A pathologist is a doctor who interprets and diagnoses the changes caused by disease in the body's cells and tissues, and diagnose, treat and prevent a range of diseases. There are varying amounts of laboratory work involved in pathology, depending on the specialty and the role itself. Some pathologists don't tend to have any patient contact, whereas others combine lab work with direct, clinical patient care.

The specialties within pathology:

• Chemical pathology - combines laboratory and clinical skills, using biochemical tests to diagnose and treat patients. With metabolic medicine, a sub-specialty of chemical pathology, patients are treated whose chemical processes don't function properly
• Haematology - diagnose and treat disorders of the blood and bone marrow and provide clinical support for the haematology diagnostic laboratory, which includes the blood bank
• Histopathology - diagnose and study disease by medical interpretation of cells and tissue samples, integral to cancer management through the staging and grading of tumours. Autopsies are performed to determine cause of death
• Medical microbiology - diagnose, treat and manage prevention of infection in hospitals and the community, oversee the medical laboratory and provide a bridge between the lab and clinicians
• Medical virology - the management of blood-borne infections and other emerging viruses