Pathology

Pathology studies the causes and mechanisms of disease by examining changes in cells, tissues, and organs. It investigates how genetic, molecular, infectious, immune-mediated, and environmental factors lead to structural and functional abnormalities in the body. The field encompasses anatomic pathology (including histopathology, cytology, and autopsy pathology) and clinical pathology (laboratory medicine, hematology, microbiology, molecular diagnostics). Pathology underpins all of modern medicine—providing definitive diagnoses, guiding treatment decisions, identifying prognostic markers, and advancing our understanding of how diseases develop, progress, and respond to therapy.