Lauren Vedder Ackerman (March 12, 1905 – July 27, 1993) was an American physician and pathologist, who championed the subspecialty of surgical pathology in the mid-20th century.

After a year, Ackerman moved to Boston, Massachusetts as a resident working principally at the Pondville State Cancer Hospital.

In 1940, a job in pathology was offered to Ackerman at the Ellis Fischel Cancer Hospital (EFCH) in Columbia, Missouri, a state-run center for indigent patients with malignancies.

After several years of experience there, Ackerman authored his first book, Cancer: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prognosis, with Juan Del Regato, a radiotherapist.

[5] A progressively closer professional relationship grew with surgeons at nearby Barnes Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis, several of whom also had appointments at EFCH.

In the early 1950s, he decided to apply that knowledge to the formulation of a textbook, which was and published in 1953 with the title Surgical Pathology.

[6] Although other texts on the topic did exist—notably one by Dr. William Boyd[7]—Ackerman's monograph focused on differential diagnosis and the clinical significance of morphologic findings.

During those travels, Ackerman was introduced to the best young pathologists that many countries had to offer, and several such individuals were invited to St. Louis to further their training with him.

The Ackerman "method" involved thorough morphologic analysis, correlation of pathologic findings with detailed clinical information, and active consultation with attending physicians to assure optimal patient care.