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Department:
Chairperson's Office
Faculty
Practice Sites
Residency and Fellowship
Divisions :
Anatomic Pathology
Surgical Pathology
General Surgical Pathology
Dermatopathology
Immunohistochemistry
Cytopathology
Autopsy Service
Neuropathology
Clinical Pathology
Chemistry
Hematology
Immunology & Immunofluor
Blood Bank
Microbiology
HLA Laboratory
Molecular and Special Path
Molecular Diagnostics
Flow Cytometry
Pediatric & Perinatal Path
Experimental Pathology
Education :
Medical Student
Graduate CME
Programs & Centers
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Clinical
Research
Seminars :
Lectures
Grandrounds
Symposiums
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Department of Pathology and
Labotatory Medicine
PATHOLOGY is that branch of medicine
that provides the scientific foundation for clinical practice.
Research, patient care (hospital service), and education (teaching)
are the pillars that support the practice of Pathology. Pathologists
utilize procedures and methodologies derived from fundamental
basic research to provide information regarding diagnosis and
prognosis and to help in the design of therapeutic strategies.
The traditional subdivision of Pathology has been between anatomic
pathology and clinical pathology (laboratory medicine).
Anatomic pathologists define the
gross and microscopic changes in cells, tissues, and organs
caused by disease processes, while clinical pathologists use
biochemical and microbiological tests of body fluids, cells,
and tissues to characterize disease. This distinction is being
blurred as sophisticated new techniques are added to our armamentarium.
These include the use of monoclonal antibodies, as well as flow
cytometry
and image analysis. Perhaps most exciting is the application
of molecular biology to both the study of disease and the daily
practice of pathology. Techniques such as PCR allow the amplification
of specific DNA fragments for analysis of disease processes
with enormous specificity and sensitivity. We can also identify
mutations that predict not only susceptibility to disease, but,
in some cases, the most likely clinical course of the disease
in a given patient. Another new aspect of pathology is Informatics,
which involves computer-based acquisition, dissemination, and
analysis of data. As specialists in the utilization of comprehensive
information systems, informatics specialists support not only
laboratory functions but the work of the hospital as a whole,
for example by contributing to outcomes research.
Modern pathologists works as a
member of a health care team in collaboration with the physicians
who provide direct patient care. They contribute to medical
diagnosis and patient management as well as research. Although
Pathology is a medical specialty, and many pathologists have
specific areas of expertise, all pathologists must have a thorough
knowledge of all aspects of medicine, and this cuts across traditional
specialty lines. Thus the pathologist is both a generalist and
a specialist. Although opportunities for direct patient interaction
are limited, they do exist. Some examples are transfusion medicine
and fine needle aspiration. The pathologist may also be a consultant
on a variety of hematologic problems, including bleeding disorders.
In addition to the analysis of
living patients, many pathologists also perform autopsies. Even
in this day of modern molecular biology and advanced imaging
studies, the autopsy can provide insight into both the natural
history of disease and the ways in which drugs and other forms
of therapy modify that natural history. This information may
be of use in the care of other patients.
At the New Jersey Medical School,
the Department of Pathology has both a basic research mission
and a clinical mission, and an attempt is made to integrate
these two pathways. There is a separate developmental laboratory
for molecular diagnostics, that develops and validates molecular-based
tests for the other divisions and sections, and performs translational
research, thus serving as a bridge between basic and clinical
science.
Education is a major mission for
Pathology and includes graduate, medical, and dental students,
other pathologists, clinicians, and residents. Resident education
trains the next generation of pathologists who will eventually
fulfill pathology service, research, and educational responsibilities
at this or other institutions. The residency program includes
the participation of Hackensack Hospital and the VA Hospital
as well as University Hospital, thus providing the opportunity
to do pathology in a variety of settings. Although the emphasis
is on a thorough grounding in diagnostic pathology, opportunities
for research are available throughout the period of house staff
training.
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