Description: Fellowships in Surgical Pathology (or one of its subspecialty areas) are of one year’s duration and are designed to provide advanced training in specific clinical subspecialty areas as well as graduated responsibility in terms of diagnosis and case triage (within the guidelines permitted by HCFA). Construction of these fellowships is flexible and determined both by the expressed interest(s) of the fellow(s) and departmental needs; thus time spent on the subspecialty clinical services detailed below may range from 6 or 7 weeks to 12 months; however, most rotations are of 3 months duration. Fellowships may be renewed for a second year in the case of individuals who show special aptitude or in the context of particular departmental need(s).
Services covered by surgical pathology fellows (usually in blocks of 3 months) include: Senior Resident in Surgical Pathology (SRSP), breast pathology, genitourinary pathology, gastrointestinal pathology, soft tissue pathology (including Dr. Fletcher's consult service), pulmonary pathology and cardiac pathology. Rotations in hematopathology, dermatopathology, endocrine pathology and head & neck pathology can usually be arranged for candidates with a special interest. The faculty principally engaged in each of these specialty areas are listed at the end of this document.
Responsibilities of the SRSP include histologic slide preview and triage of institutional consults (approx. 15,000 cases p.a.), frozen section coverage (at a level between resident and faculty) in the mornings, triage of clinical/surgical requests and enquiries, general supervision of more junior residents in the surgical specimen cutting room and 2-3 clinicopathological conferences per week. While subspecialty fellows will help to handle or triage complex surgical resection specimens on their service in the Frozen Section or Surgical Cutting rooms, routine dissection of specimens (normally undertaken by 1st and 2nd year residents) is not part of these fellowships, although active involvement in the handling of consult cases (at all stages) on the given subspecialty service is expected.
When engaged in the surgical pathology subspecialties, fellows will play an active and key role in each of the clinical services. In varying proportions, this will include preview of histologic sections and drafting of histologic reports (for both institutional and consultation cases) prior to faculty signout, attendance at daily signout sessions (during which faculty teaching is provided), liaison with clinicians where appropriate (including presentation of cases at clinicopathological conferences), attendance at multidisciplinary outpatient clinics (e.g. on the Breast Service) and attendance in the frozen section room as appropriate.
While the principal purposes of these fellowships are to provide experience and training in a high-volume clinical environment, it is also hoped that fellows will find time to undertake clinically-oriented research projects under the supervision of the faculty listed on page 3. Such research activity will generally account for no more than 10% of routine working hours.
Requirements: Preference will be given to candidates who are Board certified or eligible for certification by the American Board of Pathology in anatomic pathology or anatomic and clinical pathology and who have demonstrated an interest in pursuing an academic career in surgical pathology. Applicants must be eligible for a Massachusetts medical license.
Stipends: Based on post graduate level of trainee
Faculty responsible for Sugical Pathology Fellows
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Christopher D.M. Fletcher, M.D., FRCPath
Director of Surgical Pathology
Department of Pathology
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115
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