University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Department of Pathology
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Michael A. Nalesnik, MD

The proper management of transplant candidates and patients requires familiarity with a diverse number of conditions. Treatment decisions must take into account the dynamic nature of the patient's condition, and standardized interpretation of diagnostic biopsies is critical to continuity of care. We have exploited the pervasive presence of the WWW to generate a shared resource designed to provide a visual and textual foundation for the proper interpretation of diagnostic tissue specimens in the transplantation setting. This site, Transplant Pathology Internet Services (TPIS), is maintained by the Division of Transplantation Pathology at the University of Pittbsurgh Medical Center. It has grown over the past several years to incorporate interactive case conferences, collaborative discussions, and a full-length textbook. The site currently attracts between 10,000 visitors and 75,000 hits per month. We predict that the use of web-based information will provide a new standard of care as practitioners realize the wealth of knowledge readily available and applicable to specific medical problems.