Medical Student Involvement

Saint Louis University medical students can get involved with the Department of Pathology in a variety of ways. 

Pathology Student Interest Group

Saint Louis University School of Medicine’s Pathology Student Interest Group (PSIG) serves to educate and encourage students who may be interested in a career in pathology, or those who just want to learn more about the role of pathologists in health care. In the past, the PSIG has hosted several lunch meetings throughout the year on topics ranging from a general overview of pathology to specific subspecialties such as transfusion medicine and forensics. Students are also invited to learn more about the post-sophomore fellowship offered by SLU’s pathology department. PSIG meeting dates will be listed in the weekly SLU student event mailer when they happen. The faculty lead is Daniela Hermelin, M.D.

Post-Sophomore Fellowship

The post-sophomore fellowship is an opportunity for all medical students (including those who may not want to pursue a pathology career) to gain experience as a resident before starting clinical rotations. Students spend a year between either their second and third, or third and fourth academic years working as first-year pathology residents. These students receive a stipend while working alongside the pathology faculty and residents. 

Learn More

Weekly Meetings

Medical students are encouraged to join the pathology faculty and residents at several weekly conferences. Because of COVID-19, the formats are in transition. To learn more about these meetings or their locations, please contact Scott Isbell, M.D., at scott.isbell@health.slu.edu.

• Topics in Pathology Seminars - Some Mondays, noon to 1 p.m., during the academic year. A variety of speakers give talks on different aspects of pathology and pathology education.
• Laboratory Medicine Rounds – Tuesdays, noon to 1 p.m. Residents present cases from a variety of clinical pathology fields.
• Surgical Pathology Unknown Conferences – Some Fridays, 11 a.m. to noon. Residents present case slides they are given earlier in the week and provide possible diagnoses and follow-up tests under the guidance of faculty members. This gives medical students a chance to see how pathologists approach slide diagnosis. It should be noted that the vocabulary used and tests discussed at these meetings can be difficult for first-year medical students to follow.

Online Resources

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) offers information and resources to medical students interested in pursuing a pathology career at CAP for medical students. Feel free to apply for their medical student forum.

PathElective is a free resource geared toward medical students, and all are welcome to register at their website. This resource includes modules on all aspects of pathology (including clinical pathology, molecular pathology and anatomical pathology), with videos created by national experts.

Be sure to watch Twitter: Several times a year, a group of practicing pathologists holds Q&A sessions on Twitter under the hashtag #path2path.

School of Medicine Pathology Courses

Students in the School of Medicine who are interested in pathology can take courses in the Department of Pathology starting in their first year. Learn more about courses in the department.