Transplant and Hepatic Pathology Center of Excellence

Lymphoplasmacytic inflammation in focal nodular hyperplasia lesions of the liver

Faculty

Mission Statement

The Division of Transplantation and Hepatic Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center provides broad-based and skilled pathology support for the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute and the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition of the Department of Medicine. All aspects of Transplantation Pathology and native liver disease are covered by our Division as part of our service mission and the trainee will receive intensive exposure to a variety of conditions that occur in both the transplant and non-transplant setting. Our educational mission includes training of residents, fellows and visiting pathologists by individual case discussion, conferences, teaching sets, handout material, and web-based educational material.

Electron microscopy showing polyomavirus BK being excreted in urine
The Divisional staff have developed or co-developed a number of the classification systems in present use in Transplantation Pathology, and are recognized authorities in this field. Exposure to the largest collection of transplant-related case material in the world provides a foundation for education, and close clinical interactions on a daily basis provide a contextual framework from which the trainee can gain confidence in the role of the transplant pathologist as both a diagnostic physician and a clinical consultant. We have active consultation and teleconsultation services and use these to supplement our basic educational objectives. Our research mission centers on issues that arise, either directly or indirectly, from developments in the field of Transplantation.

All members of the Division are engaged in research, covering topics such as bile duct regeneration and neoplasia, polyoma virus infection in immunosuppressed individuals, organ preservation, xenotransplantation, HLA analysis, and posttransplant lymphomas. Trainees are encouraged to discuss these topics with staff pathologists and to explore possible shared interests.