About
Bio
I am focused on improving and developing new biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, with a special focus breast cancer. I completed my specialty training in Anatomic Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in 2012 at Vanderbilt and my MD and PhD from Yale University in 2008. Answers on HealthTap are my own opinions and do not represent Vanderbilt. My answers should not substitute for medical advice following a full history and physical with your primary care provider.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Pathology
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
62 Answers
14 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Unreliable: Although the schilling test is a classic way of detecting B12 deficiency, it is not as sensitive or reliable as updated blood tests including b12, fol... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Probably not: An ectopic pregnancy would also produce hcg, and home pregnancy tests are very sensitive in the week after a missed period. It is unlikely that you h... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Re-test in one week: The urine test you took was only on day 17 of your cycle. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) is the basis of a urine pregnancy test, and will not beco... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Not pregnant: A positive urine pregnancy test usually means elevated bhcg, however your blood result does not support a diagnosis of pregnancy.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Weeks to months: Thc is stored in body fat and slowly metabolized, so it builds up in the body with increased use. I'm not familiar with mouth swab testing, however fo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
No: There are many causes for frequent urination other than diabetes. The simplest explananation is the normal function of your kidneys when you are drink... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 50-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
See your MD: Anemia can be a very complicated diagnosis. Without a more detailed history and physical, it would be difficult to give you a precise answer. A high ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 45-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Better safe: Different types of breast imaging can be better or worse at finding certain abnormalities. A biorads 4 suggests that the radiologist cannot completely... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 28-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Try again: A pregnancy test should become positive 7 days after the expected cycle start date. If you have a 30 day cycle, you are nearing that time. Try a hpt a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 23-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
HIV disease: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (aids) is a clinical diagnosis based on a patient suffering from a severely decreased immune system caused by the h... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Unlikely: If your test result was in standard units (miu/ml), it is very unlikely that it will increase. Nonpregnant patients can have levels up to 5 miu/ml. Co... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 45-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Unlikely : The combination of your very low ANA titers and lack of symptoms make scleroderma unlikely. Patterns of ANA are not reproducible, and an ANA titer of ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years agoMerged
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Yes: Kaposi sarcoma is caused by a virus, human herpesvirus 8, so your husband's son will not inherit the disease.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Yes: When melanoma involves the eye, removal of the eye with sampling of the optic nerve is a common surgical treatment.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Yes: Gram for gram, alcohol (7 calories) has almost as many calories as fat (9 calories), so it is not surprising that reduction in your beer intake led to... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 55-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
LVI: Usually, this is noted as "lymphovascular invasion". Often a pathology report for a cancer surgery will have a checklist or "synoptic report" followin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Call your oncologist: Depending on the patient's current treatment, hemoptysis could be due many things, including an infection like pneumonia or, more worrisome, cancer sp... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Unknown: I cannot find any studies of the interaction between chitosan and alcohol or liver function. If you are using chitosan as a weight-loss drug, consider... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Call the lab: The costs of lab tests can be widely variable and of course your insurance may pay some part of the fee. Consider calling the lab directly, and asking... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Get vitals checked: The most common cause of dizziness at that stage of your pregnancy is anemia. Your total body fluid is increased, and do the red cells have to work ha... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A male asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Careful follow-up: Both ascus and asc-h fall into the previous category ii, or "atypical". Your friend should be referred for hpv testing and colposcopy, which is a meth... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Marijuana?: It is unlikely that a urine drug test will be positive (or stay positive long) based only on this small second-hand exposure, however, depending on we... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 19-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Marijuana: It is likely that a urine drug test will still be positive, depending on your body habitus and how often you have smoked marijuana in the past. If you... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Yes, w/i 7 days: The most effective time to take a urine hpt is 7 days after your expected menstrual cycle. A urine hpt could be falsely negative if tested too early. ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 37-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Just within range: A plasma total protein level of 6.0 g/dL is just at the low normal range for adults at our institution (6.0-8.3). Normal ranges depend on whether pla... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Test again: The timing of your testing is unclear. Do not test until 7 days after your missed period for most accurate results. Then, the directions on the test ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Very low, unless...: Two virgins, if they have had no sexual contact at all, have a very low chance of carrying stds. However, there are 2 reasons not to count one this.
... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Keep a routine : Yes, taking your oral contraceptive at the same time every day will help you establish a routine. In some types of pills (progesterone only, for examp... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Usually: A few cancers can be completely cured by standard therapies, especially "in situ" cancers. However, the best we can do with many cancers is remission ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Depends on patient: A woman will have a higher risk of endometrial hyperplasia if they have prolonged exposure to unopposed estrogen. Women with higher risk include those... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Likely improving: Serum iron fluctuates throughout the day, reflecting the iron in your blood stream. Ferritin reflects the body's iron stores, and the improvement you ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Immunology: Usually hla typing is performed to look for immune compatibility (or lack thereof). Examples include transplant, platelet transfusion, and certain aut... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Stevia: In my opinion, stevia is the safest artificial sweetener currently available.
If you are a diabetic, you might consider tupelo honey - a variety of ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Electrophoresis: Usually, the type of thalassemia can be determined by a blood smear accompanied by hemoglobin electrophoresis. A laboratory physician can interpret t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Exercise and Omega-3: Daily exercise is a great natural mood booster. In addition, consider increasing your intake of fish high in omega-3s or taking an omega-3 supplement.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Start with an exam: You should see your primary care provider, who will listen to your sysmptoms and perform a throat examination. If necessary, your pcp will refer you ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
No false positives: If a home pregnancy test is positive, you can trust the result. In the first few weeks, a blood test will be more sensitive if your hpt is negative.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Ruptured blood cells: It is caused by red blood cells bursting and releasing heme (the substance in your blood that binds oxygen). A hemolyzed blood sample will interfere w... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
PubMed: For primary references, consider http://www.Ncbi.Nlm.Nih.Gov/pubmed/
for more patient-focused information, consider uptodate.Com:
http://www.Uptod... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Possibly: If other family members have been diagnosed with thyroid, endocrine, breast, uterine, or colon cancers, you could be at higher risk.
Also, a special ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 62-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Retest in 1-2 weeks: An RDW of 14.6 suggests that you have a mix of large and small red blood cells. This is common in iron deficiency anemia. "bands" are "baby" neutroph... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Consider it.: If you were not protected with another method, there is a very small possibility you could become pregnant, especially if you ovulated before the expo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 73-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
"Total Cholesterol": Medicine has many acronyms. This one is probably "total cholesterol" but could stand for other things.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Yes: If you followed the hpt instructions precisely, it is very likely that you are pregnant. Home pregnancy tests detect beta-hcg in the urine, which is p... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old male asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Yes: You should be able to eat soft foods. Avoid anything that may cause suction in the mouth for at least three days, including spitting, sucking through ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 51-year-old female asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Eat breakfast: One of the best ways to boost metabolism is to eat a healthy, well-rounded breakfast including whole grains, a hearty protein, and fruit. Choose green... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Yes: Yes, if an appendix is submitted by a surgeon to pathology, the pathologist will examine the tissue by eye and under the microscope and submit a repor... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Please clarify: Sometimes surgeons will biopsy during surgery for appendicitis, if they see something unusual while inside the abdominal cavity. If this does not answ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Depends on lab: Most pathology laboratories have a 2-3 day turn around time. However, timing factors and special studies can increase the time to results. To improve ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Jennifer Giltnaneanswered
Pathology 15 years experience
Variable: Some of the most common are swollen lymph nodes, unexplained weight loss, trouble breathing, or unusual bleeding from the vagina, rectum, or in the ur... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
3
Recommendations
178
Thank you notes
Nov 13, 2012
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Giltnane is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Giltnane is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question.
HealthTap member
Your answer was so helpful and hopeful, Dr Giltnana
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer or tip was very helpful!
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Yale University School of Medicine, CT
Graduated 2008MD
Awards
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