Pediatric pathology fellowship program
Program overview
A one-year ACGME-accredited pediatric pathology fellowship program is offered at Children’s Memorial Hospital, the pediatric training arm of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. The program is designed to provide a comprehensive training in both diagnostic and investigative pediatric pathology with an optional year to participate in clinical or basic research. The modern management of pediatric diseases requires an in-depth knowledge not only of pathology, but general pediatrics, endocrinology, metabolic diseases, surgery, neonatology, genetics, immunology, transplant pathology and both medical and surgical oncology.
The fellowship is designed to enhance the basic knowledge of pediatric pathology acquired by a general surgical pathology trainee, including non-pathology disciplines. Opportunities exist to develop refined diagnostic skills through interaction and close collaboration with several divisions including pediatric surgery, transplant surgery, hematology-oncology, gastroenterology, renal and radiology. The program provides exposure to all aspects of pediatric pathology including cytology, hematopathology, cytogenetics, hematology, transfusion medicine, HLA, genetics, immunology, microbiology and laboratory medicine. The material is diagnostically challenging and ancillary techniques to work up cases are available in the department and medical center. Molecular diagnostic laboratory techniques are part of the work-up of tumor diagnosis in viral/PCR lab.
Administrative structure
The fellowship is part of the Northwestern Unversity's Feinberg School of Medicine graduate medical education program. All policies of the program will apply to the fellowship, fellows and faculty. On-site administration is conducted by the fellowship program director and the manager for academic and professional affairs.
Fellows may be recommended for appointment to the residency program of Northwestern Memorial Hospital or the faculty of Northwestern University at the level of clinical instructor in pathology, depending on the level of training and board eligibility. Any faculty appointment will be co-terminus with the duration of the fellowship.
Requirements
Candidates must have completed at least two years of training in an ACGME-accredited residency program in anatomic and clinical pathology or anatomic pathology, in accordance with current ABP stipulations, and eligible for board examination and have a valid Illinois State License.
Program setting
The fellowship program is based primarily at Children's Memorial Hospital, although some specialized rotation may be provided by through Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The faculty is knowledgeable in all areas of pediatric pathology and their interests include: surgical pathology, neuropathology, blood bank hematology, chemistry, microbiology, molecular pathology, histocompatability and immunogenetics, genetics and cytogenetics, renal, liver and GI, clinical chemistry, microbiology and quality assurance.
The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine’s laboratory evaluates approximately 7,000 surgical specimens, 500 cytology, 100 electron microscopy, 700 cytogenetic studies, 200 outside consults, 60 fine needle aspirations and 40 autopsy cases per year. Additional materials available for study include a collection of over 2,500 congenital cardiac specimens in The Farouk Idriss Cardiac Registry, and collections of several hundred microscopic slides of pathologic lesions organized by organ systems. The department holds the National Wilms Tumor Study Pathology Center, a comprehensive registry of over 53,000 pediatric renal tumor cases dating back to 1969. Furthermore, the department serves as the pediatric pathology branch of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
Application process
Interested candidates should forward a letter of interest, a current CV and three letters of reference to:
Pauline Chou, MD
Pediatric Pathology Fellowship Director
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Children's Memorial Hospital
2300 Children's Plaza, Box 17
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Telephone: 773.880.4439
Facsimile: 773.880.8127
Or
Eileen Casey Acierto, MA
Manager, Academic and Professional Affairs
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
2300 Children's Plaza, Box 17
Chicago, IL 60614
Telephone: 773.883.6176
Facsimile: 773.880.3858
Program outline
Clinical service:
Anatomic pathology:
- Oversee rotations of resident for surgical pathology, autopsy, and lymphoma work-up
- Interpretation and reporting of fine needle aspirations and frozen sections
- Non-gynecology cytopathology
Clinical pathology:
- Participate in all aspects of clinical pathology testing and diagnosis including: chemistry, hematology, immunology including flow cytometry, blood bank, microbiology, virology, metabolic disorders, and genetics and cytogenetics.
Research
- Participate in one or two research projects in one year
Teaching
- Teaching residents on rotation, medical students and histotechnologists
- Facilitate lectures and microscopic conferences within the Department
- Participate in interdepartmental conferences: Surgical pathology, tumor board, neuropathology, neonatology, surgical or cardiology M&M conferences, PICU and NICU M&M conferences, firm rounds, and pathology grand rounds
- Organize teaching sets and update resident manual
- Evaluate rotating residents
- Serve as digital microscopy liaison between medical community and pathology
Laboratory techniques and quality assurance
Laboratory techniques
- QA - histology, cytopathology-histology correlation, preparation for accreditation, data collection monthly and reporting
- Ensuring histology quality slide review and taking care of the monthly QA assurance with histotechnologists
Rotation schedule
| Rotation length |
Location |
| 34 weeks |
Anatomic Pathology |
| 4 weeks |
Perinatal Pathology (Northwestern Memorial Hospital) |
| 6 weeks |
Cytogenetics, Genetics, Blood Bank, Clinical Chemistry, Hematology, Immunology, Lab Management, Quality Assurance, Microbiology, Virology and Blood Bank |
| 5 weeks |
Elective Rotation |
Fellows are eligible to receive three (3) weeks of vacation.