I.  Hours

The MDA is operational from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Services are not available after hours or on weekends or holidays.  The MDA is closed when the Supervisor is on sick leave or vacation.  The Supervisor gives advance notice when the MDA will be closed for a vacation of more than two days.

The MDA Supervisor is available for meetings with customers from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. or by appointment.

Procedure:  All routine business, including film processing, film distribution and access to the photomicroscopes takes place at the Pathology Learning Center counter.  A Job Request form is provided for written instructions to the MDA.  When direct communication with the MDA is required, a request for an appointment may be included on the Job Request form.  When the MDA has a question regarding a job, the customer will be contacted.

II.  Telephone

The MDA answers calls at 335-8225 between 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and at other times as possible.  If the line is busy or goes unanswered, calls will be directed to voice mail.

Procedure:  If the MDA is not answered, leave a voice mail message.  All messages will be answered as soon as possible.

III.  Emergencies/After Hours

Work needing to be completed after hours or other times the MDA is closed is referred to Creative Services.

Procedure:  Contact Creative Services in Westlawn (5-7700) about completing the work.  Job requests at Creative Services require a 41 digit MFK account number.

IV. Eligibility for MDA Services

Faculty, Staff and other full time, permanent employees of the Department of Pathology are eligible for services.  Graduate students doing thesis work in Pathology faculty research laboratories are also eligible for services. Faculty members with partial appointments in Pathology are eligible to use the MDA for preparation of material that is used in this department. Services are not performed for Pathology Department members while on leave of absence or for members of other departments within the University or other institutions. Rotating residents from other departments and Externs receive limited services.

Services are performed only for Pathology Department related projects.  Services requested by pathology personnel for independent projects are subject to negotiation. 

Services requested by an eligible member of the department for a project originating in another department or institution will be granted if that member is receiving credit for the contribution such as authorship on a manuscript or poster presentation.

Services are not performed for Pathology Department members making the request exclusively for thesis or dissertation purposes. Multiple (additional) reproductions of photographic or printed matter for thesis copies will not be provided by the MDA.

Procedure:  Ineligible persons making requests will be referred to Creative Services.  The person making the request, the MDA Supervisor and the Research Advisory Group, discusses requests requiring negotiations. Advice may also be sought from the department head and/or the Department Administrator.

V.  Equipment and Supplies Available for Use

A.  A professional quality photomicroscope is available to Pathology Faculty, Residents and Staff that have successfully completed a training session with the MDA Supervisor.  Only qualified Pathology Department members are allowed access to this instrument.

B.  No other equipment in the MDA is available for use or loan by any person at any time without special permission granted on a case by case basis by the MDA Supervisor.

C.  The photomicroscope is available on a walk-in basis, however, appointments are suggested in order to avoid conflicts.  The equipment is also available after hours and on weekends by arrangement.

D. The MDA does not supply materials other than stock films on a walk-in basis. Supply of materials used in volume by other areas in Pathology (film, cm scales, etc.) may be arranged with the MDA supervisor.

Procedure:  Eligible department members request an appointment for a training session.  Upon qualification by the MDA Supervisor, the person has access to the appropriate instrument. Those seeking materials are referred to an appropriate local vendor.

Walk-in or request appointments for using the equipment by phone.  The MDA Supervisor grants requests for after hours or weekend use on a case-by-case basis.

VI.  Equipment Overseen by the MDA

All equipment housed in the MDA and the affiliated storage/studio area is the direct responsibility of the MDA.

Gross specimen photography setups in the Autopsy Suite and the Frozen Section Room are the responsibility of the Supervisors of those areas.  The MDA provides consultation and help in ordering supplies and repairs.

The MDA does not support the photography setups in the Surgical Pathology office area, Immunopathology Lab, Cytology Lab, Bone Marrow Lab, any departmental research labs, VA Pathology Lab or Morgue. Occasional guidance is given when feasible.

Procedure:  Persons responsible for the photography setups listed above are referred to the appropriate dealer or qualified service representative.

VII.  Job Acceptance

A.  Work that is within the scope of functions of the MDA and is presented by an eligible member of the department is accepted on a first come, first served basis. (See listing of services offered-turnaround times later in this document).

B.  All work submitted must be accompanied by precise written instructions including size, quantity, color, margins, etc. Include an example or a mock-up if possible.  The customer's name, office number and phone number should be present. 

Procedure:  Work may be left at the Pathology Learning Center counter, mailed to the MDA or presented in person between 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.  If the MDA has questions or problems with the job, the MDA will contact the customer.

1. Deposit film for processing at the PLC counter. PLC staff will forward it to the proper processing site.

2. Color prints from slides or negatives must include the size and quantity desired.  Negatives must be numbered or otherwise indicated by marking on the film edges. 

3. Slides for duplication or printing need only show crop marks when needed.

4. Copy work (hard copy or flat items to be photographed or scanned).

Copy work of continuous tone material such as color slides, photographs, halftones from journals, radiographs, gels, blots or plates must include indications of the areas desired.  Give at least 24-hour notice when "fresh" plates, blots or gels must be photographed. 

Copy work (B&W and color) from journals must include page and figure numbers and if the title, caption or footnote is to be retained.  If crop marks are used on a page, they will not be removed before photography.  It is recommended that a Xerox of the page with cropping indications be included if necessary. Please do not use Post-It notes, rather make a list of page and figure numbers.

5. MDA assistance with color or black and white photomicroscopy for publications and posters is arranged on an appointment basis.  Persons desiring the highest possible quality images should contact the MDA Supervisor to schedule a shooting session.  The person requesting the photos should have a very precise idea of the fields and magnifications desired in order to maximize the outcome.

6. Requests for photography away from the MDA (labs, groups, studio, etc.)  must be made at least three days in advance, preferably more.  It is suggested that small items or procedures be photographed in the studio under controlled conditions when possible.  If a patient is included in the photos, release forms (available from the MDA or Hospital Administration) must be signed in advance.  The person requesting location photos must arrange for the models or talent to be included in the photographs.

Passport or application photos are not produced by the MDA.  Such requests are referred to Zephyr Copies or Kinko’s for inexpensive instant photos.

7. Digital files for imaging on the film recorder must be prepared following MDA guidelines. Contact the MDA for instructions on illustration programs and PowerPoint presentations.  Some PowerPoint files and PICT files from drawing or graphing programs often cause special problems. Provide samples to test how the film recorder handles the file. Corrections to these files will be accepted as separate graphics jobs as necessary.

8. Requests for graphics (laminating, mounting,  photo composites, preparation of camera ready art, paste-ups, layouts, posters or poster titles, signs, simple line drawings or schematics) must be accompanied by appropriate, detailed instructions.  Rough drawings may be included when needed.  The MDA will contact the customer if there are questions or problems.

9. Request for items to be scanned to a digital file must be accompanied with the following: Final output size (dimensions), resolution (dpi) and file type (TIFF, PICT, EPS, etc.). Instructions for any other image manipulation should accompany the order. The MDA does not offer Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scanning.

10. Meeting-specific instructions and a rough layout must accompany requests for large-format posters. Specific instructions are in section XIII, part 10. The MDA printer can produce output up to 42” in height.

VIII.  Rush Orders

Requests for work to be completed in less than the listed turnaround time (see next section) will be accepted only if they do not significantly disrupt scheduled work flow.  Requests for work to be completed in less than 24 hours are often referred to Creative Services or Med Graphics. 

Procedure:  Requests for rush orders that the MDA cannot accommodate are referred to ColorWorks, or Creative Services.  These requests require a 41-digit MFK account number, as rush order charges will be paid by the requestor.

IX.  Work Progression

Photographic contact prints or proofs of graphics are sent to the customer for approval and further instructions when appropriate.  Resubmitting the contacts or proofs constitutes a new job.

Procedure:  Contact prints or proofs are sent to the customer.  That completes the job.  The customer contacts the MDA with any changes and further orders.

X.  Errors

A.  Completed work returned on account of production error which is determined to be the fault of the MDA or it’s vendors will be given high priority.

B.  Completed work returned on account of error determined to be the fault of the customer or on account of changes requested by the customer are treated as new orders and receive a new position in the work flow.

Procedure:  The customer brings errors to the attention of the MDA and the appropriate action is taken.

XI.  Completed Work

Finished jobs are returned to the customer by departmental mail unless the size is prohibitive.  Notices are telephoned for orders that must be picked up at the PLC or as requested.  Work due is ready by 3:30 p.m. at the latest on its completion date.

Procedure:  Notice or completed work is promptly given to the customer.

XII.  Charges for Material and Services

A. All services and materials provided by the MDA to eligible customers for qualified projects will be paid for with MDA funds except those listed in part B below. ).  Work outside the scope of the MDA is available only at the expense of the person making the request. With the exception of Ektachrome film processing, the MDA does not pay outside vendors for services it does not offer.

B. The following materials and services are charged at an at-cost rate to the appropriate account:

1. Color slide film and processing for the gross specimen photography setups in the Autopsy suite.

2. Color slide film and processing for the gross specimen photography setup in the Frozen Section room.

3. Color slide film and processing for the photomicroscope in the Immunopathology Lab.

4. Color slide film and processing for the photomicroscope in the Virology Lab.

5. Color slide film and processing for the photomicroscope in the Bone Marrow Lab.

6. Color slide film and processing for photomicroscopes in any departmental research labs.

7. Any special orders for materials or services not regularly provided by the MDA.

8. Any materials or services provided for a University, college department or hospital sponsored conference, seminar, institute or symposium for which a registration fee is charged.

9. Large quantities of digital color prints used for non-College purposes. (Example: Clinical Laboratory training manuals)

10. Rush orders sent to out-of-house service providers (ColorWorks, or Creative Services) which require turnaround times shorter than established MDA policies provide.

Procedure:  Charges for materials and services are computed monthly and the accounts are billed to the vendors on the voucher. Requests for materials or services for a publication or from clinical and research areas must be accompanied by an MFK number.

XIII.  Services Offered/Turnaround Times

A. Color film processing is available Monday through Friday with overnight processing of Ektachrome film for return the next working day. B&W or any color print (color negative) films have a three workday turnaround.  Push processing of Ektachrome film requires five workdays. Kodachrome processing is not offered through the MDA.

Procedure: Ektachrome film is deposited in the PLC before noon is returned by 1:00 P.m. the next workday.  Same Day processing (in by noon, out by 4:00 p.m.) is also available by request. All other films deposited before noon will be returned three days later by 1:00 p.m. Ektachromes may be picked up at the PLC or delivered through the departmental mail.

B.  Slide duplications are outsourced.

GRIPE slides from the PLC files are copyrighted and may not be duplicated under any circumstances. If duplicates of GRIPE slides are desired, they may be obtained from the PLC file.

Pathology Teaching Photo File (TPF) slide duplicates are available from the PLC file, and will not be duplicated. Digital versions are also available.

Requests for large numbers of duplicates will be taken on a case-by-case basis. Excessive quantities of duplicates may be refused.

C. Color copy work (flat items scanned to file or 35mm film output) is also done in three days. 

D. Color or B&W digital prints from existing files require two days. Silver-based enlargements from a custom printer require three-five days turnaround time. Occasionally, a second set of color prints must be ordered to meet rigorous color balance requirements.  Regular color prints from slides also require at least three-five days.  Reprints from color negatives require three days.

E. Black and white film processing and contact sheets have a minimum turnaround time of three days. 

F. The MDA images 35 mm slides generated from Windows or Macintosh presentation and drawing programs. Microsoft PowerPoint is the preferred presentation software, although others may be used. Photoshop, Targa, EPS, TIFF, PICT (or scrapbook) files are the only supported file types. Microsoft Office basic installation fonts and Type 1Helvetica, Times, Symbol and Zapf Dingbats are the only supported fonts. Turnaround time is two days. If MDA services are needed (i.e. substituting fonts, cropping, editing, color changes, etc.) turnaround time may increase to at least three days.

G. Graphics turnaround times are variable.  In general, small projects or quantities such as lamination, mounting (11’x17” or smaller), photo composites, simple paste-ups or line drawings, scans or color or black and white digital prints are completed in a minimum of two days.  Large quantities of these items or more elaborate artwork may require a minimum of one week Completion dates must be discussed with the MDA Supervisor.  If the MDA cannot accommodate the desired turnaround time the customer will be referred to Med Graphics. A 41 digit MFK account number is required at Med Graphics.

H. Materials for poster presentations require special consideration.  Generally, several people from the department present posters at the same meeting (USCAP, AACC, ASM, etc.).  In order to better accommodate the large influx of work, requests for posters including photographs, layouts, graphs or charts must be received no less than two weeks before the desired completion date. Text for large-format posters may be in Word or PowerPoint (Times New Roman, 14 pt.). Tables should be in Word. Graphics can be composed in PowerPoint or Excel, but graphics from other sources should be presented as high resolution (>200ppi, 11” wide) TIFF or EPS files. Do not import them into another program. Low resolution graphics (screen shots, web downloads, etc.) are not of sufficient quality and should be avoided. Please contact the MDA for more detailed instructions.