The Division of Clinical Pathology provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art, laboratory service across the full spectrum of diagnostic specialties. The Division performs over 16 million tests per year at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UHCMC) which support the advanced clinical services at UHCMC, University Hospitals Health System (UHHS) regional hospitals, and its broad network of physician practices throughout Northeast Ohio. Both routine and esoteric testing are offered ranging from the highly automated core laboratory to advanced personalized medicine and molecular diagnostics. The Clinical Pathology Division specialty laboratory sections are led by nationally-prominent academic physicians, doctoral scientists, and researchers.
Expert consultation on laboratory test selection and interpretation is offered by our medical directors for the UHHS physicians and providers. The division faculty promotes the research mission of the department through individual and collaborative grants in areas such as drug development, immune function, and analytic laboratory methods.
Division Chief, Neil Anderson, MD D(ABMM)
Clinical Chemistry
The Clinical Chemistry section of the Core Laboratory includes the Automated Chemistry, Special Chemistry, and Diagnostic Immunology laboratories.
Automated Chemistry and Special Chemistry
The Automated Chemistry section operates 24/7 and employs state-of-the-art automation, sample handling, and analysis for over 7 million routine biochemical tests annually. The Special Chemistry section performs more specialized and esoteric testing to expand the complexity of the chemistry test menu. Testing in these areas includes electrolytes and metabolic profiles, cardiac and lipid markers, hormones, cancer biomarkers, toxicology, and therapeutic drug monitoring. Additionally, enhanced testing for pediatric patients is offered including, biochemical genetics, and cystic fibrosis testing. Expert consultation on laboratory test selection and interpretation is offered by our medical directors for the UHHS physicians and providers.
Diagnostic Immunology
The Diagnostic Immunology laboratory specializes in the serologic testing for common and complex immunologic disease. This section offers a range of analytic methods including nephelometry, capillary electrophoresis, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Indirect Fluorescent Antibody (IFA), and automated immunoassays. Testing encompasses evaluation and monitoring of infectious disease serology, allergens, autoimmune disease, plasma cell dyscrasias, and immune deficiencies.
Section Medical Director: Jaime Noguez, PhD, DABCC
Diagnostic Immunology Laboratory Medical Director: Xiaochun Susan Zhang, MD
Hematopathology
The Hematopathology Section includes hematopathology, hematology, special hematology and flow cytometry. Within hematopathology, a full range of diagnostic services are utilized to assess a variety of specimen types including bone marrow, lymph node, and other tissues.
Flow Cytometry
Flow cytometry is integral to the complex management of hematological disorders including the Seidman Cancer Center bone marrow transplant program by performing diagnostic immunophenotypic evaluations on a wide variety of hematologic specimens relating to cancer, benign hematology and immunodeficiency states. The section uses multi-color flow cytometers in conjunction with morphology and immunohistochemistry to aid in the diagnosis and management of hematolymphoid diseases.
Hematology
The Hematology Laboratory performs routine hematological testing including complete blood counts and morphological assessments of peripheral blood smears and body fluids and is involved in the evaluation of many hematologic conditions, including anemias, leukemias, and lymphomas, among other disorders.
Special Hematology
Special Hematology is primarily responsible for tests involved in the evaluation of benign hematologic diseases including the diagnosis and management of hemoglobinopathies, such as sickle cell disease, screening tests for glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, screening test for fetal gastric hemorrhage and special stains used for the evaluation of hemolysis and leukocytosis. The section also occasionally performs stains used in the evaluation of acute leukemias.
Section Medical Director: Howard Meyerson, MD
Medical Director Flow Cytometry: Howard Meyerson, MD
Medical Director Hematology and Special Hematology: Ramya Gadde, MD
Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory (HIL)
This laboratory provides testing enabling transplantation of solid organs (kidney, pancreas, heart, lung, and liver) and hematopoietic cells (bone marrow, blood, cord blood) as well as identification of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) antigens or alleles associated with particular disease states or drug reactions.
Section Medical Director: Neil Greenspan, MD, PhD
Section Medical Co-Director: David Wald, MD, PhD
Section Medical Assistant Director: Rajdeep Das, MD, PhD
Microbiology
This laboratory offers diagnostic services for bacteriology, virology, mycobacteriology, mycology and parasitology. The lab has been an early adopter of automated technologies including implementation of a new robotic system for bacteriology specimen processing, use of new automated molecular testing systems and application of mass spectroscopy for microorganism identification.
Interim Section Medical Director: Neil Anderson, MD D(ABMM)
Medical Director Bacteriology and Susceptibility Testing: Eric Ransom PhD D(ABMM)
Medical Director Virology, Mycobacteriology, Mycology, Parasitology, and Molecular Microbiology: Sree Sarah Cherian MBBS
Point of Care Testing (POCT)
Medically diagnostic testing at or near the place of patient care can greatly facilitate continuous patient management. The POCT section provides ongoing administrative and logistic support with quality oversight to the multiple clinical services dependent on POCT devices at UH Cleveland Medical Center.
Medical Director: Christine Schmotzer, MD
Transfusion Medicine Service
The Transfusion Medicine Section includes the Transfusion Medicine-Blood Banking Service, Apheresis Center, Special Coagulation and the Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Collection Facility.
Transfusion Medicine-Blood Banking Service
The Transfusion Medicine-Blood Banking Service activities including provision of blood and blood components for adult and pediatric transfusion therapy, trauma support, sickle cell disease specialized transfusion support, identification and acquisition of specialized blood and blood components, immunohematology diagnostic testing and evaluation, transfusion reaction investigation, assessment and diagnosis, appropriate blood component utilization, assessment of platelet refractoriness and for granulocyte transfusion therapy, maternal fetal medicine support including intrauterine transfusion, antibody titration assessment, and fetal maternal hemorrhage assessment, Rh Immune Globulin (RhIG) needs, and transfusion support in solid organ and hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation. Pathologist consultation is available for these activities.
Apheresis Center
The Apheresis Center is a part of Transfusion Medicine Services at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Rainbow, Babies, and Children’s Hospital and its activities center on consultation, management, and performance of therapeutic apheresis procedures (automated Red Blood Cell Exchange, Therapeutic Plasma Exchange, Leukodepletion, and Platelet Depletion). The Apheresis Center offices are located in the basement of Hanna House.
Special Coagulation
The Coagulation Laboratories provide comprehensive hemostasis diagnostic testing with both routine and specialized assays for evaluation of bleeding and thrombotic disorders of inherited and acquired conditions and anticoagulant monitoring. Pathologist test interpretation and consultation regarding appropriate test selection is available upon request.
Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell (HPC) Collection Facility
The HPC Collection Facility is located in the second floor of Seidman Cancer Center. Its activities center on consultation, management, and performance of autologous and matched related allogeneic hematopoietic progenitor cell donor evaluation and cellular therapy product collection (clinical and research).
Section Medical Director: Robert Maitta MD, PhD
Apheresis Medical Director: Robert Maitta MD, PhD
UHCMC Blood Bank Director: Katharine Downes, MD
Special Coagulation Medical Director: Katharine Downes, MD
HPC Collection Medical Director: Robert Maitta MD, PhD