The Penn State Health Approach to Pathology

As a university-affiliated health system, Penn State Health offers leading-edge pathology expertise. Pathologists give your doctors essential information about your health and help them diagnose and treat illnesses — doctors depend on our experience.

Our Pathology team works closely with primary care doctors, surgeons, oncologists, other specialists and other providers to ensure you get the very best care. In fact, area organizations come to us for our advanced knowledge and capabilities. On average, we provide diagnostic interpretations for nearly 70,000 tissue specimens and process over six million clinical laboratory tests annually.

Our lab team offers a full spectrum of pathology services for all types of illnesses - from skin rashes and strep throat to autoimmune diseases, cancer and more. We use the latest methods to provide efficient service and fast, accurate results. Whether you come to a lab for testing or your doctor sends us Pap tests, biopsies or surgical samples to examine, you can be confident in our experience. If you visit one of our labs, we will put you at ease and make your test as comfortable and fast as possible. We share the results with your doctor, specialists or other members of your care team as soon as possible. With several locations throughout central Pennsylvania - including walk-in lab testing - we offer convenience, fast turnaround times and a trained, compassionate team.

Other staff includes surgical pathology and lab technicians, histotechnologists, cytotechnologists, medical laboratory scientists/technologists, nurses and phlebotomists who work as a team to deliver fast, accurate test results. If you come in for a blood test, you can count on our skilled phlebotomists to draw blood as quickly and painlessly as possible. If you have a biopsy or tissue removed at surgery, you can count on our team of technologists to process your specimen quickly and with skill for optimal microscopic interpretation by the pathologist.

We also train the next generation of pathologists, laboratory leaders and workforce through our educational programs:

• Pathology Residency
• Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine Fellowship
• Dermatopathology Fellowship
• Hematopathology Fellowship
• Surgical Pathology Fellowship

Medical Laboratory Science Program

Penn State Health is dedicated to improving the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Our lab team provides technical and professional expertise to support a wide range of research conducted here, in partnership with Penn State College of Medicine. In addition to collaborative work that our clinical faculty engage in, we have an entire Division of Experimental Pathology working on the discoveries that inform the diagnosis and treatments of tomorrow. We are involved in basic research and clinical trials for many different diseases. That means you can find treatments here that you won't find anywhere else nearby. Learn more about our clinical trials. Explore MLS Program

Why Choose Penn State Health for Pathology Services

Central Pennsylvania families count on us for our comprehensive testing services and patient-focused care.

Pathology and Lab Services Accreditations and Certifications

Penn State Health provides quality, accurate and timely diagnostic testing. These national accreditations and certifications show we meet rigorous quality standards:

• American Association of Blood Banks
• American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics
• Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments
• College of American Pathologists
• Food and Drug Administration
• Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy
• The Joint Commission

Permits

• Clinical Laboratory – Main Laboratory
• Clinical Laboratory – Department of Health POCT

Expert, Team-Based Care Designed for You

Lab analysis requires advanced skill and precision. Our pathologists — doctors who specialize in lab testing — work with your doctor for diagnosis and treatment planning.

Other staff includes lab technicians, clinical lab scientists and phlebotomists who work as a team to deliver fast, accurate test results. If you come in for a blood test, you can count on our skilled phlebotomists to draw blood as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Pathology Research and Clinical Trials

Penn State Health is dedicated to improving the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Our lab team provides technical expertise to support a wide range of research conducted here. We're involved in basic research and clinical trials for many different diseases. That means you can find treatments here that you won't find anywhere else nearby. Learn more about our clinical trials.

Related Services and Treatments

• Analysis of individual cells (cytopathology)
• Analysis of organs and tissues (anatomic pathology)
• Biopsy testing (surgical pathology)
• Blood bank services
• Blood and clotting analysis (hematology, thrombosis and hemostasis)
• Blood draws (phlebotomy)
• Chemical analysis of body fluids and tissues (clinical chemistry)
• Clinical pathology decedent care
• Collection of specific blood components (apheresis)
• Drug testing
• Genetic testing (molecular diagnostics)
• Microscopic analysis (microscopy)
• Pathology test catalog
• Skin, hair and nail testing (dermatopathology)
• Testing for bacteria and other microorganisms (microbiology)
• Transfusion services
• Transplantation compatibility testing (histocompatibility)
• Urinalysis
• Virus testing (virology)