Surgical Pathology Signout Fellowship

About the Fellowship

General Program Information

The MGH Pathology Department has a high volume of surgical pathology cases (more than 95,000 primary accessions annually) that is inclusive of a wide array of high complexity cases and unusual entities. The Division is organized into diagnostic subspecialties (see below). The combination of abundant material and renowned faculty with broad expertise makes our program an excellent fellowship experience. The Surgical Pathology Signout Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for the advanced fellow to practice with greater independence within a supportive training environment. A limited number of these positions are available each year.

Scope of Training

The Surgical Pathology Signout Fellowship is a one-year, non-ACGME program. The goal of this fellowship is to combine in-depth training in a surgical pathology subspecialty with opportunities for conducting research and to provide a basis for a future career in academic pathology. Surgcial Pathology Signout Fellows usually focus on one subspecialty area, although up to two may be considered. These include 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 the fellowship.

Fellows are expected to participate in clinicopathological or translational research in their subspecialty area, and there is also opportunity for collaborative projects with clinical colleagues. Fellows are encouraged to prepare one or more abstracts for presentation at annual national or international meetings.

Clinical and Call Responsibilities

Surgical Pathology Signout Fellows act as a junior attendings with independent signout and resident teaching responsibilities. Fellows signout approximately 24 to 27 weeks per year (equivalent to 75% of a staff assignment), with the remaining weeks for academic activities. Service coverage is divided into weekly assignments, and the fellows work closely with subspecialty faculty who provide consultation, teaching and guidance. Before beginning their independent signout responsibilities, fellows are co-signed for a minimum of two weeks to assess diagnostic skills and ensure familiarity with the service.

The fellows rotate on attending weekend home call for their subspecialty area, which includes reading of rush cases and backup for frozen section diagnoses.

Fellows are responsible for coverage of multidisciplinary clinical conferences as determined by the individual subspecialty service.

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.

Fellows also have the opportunity to attend Harvard Medical School continuing medical education courses hosted by the department, including annual offerings in Surgical Pathology, Cytopathology, Dermatopathology, and Gastrointestinal Pathology.

Clinicopathological Conferences

Many services have weekly multidisciplinary conferences during which pathologists present current cases and discuss patient management with their clinical colleagues. 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 in which they signout. 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

Fellowship application form and inquiries should be submitted by email to: mgbpathologyfellowships@mgb.org. Please specify in your cover letter that you are applying for the Surgical Pathology Signout Fellowship at MGH and indicate your subspecialty area(s) of interest.

We will begin accepting applications on May 1, 2025 for academic year 2027-2028. There is no deadline to apply; we will continue accepting applications until we fill all positions. In the summer, information on interviews will be given to selected applicants following review of a complete application.

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.

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

Application Materials

1. CAP Standardized Pathology Fellowship Application
2. Curriculum Vitae (must be in month/year format 00/0000)
3. Personal Statement describing career goals and surgical pathology interests
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. Passport-style 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)