In plain English
Pathology has two halves. Anatomic pathology examines tissue and cells - surgical specimens, biopsies, cytology and autopsy. Clinical pathology runs the laboratory: chemistry, haematology, microbiology, transfusion and molecular testing. Most American pathologists are certified in both.
The specialty's decisions are institutional. A pathologist directing a laboratory chooses analysers, reagents, informatics and send-out reference testing, which makes this small population an outsized buying audience for diagnostics.
Dermatopathology, hematopathology, molecular genetic pathology, cytopathology and forensic pathology are sub-specialty fellowships with codes of their own.
Training and credentials
Medical school, a pathology residency of three to four years depending on the pathway, then board certification; fellowships add one to two years.
Where they practise
Hospital laboratories, independent and reference laboratories, academic departments, medical examiner offices.
Pathologists on the public record
Counted from what providers file about themselves, with suppression applied before anything is counted, refreshed 2026-10-05. Names, specialties and practice locations are public; work email and phone are for signed-in customers.
| State | On record | With work email | With practice phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2,921 | 2,377 81% | 2,921 |
| Texas | 2,192 | 1,858 85% | 2,191 |
| New York | 1,978 | 1,688 85% | 1,978 |
| Florida | 1,861 | 1,339 72% | 1,860 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,280 | 1,061 83% | 1,280 |
| Illinois | 1,216 | 1,014 83% | 1,216 |
| Massachusetts | 1,136 | 986 87% | 1,136 |
| Ohio | 1,085 | 918 85% | 1,085 |
Closely related, and where to find them.
Closely related
- Radiologist The reading specialty - and the one where practice address tells you least.
- Hematologist-oncologist One combined fellowship, three possible codes on the record.
- Infectious disease physician A small consultative specialty with outsized say over antimicrobials and diagnostics.
Find them
- Pathologists list counts by state, the fields a record carries, a sample record.
- Physicians physician data by specialty, state and employer.
Need the list, not the definition?
A free account builds this population with your own filters and shows what each record carries before anything is bought.