Our faculty members provide consultation for other clinical caregivers and supervise laboratories that provide information necessary for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Pathology is divided into two major areas: anatomic pathology and laboratory medicine. Anatomic pathology includes surgical pathology, which emphasizes the analysis of tissues biopsies or cells using microscopy and specialized immunological and molecular techniques. This allows treating physicians to screen for disease, establish or confirm clinical diagnoses, and monitor the response to medical or surgical therapy. There are many specialty areas that focus on specific organ systems or types of disease. Some pathologists also supervise post-mortem examinations, which provide information regarding the nature and extent of disease and the cause of death.

Laboratory medicine is an even broader discipline that emphasizes the analysis of blood and other fluids. Lab medicine includes clinical chemistry, clinical microbiology, and transfusion medicine, among many others. Pathologists supervise the operation of these laboratories, insure the quality of laboratory testing, and provide consultation in the interpretation of diagnostic tests.