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The residency program in Anatomic Pathology provides a three- to four-year training experience in Anatomic Pathology. The department's goal is to establish essential basic experience for the resident who is planning a career as a laboratory investigator in an academic pathology department and for the resident who is planning a career in academic surgical pathology or a related clinically oriented subspecialty.

All residents rotate through the first two years of the program (the Anatomic Pathology core), which is designed to provide a sound basis in autopsy pathology, diagnostic surgical pathology and cytology. After the second year, the program splits into two parallel tracks, a basic research track and a diagnostic pathology track. Residents are encouraged to select the track that appears most suitable for their own goals.

Some residents wish to spend the majority of their professional lives after completion of their residency doing basic biomedical research. For these individuals, the two-year Anatomic Pathology core, supplemented by six months of additional clinical electives, provides a morphologic basis that will permit them to function comfortably as a laboratory investigator in an academic pathology department. Residents who choose the basic research track are guaranteed at least two years of support while in the lab.

Other residents plan on a career emphasizing diagnostic pathology, focusing their research efforts on topics with immediate clinical application. For them, the core curriculum provides a basis on which to build more advanced diagnostic skills during the remaining year of their training. These skills involve more detailed experience in subspecialty areas of Anatomic Pathology, graded responsibility for diagnostic duties and elective opportunities in applied research.

During the entirety of the clinical program, trainees are encouraged to pursue applied research topics, in concert with faculty members. This activity is integrated with practical and didactic experience, with emphasis on utilization of new technologies in Anatomic Pathology. Residents are strongly encouraged to involve themselves in clinical projects with the faculty in order to learn the elements of hypothesis testing, study organization, and manuscript preparation. These are essential for those residents considering an academic career, and they are also important in learning to evaluate the scientific literature with a discerning eye.

The chief resident is selected from among the outstanding residents in the program. Responsibilities include setting up schedules for the residents, organizing clinical pathology conferences and aiding residents with any problems. The chief resident sponsors a yearly seminar with an outside visitor.

First and Second Year

Third Year and Beyond - The Research Track

Third Year and Beyond - The Diagnostic Pathology Track