Message from the Chief 

Welcome to the Massachusetts General Hospital Pathology website.  Whether you are a patient, health care provider, industry partner or prospective trainee, you will find helpful information here.

Today’s Mass General Pathology Service builds on more than 200 years of experience. Internationally known for excellence, we have grown substantially: annual volume exceeds 15 million clinical laboratory tests, 90,000 surgical specimens, 40,000 cytopathology specimens and 30,000 blood transfusions. 

Our unwavering goal has always been excellence in service to patients – accurate diagnosis, communicated effectively and efficiently – and the highest standards in research and training.

The field of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine – at Mass General and beyond – is in an era of exhilarating, unprecedented expansion. We are committed to full participation in a few exciting areas that are changing medicine and the world:

Computational Pathology: As the branch of medicine that generates vast amounts of patient data/information, Pathology is well-positioned to interpret it. We are bringing sophisticated artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced decision-support tools to medicine, using technology to develop ever-better testing that catches health problems early. Our vision is that Pathology’s success with these computational approaches will enable front-line health care providers to deliver better care for our patients.

Personalized Medicine and Diagnostics: A close understanding of the effects of specific molecular changes on peoples health, integrated with all other information about an individual patient, opens the door to more accurate diagnosis and tailored treatment. Working side-by-side with clinicians at Mass General and around the world, as well as with our pathology colleagues in the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, MGH Pathology faculty are deeply immersed in translating scientific discoveries to develop new tests and therapies that are already improving patients’ lives.

These initiatives are just part of the Mass General Pathology story.  I invite you to join us as we write the next chapters of medicine, and thank you for your interest.

With best wishes,

DNL