was to support others as you progress. I’ve benefited from people who took the time to invest in my growth and create opportunities for me, and I try to do the same for others.

What has been an important learning experience in your life?  

One important learning experience has been realizing that understanding something deeply is very different from being able to explain it clearly.

Teaching has forced me to confront gaps in my own thinking and refine how I approach problems. It’s made me more deliberate, more structured, and more aware of how people learn. The process of constantly revisiting and improving my own understanding has been invaluable.

Who is an influential person in your life and why? 

My dad has been a major influence. He works hard and is always trying to learn something new or improve his skills.

What stands out to me is his curiosity and his drive to become highly competent across very different areas. There’s a quiet discipline to that: an interest in really understanding how things work, not for recognition, but because it’s satisfying to get better at something and apply that understanding.

What would it surprise people to know about you? 

Probably how much I enjoy building and making things outside of medicine. I’m especially drawn to activities where I have to understand and work within a system. Gardening is a good example, where you’re constantly thinking about plants, environment, and how to optimize conditions over time. I like the process of bringing something to life and seeing a tangible result, especially when it ends with something myself and others can enjoy.

What activities do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I enjoy spending time with my family and my dog, and I prefer more active, hands-on activities. I like gardening, boating, swimming, and fishing - anything that keeps me active and engaged outdoors.

I also enjoy working on small building or design projects. Right now my son is obsessed with magna tiles so my wife and I have been doing a lot of that together.

What is your favourite album, film and novel? 

Album: Lately, I have been really into Gran Turismo by The Cardigans.

TV Show: I enjoy watching Hudson and Rex with my dog. It’s a procedural crime drama about a detective and his dog partner, Rex. We get a kick out of it.

Novel: The MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood (Oryx and Crake; The Year of the Flood; MaddAddam)

Who would be your dream dinner guests? 

Dinner is one of the most important parts of my day. It’s a chance to sit with my wife and son, talk about our day, and stay connected. My dream dinner guests are my family. I would have especially loved to share a meal with my paternal grandparents. They passed away before I really got to know them. They immigrated from Sicily with a young family, and I think it would have been meaningful to hear their story firsthand.

Where/what is your favourite place? 

The Kawarthas. It’s a place where things slow down a bit. Being near the water, spending time outdoors, and working on small projects is a good reset from the intensity of my work.