Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Specializing in musculoskeletal health since 1863, Hospital for Special Surgery is a unique institution. We are committed to providing the highest quality patient care while advancing research and education in orthopedics, rheumatology, and related disciplines, including musculoskeletal pathology.
The mission of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is to provide accurate, efficient and timely results to assist the medical and surgical staff in the diagnosis and treatment of our patients. Pathology performs close to 2 million laboratory examinations per year, touching virtually every patient at HSS.
Reflecting the vision of HSS to lead the world as the most innovative source of musculoskeletal medical care and a premiere research institution in our field, the attending pathology staff has more aggregate experience in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders than pathologists in any comparable institution. Our pathologists publish research independently and in collaboration with clinical and surgical co-investigators, as well as provide consultation services and participate in educational activities on the local and international level.
What is Pathology?
Pathology means “the study of disease," and pathologists are the doctors who interpret biopsy or cytology specimens, monitor laboratory testing, and help interpret those laboratory tests. At HSS the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is divided into two sections: clinical pathology and anatomic pathology.
Clinical Pathology is responsible for tests performed from blood, urine, and other body fluids. We perform close to 2 million laboratory tests per year in the sections of clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, and immunohematology (blood banking).
Anatomic pathology refers to testing of tissue specimens - at HSS this means the examination of bone, joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscle under the microscope. Our pathology faculty members interpret more than 25,000 anatomic pathology examinations per year, mostly related to metabolic, infectious, traumatic, degenerative, and neoplastic diseases of bones and joints. We also help document mechanisms of success and failure of reconstructive orthopedic procedures, such as joint arthroplasty or enhanced fracture healing. As specialists in musculoskeletal pathology, we also receive consultation cases from patients and pathologists from around the world.
Faculty and Staff
Our faculty and staff are among the most specialized in their field and recognized for their academic, research and education efforts both locally and internationally.
For information regarding insurance participation status for all HSS Pathologists, please call 212.774.2607.
Pathology Attending Staff
Lab Administration
- Mr. Mark Gendron, Vice President
- Ms. Halina Lelo, Director
- Ms. Lucy Lu, Assistant Director
- Ms. Anna Chan, Manager, Informatics and QA
Laboratory Supervisors
- Ms. Mary Hachache - Chemistry
- Ms. Sara Zaucha - Microbiology
- Ms. Yana Bronfman - Histopathology
- Mr. Ayman Elshamshrey - Hematology
- Mr. Richie Seeratan - Blood Bank
- Ms. Asma Siddiqui - Clinical Immunology
- Mr. Elvedin Julevic - Venipuncture/Central Accession
Consultation Services
Pathologists at Hospital for Special Surgery provide consultative services for pathologists needing an expert opinion, or for orthopedic surgeons or their patients seeking a second opinion.
For Patients
If you would like a second opinion regarding a diagnosis that was made based on a biopsy or other tissue sample, your physician can request that the local pathology department send the microscope slides to HSS and we can provide a second opinion. The microscope slides would then be returned to the original hospital. Like any other physician’s service, a bill will be sent for the consultative service. If you have medical insurance information, please include it with the consultation materials.
For Pathologists
Our pathologists have extensive experience with musculoskeletal disorders, including tumors as well as non-neoplastic conditions. If you are seeking a consultative opinion, please reach out to a faculty member and send the microscope slides (or tissue blocks), along with corresponding pathology reports, clinical information, radiographic imaging studies, and other relevant material to the address indicated below. If you provide a telephone number, one of our physicians may be able to discuss our findings with you before the case is completed. Please also provide a fax number or email address.
You may send a case to any of us individually to the address below:
Hospital for Special Surgery
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
535 East 70th Street
New York, NY 10021
Autologous Blood Donation
Do I need to donate blood?
In the case you need blood during or after your surgery, an autologous blood donation or giving yourself blood, may be necessary. Your surgeon will tell you if it is likely that you will need a blood transfusion during your hospital stay.
Your Appointment to Donate Blood
If you are donating blood for your surgery, your physician’s office will schedule the necessary appointments at the New York Blood Center's upper east side location at 310 E. 67th Street in New York City.
Please Note: If you have a cardiac or medical condition for which you are being monitored by a doctor, please obtain a note from your doctor giving you permission to donate your own blood for your upcoming procedure.
Courtesy Car
The Hospital maintains a courtesy car for patient transportation to the New York Blood Center.
It runs weekdays only from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM except between 12:00 - 12:30 PM.
For pick-up, call extension 1799 from a courtesy phone at HSS or 212.606.1799 from outside the Hospital.
For Professionals
Our professional staff is comprised of physicians who have dedicated their careers to the diagnosis of musculoskeletal diseases. Their aggregate experience in this field far exceeds that of any other facility in the world. All of our professional staff has academic appointments at the Weill Cornell Medical College and some hold consultant appointments at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and adjunct faculty appointments at other academic centers. They are members of editorial boards - not simply for pathology journals but for orthopedic and radiology journals, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of orthopedic pathology. They have been recognized for teaching skills not just by medical students or residents, but also by academic centers across the United States, Europe, and the Far East.
The primary role of The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at HSS is to provide diagnostic support for our clinical departments, to collaborate scientifically with its research divisions, and to make our educational resources widely available to its physicians and other professional staff.
Grading Method for Synovitis Pathology
HSS has a synovial pathology scoring image directory for professionals. Find instructions for scoring 20 histologic features of synovial frozen sections below.