Message From The Chairman

Wael Sakr, M.D.
Chairman, Department of Pathology

The Department of Pathology has three major spheres of activity: Education, Research, and Service.

Educational responsibilities are multiple and occur at University and Medical School Undergraduate, Graduate,and Post-doctoral levels. The Department is deeply involved in the teaching of Pathology to the Allied Health students, including Medical Technology and Cytotechnology. Medical student instruction in Pathology occurs through all four years of school but primarily in year II, where Pathology occupies the largest single disciplinary block of time, and year IV where a large number of electives are offered in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.

The Department has 12 residency positions available over four years leading to board certification in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. It also offers sub-specialty Fellowship training in Hematopathology, Pediatric Pathology, Surgical Pathology, Neuropathology, and Cytopathology.

There is a Ph.D. program in Experimental and Molecular Pathology open to individuals with Undergraduate (baccalaureate degrees), Masters level (M.S.) and Professional Degrees (MD, DDS, DVM).

The research activities of the Department occur throughout the Wayne State University and Detroit Medical Center primarily in modern, well-equipped laboratories on the 8th and 9th floors of Scott Hall. Studies involve both human and experimental models of disease. The study of human disease or translational research constitutes the evaluation of diseased human tissue either from specimens or the department's frozen tissue resources. Major areas of interest include cancer, cardiovascular and neural diseases. Experimental models of diseases constitute the majority of research efforts in the Scott Hall laboratories and utilize a number of cellular and molecular approaches to understanding human diseases. Current Departmental funding (direct costs) is well over $3,000,000 yearly.

Faculty from the Department of Pathology are also responsible for providing Anatomic and Clinical Pathology services in the DMC Hospitals through DMC University Laboratories. Approximately 8,000,000 clinical laboratory procedures and 50,000 surgical specimens are processed annually. The department possesses a wide range of sub-specialty expertise and provides consultation services in the Metropolitan region, as well as state wide, in such areas as:

• Renal and Transplant Pathology

• Tissue Typing

• Prostate and Urinary Tract Pathology

• Hematopathology

• Perinatal and Gynecological/Obstetrical Pathology

• Neurology, Pancreas and Hepatobiliary Pathology

• Pulmonary Oncologic Pathology

• Breast Pathology

• Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology

• Pediatric Pathology

• Ophthalmic Pathology

• Cytopathology

Together these wide ranging activities of the department occupy over 50 full-time faculty.

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