The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Cedars-Sinai is comprised of over 40 MDs and PhDs comprising an academic department with regional, national and international visibility. Many of the faculty are widely regarded investigators in their field, In 2007, Department faculty members had many publications which include 61 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 12 book chapters, one book and more than 50 abstracts at regional or national meetings. They also participated in more than 40 courses, lectureships and visiting professorships.

A few of the widely known investigators at Cedars-Sinai include current Chairman, Mahul B. Amin, MD, and Stephen A. Geller, MD former Chairman of our Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine for 22 years. Both actively encourage and lead departmental research endeavors, and support resident research from the first moment that a new resident steps foot in the department. Dr. Amin is one of the most widely recognized authorities in genitourinary pathology in the nation and the world, with extensive expertise in oncologic pathology of the genitourinary tract. He has written over 25 book chapters in this area, is active in setting standards for oncologic pathology reporting and is a maven in prostate cancer research. Dr. Geller is an international leader in hepatopathology, with over 100 papers in that field alone and has distinctively advanced the art, science and teaching that comprise pathology.

Other strong areas of research include nephropathology with Arthur H. Cohen, MD and Cynthia Nast, MD , innovators in clinical research and education in this field. Dr. Alberto Marchevsky is widely known for his expertise in pulmonary and mediastinal pathology and has become a leader in the burgeoning field of evidence based medicine as it is applied to pathology. In addition there is active research ongoing in breast and cytopathology with Shikha Bose, MD , in gastrointestinal pathology with Hanlin L. Wang, MD, PhD, in genitourinary pathology with Daniel Luthringer, MD and other areas of anatomic, clinical and molecular pathology. There are a number of senior diagnosticians and researchers - leaders by example - who strongly encourage newer and younger faculty, our housestaff in particular, to pursue research.

In addition to the many clinical and translational research programs ongoing, beginning in March 2008, the Department has expanded to include a Division of Experimental Pathology with Kenneth Bernstein, M.D. serving as Director. Dr. Bernstein brings internationally recognized expertise in the molecular mechanisms and biology of angiotensin converting enzyme and its receptors. His laboratory has performed pioneering investigations in a wide range of experimental areas, including the control of ACE gene transcription, intracellular signaling initiated by angiotensin II, the role of ACE expression in the control of blood pressure, and the role of testis ACE in male reproduction. Recently, Dr. Bernstein made use of genetically modified mice to investigate the role of the renin-angiotensin system in the immune response to cancer. He has received several honors including an NIH MERIT award, the Novartis Prize from the American Heart Association, and he is this year's recipient of the AHA's Basic Science Prize. Dr. Bernstein¿s presence represents a significant achievement in the Pathology Department at the scientific level. Other researchers in the field of cardiac biology and pathology also are joining the Experimental Pathology Division and are working closely with the Heart Institute.

To support the clinical research endeavors within the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, the Nathan B. Friedman Research Society was created to honor one of the department¿s most prominent members. Dr. Friedman was active in his field for nearly 70 years. He was world renowned among pathologists in the area of genitourinary pathology, creating the classification of testicular neoplasms. What was most remarkable about Nathan Friedman was his role as an educator; he taught students, residents and colleagues respect for science, and then demonstrated the discipline to make it work. He presented a vital pathology and embraced, even at an advanced age, the arrival of new techniques in pathology such as molecular genetics. The department continues to exhibit leadership in pathology research.