|
GENERAL INFORMATION
The UPMC Clinical Virology Laboratory is a section of the Division of Clinical Microbiology in the Department of Pathology.
The Clinical Virology Laboratory staff currently consists of the lead medical technologist Maryann Lassak and medical technologists under the direction of Dr. Charles Rinaldo, Assistant Director of the Clinical Microbiology, and Dr. William Pasculle, Director of Clinical Microbiology. The technical staff has extensive experience in clinical virology.
Our team has a PhD level technical specialist, Dr. Karina Soares, who develops, validates and assimilates the latest diagnostic technologies into our current repertoire of clinical tests so that we can rapidly and accurately identify the causative agent and improve patient treatment outcomes at UPMC.
MISSION
Our mission is to provide state-of-the-art services for rapid and accurate diagnosis of viral infections for optimal patient care within the UPMC hospital system and affiliated clinics.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Early 1970's: Clinical virology laboratory was established by the then Director of the Division of Clinical Microbiology Dr. Monto Ho. Dr. Ho is a renowned virologist who had trained at Harvard Medical School with Nobel Laureate Dr. John Enders.
1976: Dr. A. William Pasculle was recruited as the Assistant Director of Clinical Microbiology. Dr. Pasculle is a clinical microbiologist with a Sc.D. in microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Dr. Pasculle was promoted to Director of Clinical Microbiology in 1999.
1978: Dr. Ho recruited Dr. Charles Rinaldo as the second Assistant Director in Clinical Microbiology, with specialty in virology to address the growing needs in clinical virology. Dr. Rinaldo is a clinical virologist with a PhD from the University of Utah, and postdoctoral training in the immunology of human cytomegalovirus infection in Dr. Martin Hirsch’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital.
1992: The Division hired the first Virology Assistant, Dr. Kirsten St. George, with specialty in clinical virology to validate and assimilate new diagnostic technologies for the UPMC Clinical Virology Laboratory.
| 