James Goldman - April 15, 2020

James E. Goldman, MD, PhD, "The autopsy in the time of COVID-19"

To meet the high demand for autopsy tissues, Dr. Goldman has been working to streamline the procedures for COVID-19 autopsies. These autopsies are guided through collaborations with radiology, pathology, and individual investigators to identify affected areas, and multiple tissues are collected and stored through the Columbia University Biobank. After diagnostics are performed in Pathology, tissues are typically fixed in 10% formalin or rapidly frozen. Requests for tissues will soon begin to be evaluated by a committee and should include detailed descriptions about sample preparation requirements and numbers that are needed. If identifying information is required for a request, IRB approval will be needed. Labs requesting fresh or fresh frozen tissue should also ensure that they meet all EH&S guidelines for such work.