Opportunities for Teaching and Research
Resident Teaching Program: During specified rotations, Pathology residents assist in the instruction of second year medical students in pathology laboratory training in general and systemic pathology. Concurrently, the residents attend the didactic lectures given in the medical school course pertinent to the laboratories that they will supervise. Multi-media resources include CD-ROM programs and interactive software.
Resident Instruction of Junior Pathology Residents and Residents from Other Services: Senior residents are expected to participate in the training of more junior residents and residents from other services through example (e.g., gross dissection), instruction (e.g., at the microscope), and the provision of teaching conferences. This is intrinsic to the role of the pathologist as an educator which is very important in the resident's future career either in private practice or academics.
Resident Research Opportunities: By its nature, pathology is both a clinical science and a basic science. Pathology contributes many technical and diagnostic advances to medicine through the application of basic science to clinical problems. Residents may elect to use some or all of their elective time in pursuit of research. Research covering a wide range of fundamental and clinical studies relating to the etiology, pathogenesis, prevention, treatment, and cure of disease is possible. Residents are urged to submit their research for presentation at national meetings. All residents are strongly encouraged to participate in this activity.
The Department has major research programs in autoimmune diabetes, genetics of autoimmune diseases (type I diabetes and SLE), stem cell biology, transplantation, basic immunology, leukemia and lymphoma flow cytometry, solid tumor flow cytometry and DNA ploidy, image analysis, and urolithiasis. Graduate degrees are offered by the Department at the Ph.D. level. As part of the State-supported Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (ICBR), the Department operates the institutional Monoclonal Antibody Core Laboratory and Flow Cytometry Core Laboratory.
Funding of Research Projects
Funds for resident research may come from: (1) Faculty Research grants, (2) Extramural sources supporting resident research and (3) the Department of Pathology Research program. The Director of the Residency Training Program and the resident's faculty research sponsor will assist the resident in finding funding from one of these sources.
Department of Pathology Research Fund: The Department provides research starter funds available to faculty and residents. These mini-grants can total as much as $2000 per project per year. These monies can be used by residents to develop anatomic or clinical pathology research studies.
Spring Resident's Research Symposium
Every spring, Resident Research Day is held. On Friday, a visiting professor is invited to present unusual, interesting, and instructive cases to the residents preceding the Saturday research presentations. As well, the visiting professor presents a seminar to the faculty and residents on Saturday as part of the Resident Research Day Program. On Saturday evening, the faculty, residents, and alumni gather off-campus to hold a dinner celebrating the residents achievements over the previous year.