This streamlined "essential" version of the Molecular Pathology (2009) textbook extracts key information, illustrations and photographs from the main textbook in the same number and organization of chapters. It is aimed at teaching students in courses where the full textbook is not needed, but the concepts included are desirable (such as graduate students in allied health programs or undergraduates). It is also aimed at students who are enrolled in courses that primarily use a traditional pathology textbook, but need the complementary concepts of molecular pathology (such as medical students). Further, the textbook will be valuable for pathology residents and other postdoctoral fellows who desire to advance their understanding of molecular mechanisms of disease beyond what they learned in medical/graduate school.

• Offers an essential introduction to molecular genetics and the "molecular" aspects of human disease
• Teaches from the perspective of "integrative systems biology," which encompasses the intersection of all molecular aspects of biology, as applied to understanding human disease
• In-depth presentation of the principles and practice of molecular pathology: molecular pathogenesis, molecular mechanisms of disease, and how the molecular pathogenesis of disease parallels the evolution of the disease using histopathology.
• "Traditional" pathology section provides state-of-the-art information on the major forms of disease, their pathologies, and the molecular mechanisms that drive these diseases.
• Explains the practice of "molecular medicine" and the translational aspects of molecular pathology: molecular diagnostics, molecular assessment, and personalized medicine
• Each chapter ends with Key Summary Points and Suggested Readings