The Post-Sophomore Student Pathology Fellowship provides the medical student who has completed the first two years of medical school with an intensive practical educational experience in diagnostic pathology and laboratory medicine. The Fellow performs the work of a laboratory physician under the supervision and guidance of Pathology faculty. The training is designed to develop a thorough understanding of disease processes, medical diagnostics, and the relationship of laboratory research to patient care. The training is designed to benefit and enrich the Fellows preparation for practice of any medical specialty.
Activities of the Fellow:
The Fellowship consists of four three-month rotations on various Pathology Services. These rotations
are comparable in responsibilities and structure to rotations of beginning residents in pathology,
except that the Fellow receives more intense faculty supervision and instruction.
Two rotations (six months) are devoted to Anatomic Pathology Services at the University Hospital and/or VA Medical Center. On these services, the Fellow performs operating room consultations, performs gross and microscopic descriptions of tissue specimens, and performs and presents autopsies. In all of these responsibilities, the Fellow works under the instruction and guidance of Pathology Faculty.
One rotation (three months) consists of learning and performing autopsy pathology at the Office of the Medical Investigator. The other rotation (three months) is an elective which may involve an additional anatomic pathology training, laboratory medicine rotation or research rotation. The choice of this last rotation is made according to the particular interests and career goals of each Fellow. On laboratory medicine rotations, the Fellow performs and interprets diagnostic tests, such as blood film examination, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, and examination of diagnostic specimens on immunocompromised hosts for opportunistic pathogens.
These are performed under close faculty instruction and supervision. On the laboratory medicine rotations, there is a strong emphasis on active consultative work on hospital and clinic patients.
On a research rotation, the Fellow works in one of the departments research laboratories on a project of mutual interest to the Fellow and the Pathology Faculty. The projects are designed to answer significant scientific questions in medicine, and provide the Fellow with the opportunity to present research findings at a scientific meeting and participate in publishing research results.
Selection and Administration:
Interested students are encouraged to apply to the Department of Pathology during their sophomore year
of medical school. Applications are made through the Director of Training Programs of the Department of
Pathology, who also coordinates the Fellows rotations, Therese Bocklage, M.D. The Department usually
selects one to three Fellows per academic year. The Fellow receives a stipend to defray expenses during
the Fellowship year.
Who Should Apply:
Students who desire more in-depth experience in the laboratory aspects of clinical hematology, chemistry,
and infectious disease medicine, and the morphologic diagnosis of diseases should apply. The perspective
of students headed for medicine, pediatrics, or any of the surgical specialties is permanently broadened.
In addition, the Fellow year provides a very sound basis for making a career decision with respect to
pathology. It counts as year of post-graduate training toward American Board eligibility in pathology.
Salary and Benefits:
You will receive a monthly stipend for the full year and a text book fund,
three weeks paid annual leave, and up to fifteen days sick leave.
