About the UPMC Department of Pathology

When you have a blood or tissue sample sent for testing, you want to know that your specimen is in the hands of experts.

At UPMC, those who perform and interpret your tests are part of a team of some of the most highly qualified, well-trained physicians and staff members across western Pennsylvania and the United States.

We work together with your doctors and other specialists to determine your objective health status or arrive at a diagnosis. Our group also investigates the science behind it all.

Our mission is to provide information that can make it easier for patients and their physicians to make the right health care decisions.

What is a Pathologist?

Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease and pathologists are physicians who have trained to become disease experts.

After medical school, pathologists complete several more years of intense study in residency programs so that they can:

Administer diagnostic tests
Recognize disease processes by microscopic and other methods
Interpret results
Provide consultation to other physicians

Anatomic Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, and Molecular & Genomic Pathology

The UPMC Department of Pathology is comprised of three primary divisions:

Each section focuses on a specific set of tissue abnormalities or tests.

We use sophisticated instruments, technology and molecular techniques in our lab to help us diagnose even the most difficult and complex cases.

Every physician in our group is an expert in these techniques and technologies. Often, physicians and pathologists from other hospitals around the area consult with us on complex diagnoses.

Get Involved

Learn how you can help us help others by supporting our pathology research.