Welcome to the Office of Collaborative Pathology (OCP). The OCP is a pioneering initiative to streamline engagement with academic and industry partners.
The Department of Pathology at UPMC serves to engage collaboratively with other academic centers, technology companies, industry leaders, government bodies and research institutions. We strive to position ourselves as partners for providing better patient care by identifying and validating novel biomarkers for diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic roles. We aim to work with partners to enhance research that leads to better and novel patient care delivery mechanisms, enhances workflow efficiency, and creates the next generation of clinical tools. Our centers have a core focus for participating in clinical trials focused on evaluating, validating, and integrating novel digital pathology technologies.
OCP aims to facilitate Clinical trials and other research endeavors with academic and clinical partners. Our goal is to provide administrative assistance, project management, and ensure compliance with IRB, legal and ethical guidelines.
Our Mission
Our mission, led by Rajiv Dhir, MD, MBA, and John Moretti, MHA, MBA, is to create an efficient process for collaborative relationships with academic and industry partners. The typical process of engagement with industry and academic partners, as part of collaborative endeavors, involves multiple regulatory, legal, and financial discussions and considerations. This process can be both time consuming and onerous. In our experience, and feedback from industry and academic partners, is that the administrative and legal aspects introduce delays and waiting, some of which can be streamlined.
OCP has been created with the specific intention to establish a single point of contact for discussions with our industry and academic partners. This office has the primary responsibility of handling the legal, administrative, and financial aspects required for the establishment of collaborative relationships, both internal and external to the institution.
At UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, it is understood that academic-industry partnerships play a crucial role in advancing computational pathology. For more information about our goals and the benefits of collaboration, follow this link to an article from our Chair, Dr. Liron Pantanowitz.
Join Us in Advancing Digital Pathology Research and Innovation
At the UPMC Office of Collaborative Pathology, we are committed to expanding and enhancing collaborations that drive forward cutting-edge research, clinical advancements, and transformative healthcare solutions. Whether you are an academic institution, industry partner, or healthcare organization, we are eager to explore new opportunities for partnership in the field of pathology.
Our focus areas include:
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Clinical Trials: Harnessing hardware and software technology for improved diagnostics and better patient outcomes.
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Clinical Decision Support: Developing AI-driven tools to enhance clinical decision-making.
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Biomarker Discovery: Partnering on the latest research to uncover novel biomarkers for personalized medicine.
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Collaborative Research: Building networks of experts to tackle the most pressing challenges in pathology.
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Technology Evaluations: Evaluating cutting edge hardware and software solutions that impact all areas of the pathology pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic workflows.
We invite you to collaborate with us on innovative projects that bridge the gap between pathology, technology, and clinical practice. Together, we can make a lasting impact on patient care and scientific discovery.
OCP works closely with the Digital Pathology Research Center (DPRC), headed by Dr. Matthew Hanna, the Vice-Chair for Pathology Informatics, and with the Computational Pathology and Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence (CPACE), headed by Dr. Hooman Rashidi, Executive Vice-Chair of Computational Pathology. The three entities serve to work collaboratively to drive innovation in digital and computational pathology. Our goal is to enhance research, and enable seamless transition into clinical practice, providing novel patient care delivery mechanisms and enhanced workflow efficiency.
In addition, OCP collaborates with the UPMC Clinical Test Development Laboratory (TDL), whose goal is to provide high-quality human specimens at an affordable rate and rapid turnaround time within a CLIA-certified and CAP-approved environment. This state-of-the-art lab features automated tissue processing, rapid tissue embedding, routine histologic services, and automated staining with appropriate quality assurance and quality controls.
Our Team
We have a team of individuals who help address different facets of the process of development of a collaborative relationship. In our experience, the collaborative process not only includes discussions related to the project as proposed by the collaborating entities, but also includes a significant element of discussion and fine-tuning to make the project as relevant and impactful as possible. With that in mind, the OCP has onboarded individuals with relevant, and different, skill sets to facilitate this complete process.
Rajiv Dhir, MD, MBA, is Medical Director of the Office of Collaborative Pathology (OCP), the Executive Vice Chair for Anatomic Pathology and the Medical Director for Anatomic Pathology for the UPMC system. He has over 25 years of experience as a practicing pathologist, a funded translational researcher, as well as a physician administrator. In addition to providing feedback regarding value and feasibility of a project, one of his primary roles is also to identify and engage relevant stakeholders from the UPMC environment to facilitate the establishment, progress, and success of these collaborative relationships.
John Moretti, MBA, MHA, is the Executive Administrator for the Department of Pathology. He oversees the administrative and financial aspects of the Department of Pathology. He brings extensive administrative experience to this office. His primary role is to evaluate and help establishment of collaborative relationships from the perspective of the financial and regulatory aspects of the relationship.
Nicole Pistorius, BA, is the Assistant Director of the OCP. She brings extensive experience related to the regulatory and project management aspects of collaborative relationships. One of her primary responsibilities is to advise and ensure compliance with institutional and federal regulatory requirements, including IRB submissions.
Michelle Wood-Trageser, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Translational Pathology, of the Department of Pathology. She provides extensive domain expertise in the design and execution of translational projects, where pathology materials, information and expertise are required for facilitating the collaborative questions.
Michele Viola, Manager of Business Administration, oversees the operational and communication aspects of OCP.
Chris Corcoran is the Coordinator and Assistant to Rajiv Dhir, MD, the Medical Director of Office of Collaborative Pathology (OCP), Executive Vice Chair and Medical Director for Anatomic Pathology.
If you are interested in partnering or exploring potential collaborations, please fill out our intake form.
Email: OCP@upmc.edu
Let's work together to create a healthier future through collaboration and innovation. Reach out today to begin a conversation!