Autopsy and Non-Transplant Cardiovascular Pathology Faculty Larry Nichols, MD Presbyterian: (412) 647-3936 Mission Statement It is the mission of the Autopsy and Cardiovascular Pathology Center of Excellence to perform autopsies for all of the contracted University of Pittsburgh Medical Center hospitals, to determine the cause of death as accurately and completely as possible in all these autopsies, to search for diseases with implications for surviving family members in all these autopsies, to support research in all the autopsies with permission for this granted by the family, to utilize these autopsies for the education of pathology residents and medical students, to carefully scrutinize the clinical history and anatomic findings in all these autopsies for implications about how the care of patients could be improved and to bring these implications to the appropriate forums for implementation of the highest possible excellence in patient care at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.