Autopsy Center of Excellence
Faculty
Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Autopsy and Cardiovascular Pathology Center of Excellence to perform autopsies for
all of the contracted University of Pittsburgh Medical Center hospitals, to determine the cause of death as
accurately and completely as possible in all these autopsies, to search for diseases with implications for
surviving family members in all these autopsies, to support research in all the autopsies with permission for
this granted by the family, to utilize these autopsies for the education of pathology residents and medical
students, to carefully scrutinize the clinical history and anatomic findings in all these autopsies for
implications about how the care of patients could be improved, and to bring these implications to the
appropriate forums for implementation of the highest possible excellence in patient care at the University
of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Clinical Services
The Autopsy COE based at UPMC Presbyterian runs a centralized autopsy service for most of the UPMC
hospitals in the region including Montefiore, Shadyside, Mercy, Passavant, Magee (adults), St.
Margaret's and McKeesport. These autopsies serve quality assurance at each of these hospitals.
Research Activities
The autopsy service supports long ongoing research for Alzheimer's disease, interstitial lung disease,
and various other conditions including lung cancer, intravascular talcosis, spinal lymphovascular connections
and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, all pre-approved by the committee for oversight of research
involving the dead. The research for Alzheimer's disease and interstitial lung disease is done with
STAT ("warm") autopsies at any hour of the day or night so as to obtain tissue with ribonucleic
acids and other labile substances.
Teaching Activities
Slide from a brain in a case of disseminated toxoplasmosis
The autopsy service provides teaching in autopsy performance for both pathology residents and pathology
assistant students. Cases from the autopsy service are used in teaching cardiovascular pathology to
both second-year medical students in the cardiovascular block and fourth-year medical students in an integrated
life science course, which integrates anatomy, radiology and pathology. Images of gross and microscopic
pathology from the autopsy service are used extensively in a course called the cellular and pathologic
basis of disease, which combines histology, cell biology and general pathology, in the first year of the
medical school curriculum.
Training Opportunities
Rotations on the autopsy service are required for pathology residents, and transitional year residents
going into such fields as radiology also participate on a more elective basis.
