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 fellowship training in hematopathology, and pediatric pathology as well as cytopathology. The research activities of the department occur throughout the Wayne State University and Detroit Medical Center primarily in modern, well equipped laboratories on the eighth and ninth 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. 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 10,000,000 clinical laboratory procedures and 50,000 surgical specimens are processed annually.