Message from the Chair

Welcome to the UCI School of Medicine’s Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. As the natural bridge between basic science and clinical medicine, our department provides the laboratory foundation for the school’s mission to Discover, Teach, Heal.

Discover: Our scientists and physician-scientists advance understanding across cancer, infectious disease, stress‑related injury, immunology, development, neurodegeneration, and stem cell biology, collaborating through campus institutes, centers, and core facilities that enable direct study of patient tissues.

Teach: We offer a comprehensive continuum of education for medical students, residents in anatomic and clinical pathology, and clinical fellows in ACGME and non‑ACGME subspecialties. The department also hosts distinctive training programs for Clinical Laboratory Scientists (CLS) and for PhD students in experimental pathology, preparing the workforce and scholarly leaders who drive precision diagnostics.

Heal: Pathologists are commonly referred to as the “doctor’s doctor,” and our work connects laboratory discovery to everyday clinical decision‑making. With a majority of clinical decision‑making grounded in in vitro diagnostic test results, access to high‑quality laboratory services is central to patient care. Our faculty deliver integrated diagnostic expertise for UCI Health and the broader Southern California community. In addition to our core laboratory in Orange, we operate patient service centers and satellite facilities across Orange County, support non‑UCI providers through an outreach referral program, and meet routine and esoteric testing needs for our expanding clinical enterprise, including the new UCI Health Irvine medical campus.

We foster a culture that values the unique perspectives, backgrounds, and contributions of every individual, and we strive to remove barriers that prevent people from thriving academically, professionally, and personally.

I invite you to learn more about our department and the ways we contribute to medical education and healthcare in coastal Orange County, one of the best places to work, live and play in the country. Read about our great people and programs, and I encourage you to join our team as a volunteer, donor or in other ways as we strive to deliver and do the very best for our patients, students, scientists and clinicians.

I am honored to step into this role, succeeding Dr. Edwin Monuki, and to build on a strong foundation while accelerating priorities that matter to our community.

Ryan O'Connell, MD, MBA
Warren L. Bostick Chair
Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine