The goal of the Saint Louis University residency in pathology is to prepare physicians for the practice of pathology in any setting — academic, community hospital or laboratory.
Please note: We are no longer accepting new applicants for the Pathology Department residency program.
The Department of Pathology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine offers a four-year program leading to combined certification in anatomic and clinical pathology. This program emphasizes broad training within a university medical school environment for residents interested in the hospital practice of anatomic and clinical pathology.
Pathology Training
This residency provides a broad curriculum in diagnostic, consultative, investigative and administrative aspects of clinical and anatomic pathology. Training and experience in techniques and methods used in diagnostic, consultative, administrative and experimental pathology emphasize hospital-based pathology, clinical correlative experience and the pathologist's role in patient-care decision-making.
Multiple educational methods are employed, and apprenticeship is a key teaching technique as residents work alongside practicing pathologists. Our faculty provides supervision and instruction at all levels of training and resident responsibility increases with demonstrated ability.
Our residents are department members and participate in our activities, including scholarly pursuits.
Residents who complete the program qualify for combined anatomic pathology/clinical pathology certification. They will have demonstrated the competency expected of a new practitioner in patient care, including interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement and systems-based practice. As the program reinforces the concept of lifelong learning, they will also be prepared to stay abreast of new pathology techniques and developments throughout their careers.
Subspecialty Training
Subspecialty training for all residents is provided in cytopathology, coagulation, microbiology, blood banking, neuropathology, forensic pathology, hematopathology, gastrointestinal and liver pathology, and pediatric pathology.
Participation by residents in research and teaching is encouraged and expected. Fellowships in forensic pathology, gastrointestinal and hepatic pathology, hematopathology and pediatric pathology are available.
Facilities
- SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
- SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital
- SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital
- VA Saint Louis Health Care System - John Cochran Division
Residency Highlights
The Medical Examiners for the City of St. Louis are Pathology Department faculty. A Medical Death Investigator Training Course is held three times a year and a Masters Advanced Training Conference is held every other year. About 190 hospital autopsies, 400 forensic autopsies, 36,300 surgical specimens, 8,000 cytologies, and 3,100,000 laboratory tests are performed yearly. Currently, 640 fine needle aspirates are interpreted in cytopathology.
Our department also serves as a referral center for evaluating hereditary bleeding and thrombophilic disorders, inherited metabolic diseases, muscle biopsies, renal biopsies, toxicology, immunohistochemistry, immunohematology and electron microscopy.
A Flow Cytometry Laboratory houses two Beckman Coulter FC 500 flow cytometers.
Rotation Schedule
Anatomic Pathology
- Autopsy
- Forensic pathology
- Surgical pathology
- Cytology
- Pediatric pathology
- Renal pathology
- Neuropathology
Clinical Pathology
Pathology residents are expected to complete six months of core laboratory rotations during the four-year combined AP and CP residency:
- Clinical chemistry
- Clinical toxicology
- Immunology/serology
- Hematology
- Urinalysis
- Body fluid analysis
- Laboratory management
- Informatics
- Point-of-care testing
In addition to the core laboratory rotations, residents are expected to complete rotations in the following areas:
- Microbiology
- Blood bank/transfusion medicine
- Hematopathology
- VA clinical pathology
Resident Research Projects
Active research programs exist in the department of molecular pathology and pediatric pathology, renal and dermatopathology, oncogenes and cytokines, molecular immunology, RNA metabolism in normal and tumor cells, platelet function, endothelial cell-neutrophil interaction, the pathology and treatment of lysosomal storage disease, forensic toxicology, signal transduction, phospholipid metabolism, atherogenesis, transplant pathology, molecular biology of ovarian neoplasia, molecular mechanisms of hepatic fibrogenesis, chemoprevention of colon cancer, and phospholipase activation.