The Greek roots of the word "Pathology" are "Pathos" and "logia": the study of human suffering. Pathology "research" is central to understanding human disease - its mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment. The areas of research focus for this department are: Infectious Disease; Population Health; Transfusion Medicine and Anatomic Pathology.

In the first instance, extensive research programming in Infectious Disease Molecular Diagnostics and in viral Vaccine/Therapeutic Clinical Trials is led by Dr. Christine Ginocchio. In 2009, for example, the Clinical Virology and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories provided the first published peer-review information on laboratory diagnosis of the novel H1N1 influenza A virus (swine flu), as well as publishing on the role of the Sentinel Laboratory in early diagnosis of pandemic outbreaks in infectious disease. In the second instance, Dr. James Crawford is spearheading the effort to utilize the extensive laboratory data in clinical laboratories to assess healthcare management and outcomes in the regional population served by the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, as a pilot in how Pathology can contribute to the national mandates in Healthcare Reform. In the third instance, the Division of Blood Bank and Transfusion Medicine, led by Dr. Andrew Heaton, is pursuing development of clinical studies of blood components to affirm their value in acute settings and in the development of radio-nuclide measurements of blood component quality, with a focus on the evaluation of new therapeutic platelet products. Research in Anatomic Pathology focuses primarily on diagnostic and prognostic indicators in cancer utilizing immunohistochemistry.

In addition, descriptive research that correlates clinical and pathologic data is also a prominent aspect of Anatomic Pathology research. Other scholarly activities in the department include evaluation of Circulating Tumor cells for monitoring and intervention in patients with cancer; utilization of array Comparative Genomic Hybridization in Cytogenetics; and use of digital telepathology in support of healthcare delivery in sites worldwide with limited access to healthcare services.