Selective Surgical Pathology Fellowship

About the Fellowship

General Program Information

The MGH Pathology Department, Anatomic and Molecular Pathology Division, has a high volume of surgical pathology cases that is inclusive of a wide array of unusual entities (more than 85,000 primary accessions annually). The Division is organized into diagnostic subspecialties (see below). The combination of abundant material and renown faculty with broad expertise makes our program an excellent fellowship experience.

Scope of Training 

The Selective Surgical Pathology Fellowship is a one-year, ACGME-accredited program. The goal of this fellowship is to combine in-depth training in various subspecialties of surgical pathology with opportunities for conducting research and to provide a basis for a future career in academic pathology. Fellows choose one to three subspecialties for special focus from the following ten major areas: Bone and Soft Tissue (BST), Breast (BR), Cardiovascular (CV), Gastrointestinal (GI), Genitourinary (GU), Gynecologic (GYN), Head and Neck (ENT), Obstetric and Perinatal (OB), Pulmonary (PP), and Renal Pathology (RP). Experience in the Frozen Section (FS) Laboratory is integral to all subspecialties. In addition to the main focus area(s), fellows do short rotations in the remaining subspecialties.

Fellows are encouraged, and expected, to prepare one or more abstracts for presentation at annual national or international meetings.

Clinical and Call Responsibilities

One-half up to two-thirds of the fellows’ clinical service time is dedicated to their chosen areas of subspecialty focus.  The remaining clinical service time is distributed among the other services to ensure broad exposure to all major subspecialty areas. A sample distribution of weeks depending on the number of subspecialty focus areas is shown in the table below.

The fellows sign out one-on-one with individual subspecialty faculty on a weekly basis. The fellow is expected to work cases up to completion, including decisions regarding ancillary studies.

The selective surgical pathology fellows sign out frozen sections on nights and weekends, typically covering six to seven weeks of home call including weeknight and weekend calls. Before starting their call responsibilities, the fellows become familiarized with our frozen section laboratory by acting in the role of junior and senior residents. When on call, fellows are paired with junior residents. Subspecialty faculty are available for frozen section consultation.

Conferences

Pathology Conferences and Lectures

These include Pathology Grand Rounds, Molecular Pathology and Research Conference, Surgical Pathology Outs Conferences, and Subspecialty Consensus Conferences. Fellows are expected to attend these conferences except when precluded by urgent clinical responsibilities, as they cover both primary information relevant to their training and more advanced research and basic science topics.

In order to learn how to critically review the medical literature and give a formal presentation, fellows are required to give Molecular Pathology and Research Conferences based on interesting cases. This is a formal, didactic presentation to other fellows, residents and faculty involving review of the recent literature on both basic science and clinical aspects of a disease topic.

Fellows also have the opportunity to attend graduate medical education courses hosted by the department, including annual offerings in Surgical Pathology, Cytopathology, Dermatopathology, Gastrointestinal Pathology and Head and Neck Pathology.

Clinicopathological Conferences 

Many services have weekly multidisciplinary conferences during which pathologists present current cases and discuss patient management with their clinical colleagues. Fellows rotating on each of the corresponding pathology subspecialty services are expected to participate in these conferences by presenting cases and engaging in discussion of clinical management. These include Gynecology Tumor Board, Head and Neck Tumor Board, Sarcoma Tumor Board, Musculoskeletal Radiology Conference, Renal Conference, GI Conference, GU Conference, Thoracic Conference, and Breast Multidisciplinary Conferences.  Additionally, the Clinicopathologic Conferences (published in the New England Journal of Medicine as the Case Records of the Massachusetts General Hospital) are held weekly, and fellows are encouraged to present at these.

Faculty Supervision of Fellows

Fellows are supervised by the director and faculty of the surgical subspecialty(ies) in which they have chosen to focus. The Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program is administered by Program Director, Melinda F. Lerwill, MD.

Vacation Time/Personal Time

The Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program allows up to four weeks of vacation/personal time per year.

How to Apply

We are currently accepting applications academic year 2026-2027. Interviews will begin this spring. All interviews will be virtual. Interested applicants should send the below required documents to jbeckerdite@bwh.harvard.edu.

1. CAP Standardized Pathology Fellowship Application
2. Curriculum Vitae (must be in date/year format 00/0000)
3. Personal Statement describing career goals and subspecialty interest(s)
4. USMLE Steps 1, 2, & 3 Score Report- (Canadian physicians and Doctors of Osteopathy who are eligible for licensure may substitute documentation of successful completion of LMCC/MCCQE and COMLEX examinations, respectively, in lieu of USMLE examinations).
5. Photo
6. Three Letters of Recommendation (one letter must be from your current program director or department chair)
7. Copy of MD Degree (International medical graduates only)
8. Copy of ECFMG Certificate (International medical graduate only)
9. Complete the selective-surgical pathology fellowship form.

Below is a list of Surgical Pathology subspecialties:

• Bone and Soft Tissue
• Breast
• Cardiovascular
• Gastrointestinal
• Genitourinary
• Gynecologic
• Head and Neck
• Obstetric and Perinatal
• Pulmonary
• Renal

Eligibility Requirements

You must be a graduate or prospective graduate of an accredited anatomic pathology or combined anatomic and clinical pathology residency program, and eligible for a full medical license in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Review Massachusetts's medical license requirements here.

Foreign/international medical graduates (FMGs, IMGs) must meet the requirements above, and in addition, must be eligible for an H-1B  or J-1 Visa. Click the following link for more information on H-1B Visa requirements or J-1 Visa requirements.

Contact Information

Applications and letters of recommendation should be sent via email:

Julie Beckerdite
Graduate Medical Education Program Manager
jbeckerdite@bwh.harvard.edu

Alternatively, materials may be sent via ground mail:

Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street, Warren 2
Boston, MA 02114
Attn: Julie Beckerdite, Graduate Medical Education Program Manager

Please note that materials sent via ground mail may take longer to process.

All letters of recommendation should be addressed to: