Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Conferences

There are an average of nearly 50 conferences per week within the pathology department; first year residents are only required to attend a select few. The resident conferences are interactive and encourage audience participation. For conferences held at the multi-headed scope, residents review an "unknown" slide set prior to the lecture and then discuss the microscopic findings as a group. Faculty members who teach the conferences are always willing to answer questions and often provide handouts and articles that pertain to the lecture material. Residents also participate in tumor boards with faculty assistance. 

Summer Lecture Series

At the beginning of the academic year, there is an eight-week summer lecture series that replaces the standard schedule. The lecture series is comprised of a mixture of introductory lectures, question and answer sessions with clinicians, and professional development. The summer lecture series provides a basic introduction to pathology for first year residents and allows upper level residents to consolidate their knowledge base.

Combined Resident Conferences

Non-weekly required lectures include frozen section conference and journal club.

*One of the highlights of the conference schedule is the Wednesday surgical pathology conference, moderated by Dr. Stacey Mills. In his words, "The purpose of this conference is to explore diverse entities in surgical pathology and, perhaps most importantly, to develop a systematic approach to microscopic diagnosis. Residents are called upon to make observations and render diagnoses based on clinical histories and projected images. There are no penalties for wrong answers and the moderator simply moves on to someone else until the correct answer or diagnosis is obtained. The object is not to intimidate, but to nurture the ability to think on your feet, a skill that will be required throughout your career in pathology. The moderator and faculty work to keep the conference lively and entertaining by frequently injecting personal insights and often humorous anecdotes."