Surgical Pathology

The Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (PSHMC) offers the Fellow very broad and enriched clinical, research, and educational experience in surgical pathology under the guidance of dedicated and experienced educators. The program will provide an important step between residency and practice, preparing the trainee for future practice in an academic or private practice setting. The Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (PSHMC) is the main teaching hospital of The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. PSHMC has over 40 ACGME-accredited residency and fellowship programs and over 490 residents and fellows. The medical center has a large medical staff that provides a very diverse array of primary and subspecialty care, including extensive tertiary and quaternary care services, to the residents of central Pennsylvania. Surgical Pathology accessions exceed 40,000 cases/year and reflect the broad variety of subspecialties practiced at the medical center. There is also a large representation of case material sent in by non-PSHMC clinical practitioners and pathologists for primary diagnosis or consultation.

The Department of Pathology includes 17 faculty members who practice anatomic pathology, 10 who practice clinical pathology, and 8 externally-funded research investigators. The Anatomic Pathology faculty includes fellowship-trained individuals with clinical and research expertise encompassing all major areas of anatomic pathology. Departmental faculty have been recognized for their excellence in education and mentorship, both locally and nationally. The Pathology Department offers several surgical pathology – based conferences that facilitate development of a broad knowledge base in anatomic pathology and nurture differential diagnostic and evaluative skills. The department also participates in numerous interdepartmental conferences that offer trainees rich opportunities for clinicopathologic correlation. PSHMC provides a lecture series focused on core competencies to all trainees, and has a large and well-stocked medical library that provides electronic access to numerous medical journals, PubMed, and other electronic references. Departmental financial support for attendance at a national or international pathology meeting will be provided to the fellow, as will additional support for books, subscriptions, dues, and other professional expenses. Research opportunities are abundant and funded by a departmental research award program. Technical support for research is provided by the department’s research laboratory, and faculty mentorship for research is readily available.

In summary, this program will provide the Fellow with a rich and rewarding educational experience leading to enhanced diagnostic expertise in surgical pathology, broadened knowledge about administrative aspects of surgical pathology practice, and experience in research and teaching that can form a basis for further academic growth.