Pathology

Basic and Clinical Research

The Department of Pathology has strong research programs in the basic and clinical sciences that are directed at understanding the mechanisms underlying human health and disease. The basic science faculty is internationally recognized and is presently made up of 13 members. This faculty will be expanding as additional members are recruited over the next several years. 21 members of the Division of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology are involved in basic or clinical research.

Specific areas of basic research that are emphasized in the Department are in Immunobiology and include antigen presentation, dendritic cell biology, innate immune responses, NK cells, T cell development and differentiation, TCR structure and function, immune receptor signaling, pathways of cell death,  autoimmunity and tolerance, and Viral Immunology.

Specific areas of clinical and translational work in the Department include the development of new molecular markers for disease diagnosis and prognosis, with an emphasis on human cancers.

The research environment of the Department of Pathology and the UMass Chan as a whole is exciting and highly interactive. There are several seminar series and other forums such as work-in progress talks and research retreats that foster scientific interactions. Inter-laboratory and inter-departmental collaborations are encouraged and are part of the established culture at UMass Chan.