The Surgical Pathology Fellowship at UTMB offers advanced training with in-depth exposure to the full spectrum of Surgical Pathology. The Division evaluates approximately 20,000 surgical pathology cases each year, with a great diversity of neoplastic and non-neoplastic specimens and a high degree of complexity. There are nine full-time faculty and numerous subspecialty consultants on the surgical pathology service. Sign out is by subspecialty, with each faculty member specializing in one primary and one or more secondary subspecialties. All of the major subspecialties are well represented and experienced during the fellowship including GI, GU, Gyn, Breast, Head and Neck, Thoracic, Bone and Soft Tissue, Pediatric, Medical Renal, Liver and Transplant pathology. Elective time in Neuropathology, Hematopathology, Dermatopathology, Cytopathology, Informatics or Molecular Pathology is also available to supplement the core rotations. There are significant opportunities for clinical and basic research. The range of experience ensures that the fellow will be well-prepared for a career in academia or in private practice, and there is a strong record of former fellows having accomplished those objectives.
Two surgical pathology fellows are accepted each year, for a one year term. Primary responsibilities consist of previewing cases, preparing reports, and presenting cases at tumor boards and other interdepartmental conferences. Fellows play an important role as teachers and mentors to the residents on the surgical pathology rotation, helping them develop diagnostic skills and showing interesting cases at the multi-headed microscope. In the gross room the fellows serve in an advisory capacity but do not routinely gross specimens. On the frozen section service, and in all other aspects of surgical pathology, the faculty provide the fellows with a nurturing and supportive environment as they develop their own skills and confidence to make the transition from 'trainee' to 'independent practitioner’.
The University of Texas Medical Branch, home to the first medical school in Texas, has been at the forefront of educational, research and clinical excellence since 1891. For more than 120 years, UTMB has graduated more health professionals, including physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and researchers, than any other academic health center in the state. There is a strong emphasis on graduate medical education, and approximately 560 interns, residents, and fellows are receiving graduate medical training.
UTMB's John Sealy Hospital in Galveston is home to a Level l Trauma Center, serving a nine-county area with a total population of more than 1.25 million people. UTMB's Jennie Sealy Hospital in Galveston opened in 2016 and offers private rooms in a patient- and family-centered environment that brings a unique approach to healing. More than 80 UTMB clinics at 30 locations promote wellness through prevention, and provide residents of the rapidly growing Bay Area and Galveston with access to a full range of primary and specialty care. The institution continues to grow, with a recently opened hospital in League City (a partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center) and another new hospital opening in Clear Lake in 2019.
Requirements: Candidates must have completed 3 years of a GME approved AP or AP/CP residency training and be Board eligible in Pathology by the start date of the fellowship. Citizenship, permanent residency, or J1 visa status is also required.
Harsh Thaker, MD PhD
Professor, Department of Pathology
Director, Surgical Pathology
hathaker@utmb.edu
Mrs. Irasema "Sam" Diaz de Leon
irdiazde@utmb.edu