Director:  Don Giacherio, Ph.D.
Administrative Manager:  Sue C. Stern, M.S. MT(ASCP)
2F453 UH
1500 E. Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, MI  48109-5054

(734) 936-6702
 

Chemical Pathology Group

Automation Section
Director:  Don Giacherio, Ph.D.
Day Supervisor:  Eric VasBinder, B.S. MT(ASCP)
Afternoon Supervisor:  Carl Byington, B.S. MLS(ASCP)
Midnight Supervisor:  John Alfsen, MHSA MLS(ASCP)
Location:  2F453 University Hospital
Phone:  734-936-6702
Hours of Service:  24 hours, 7 days per week
 

Special Chemistry (including Ligand & RIA)
Director:  Don Giacherio, Ph.D.
Day Supervisor:  David Harro, B.S. MT(ASCP)
Location:  2F453 University Hospital
Phone:  734-936-6702
Hours of Service:  7:30 am to 4:00pm, Monday-Friday
 

Drug Analysis & Toxicology
Director:  Hemamalini Ketha, Ph.D.
Day Supervisor:  Sheridan Mattson, B.S.
Location:  2F453 University Hospital
Phone:  734-936-6702/734-936-6758
Hours of Service:  7:00 am to Midnight, 7 days per week
 

Immunology
Directors:  Jeffrey Warren, M.D.
Day Supervisor:  Mary Lou Erber, B.S. MT(ASCP)
Location:
Department of Pathology & Clinical Laboratories
Immunology Lab, Rm 23-G770
2800 Plymouth Rd, Bldg 35
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2008

Phone:  734-936-6749
Hours of Service:  7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday-Friday

Services

The section of chemical pathology consists of clinical chemistry, including both automated and special chemistry, drug analysis/toxicology and clinical immunology.  Approximately 9.2 milliontests are performed per year.  The automated chemistry section utilizes a Siemens Lab Cell automation track system (including 3 Centaur XP instruments and 4 Advia 1800 instruments) to offer a menu of over 100 chemistry and immunoassays on blood, urine and other body fluids 24hours per day. 

Special chemistry performs an extensive menu of esoteric testing, including hemoglobin fractionation, viral serology, therapeutic drug monitoring, endocrine function, tumor markers,and vitamin assays utilizing multiple analytical methodologies. These include high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), fluorescence polarization, radioimmunoassay, chemiluminescentimmunoassay, and ELISA methodologies.  Also, an intraoperative PTHI testing program tosupport the performance of 350 parathyroidectomy surgery cases a year is administered by this section.

The drug analysis/toxicology section of the laboratory offers comprehensive testing for banned drugs and drugs of abuse, immunosuppressant drugs, volatiles and heavy metals utilizing HPLC, GCMS, LC-tandem mass spectrophotometry and atomic absorption methodologies. 

The clinical immunology lab offers a wide variety of serum autoantibody testing, serum andurine protein electrophoresis, and multiple assays for the evaluation of monoclonalgammopathies. In addition, the lab performs celiac disease screening, viscosity measurement, cryoglobulin evaluation and syphilis serology.  A variety of methods are employed, includingenzyme immunoassays, multiplex immunoassay, indirect immunofluorescence, high resolutionprotein electrophoresis, capillary electrophoresis, immunofixation and nephelometry.

Additionally, Chemical Pathology supports emergency department point-of-care laboratories in University Hospital and C&W Hospital.

Donald A. Giacherio, Ph.D., Director of Chemical Pathology
Associate Professor
Clinical Chemistry
 

Dr. Giacherio received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1980. He took Post-Doctoral training in Clinical Chemistry at the Mayo Clinic from 1980-1982. Dr. Giacherio is certified as a Laboratory Director by the Michigan Department of Health. He has served as the Michigan Section AACC Program Chairman. Dr. Giacherio has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan since 1982.