Clinical and Laboratory Medicine
All laboratories are located on the 3rd Floor of Ruby Memorial Hospital unless stated otherwise.
Clinical Chemistry & Mass Spectrometry
Director: Danyel Tacker, PhD
Phone: 304-598-4243 | 304-598-4232 (Lab)
Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week
The Clinical Chemistry section provides 24/7 emergency and routine diagnostic testing of blood, urine, and other body fluids for WVUH patients. The section also provides outreach chemistry testing for regional physician offices, clinics, and hospitals. Our newly expanded menu in the central laboratory covers metabolic panels, basic lipid assessments, therapeutic drug monitoring, medical-use toxicology screens, tumor, endocrine, & cardiac markers, and hepatitis & HIV serology screens. Please visit our laboratory test catalog (wvuh.testcatalog.org) for more information about test availability.
The Special Chemistry section provides diagnostic testing for WVUH patients as well as outreach testing for regional physician offices, clinics, and hospitals. Our continuously expanding menu in the special chemistry section covers routine automated infectious serology, esoteric endocrine, allergy, connective tissue disease, immunology testing. Serum & urine protein profiling, and monoclonal protein identification & typing for oncology are performed at the electrophoresis station. Vitamin assessments and special therapeutic drug monitoring tests are performed at our two mass spectrometry stations. Please visit our laboratory test catalog for more information about test availability.
Molecular Diagnostics & Molecular Pathology
Director: Matthew Smolkin, MD
Phone: 304-293-3404 | 304-598-4237 (Lab)
Hours: 8am-5pm, Mon-Fri
The molecular diagnostics laboratory performs highly complex testing for malignant and infectious diseases. A wide away of modern equipment and techniques are used to discover normal and variant nucleic acid sequences in both clinical practice and laboratory and translational research settings.
Cytogenetics Laboratory
Director: Ramakrishnan Sasi, PhD
Phone: 304-293-0446 | 304-293-2524 (Lab)
Location: HSC South 2335
Hours: Mon-Fri : 8am-4:30pm | Sat : 8am-2pm
This section is responsible for chromosome karyotype analysis for perinatal, oncologic and familial studies involving inherited and developmental abnormalities. A variety of complex screening procedures for these diseases is offered on site and through referral laboratories. Requests for cytogenetic analysis may be made by consulting the Director or the Technical Specialist of this section. When these services are required after hours, a technologist can be contacted through specimen processing at 598-4225.
Hematology and Clinical Coagulation
Director: Peter Perrotta, MD
Phone: 304-293-1617 | 304-598-4230 (Lab)
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
The section of hematopathology includes the examination of body tissues and marrow for malignancies involving red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Additional specialized testing in the flow cytometry and cytogenetics laboratories fosters a comprehensive arsenal of laboratory testing in the evaluation of hematopoietic and lymphoid tumors classified by the World Health Organization.
The section of benign hematology and coagulation supports routine and specialized testing such lupus anticoagulant assays, factor activity levels, and heparin induced thrombocytopenia. Most tests are performed daily or are available on a 24/7 basis. We also offer rapid evaluation of whole blood coagulation by thromboelastography in addition to specialized platelet function assays including platelet mapping and VerifyNow. Microscopic examination of peripheral blood smears and body fluids are performed daily.
Flow Cytometry
Director: Peter Perrotta, MD
Phone: 304-293-1617 | 304-598-4237 (Lab)
Technical Specialist: Annie August, MT (ASCP)
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
The flow cytometry laboratory provides state-of-the-art 10 color analysis of blood and tissue specimens. Using specific markers individuals cells are detected, identified, and quantified based on surface antigen expression. Flow cytometry is commonly used to diagnose hematologic malignancies such as leukemias and lymphomas.
Microbiology
Director: Rocco Lasala, MD
Phone: 304-598-4802 | 304-598-4234 (Lab)
Hours: 7am-10:30pm, 7 days a week
The section of clinical microbiology at WVU provides laboratory support for investigations into the causes and complications of infectious diseases. Services include aerobic and anaerobic bacteriology, mycobacteriology, mycology and parasitology. The laboratory performs direct microscopic analyses, culture and phenotypic identifications, antigen detection, serologic assays, bacterial and fungal antibiotic susceptibility testing as well as laboratory data interpretation through its consultative service.
The laboratory collaborates closely with the Section of Infectious Disease, Clinical Pharmacy and the WVUH Programs for Infection Control, Antimicrobial Stewardship and Information Technology to establish relevant antibiotic susceptibility profiles, to monitor nosocomial infections and utilization of antimicrobial therapies, and to evaluate epidemiologic shifts of infectious agents within the institution and surrounding community.
Specimen Processing
Director: Ted Kieffer, MD
Phone: 304-598-4241 | 304-598-4225 (Lab)
Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week
This is the area of the Clinical Laboratories where all specimen and requisitions are received, checked for completeness and processed for distribution to the individual laboratory sections. The receipt of specimens from the pneumatic tube, phlebotomist, and couriers; initial computer entry of demographic information and specimen referral to and from outside laboratories occur here. The central laboratory’s phlebotomy area is located adjacent to this area.
The laboratory assistant in processing will receive inquiries for status and results of tests. Medical/technical questions will be referred to the appropriate laboratory directors and technologists.
Blood Bank & Transfusion Services
Director: Aaron Shmookler, MD
Phone: 304-598-4241 | 304-598-4239 (Lab)
Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week
The Transfusion Service/Blood Bank is an AABB and CAP Accredited facility that provides comprehensive transfusion support for patients of West Virginia University Hospitals in Morgantown. Some specific clinical programs that regularly have unique transfusion needs and utilize our services include Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center (an American College of Surgeons nationally-verified Level 1 trauma center), Osborn Hematopoietic Malignancy and Transplantation Program, and Heart and Vascular Institute. We routinely provide a variety of red cell and plasma products, platelets, cryoprecipitate, clotting factor concentrates, and Rh immune globulin. Also readily available are modified blood products with use of our irradiator and blood cell washers as well as pediatric and neonatal aliquots. Pre-transfusing testing, including red cell and platelet antibody screening and crossmatching, is performed on state-of-the-art, automated, solid-phase testing equipment. Clinical criteria for transfusion of blood components and products are reviewed, monitored, and audited by Blood Bank staff and the hospital’s Blood Utilization Committee. For specific indications, special components and services are available upon consultation with the Blood Bank director or on-call pathologist.
We are dually supplied by ITxMSM and American Red Cross. ITxMSM provides a blood donation program and therapeutic phlebotomy service twice per month at University Town Centre in Morgantown.
Cellular Therapy Laboratory
Director: Aaron Shmookler, MD
Phone: 304-598-3221
For almost 30 years since its inception the FACT-JACIE Accredited Bone Marrow Processing Laboratory has comprehensively supported the Osborn Hematopoietic Malignancy and Transplantation Program at West Virginia University Hospitals in Morgantown. We process hematopoietic stem cells derived from bone marrow harvests, apheresis and umbilical cord blood collections originating from autologous and allogeneic donors. Some of our allogeneic donors participate in the National Marrow Donor Program®. We also work with Novartis in preparing CAR-T cell therapy, KymriahTM (CTL019), as an exciting new treatment for cancer patients.