The Cytopathology Fellowship is an ACGME accredited program designed to train academically-oriented cytopathologists. Two positions are offered. Fellowships include both clinical and research training. Clinical training includes signing out gyn cytology (about 15,000 a year), aspirates (about 2,500) and other non-gyn specimens (about 4,000). An active pathology based FNAB clinic is present where fellows learn how to perform, smear, and interpret FNABs. Immunocytochemistry is routinely utilized on clinical specimens. Research interests of the faculty include fine needle aspiration biopsy, molecular techniques, gastrointestinal and liver pathology, and urologic pathology.
There are fellowships available in surgical pathology, cytopathology, hematopathology, microbiology, blood/bank transfusion medicine, and molecular pathology.
Fellows have 15 weekday vacation days a year. Professional leave for meetings is negotiated on an individual basis. Leave is granted for National Board exams and American Board of Pathology exams but not for board preparation courses. For job interviews or board preparation courses, each house staff member will be allowed five working days of leave. Additional days taken for job interviews or board preparation courses must use vacation.
Each fellow is given $1500/year for books/journals, meetings or memberships. Travel to national conferences is paid for by the department for fellows presenting abstracts.
The established reputation of excellence in training at the University of Iowa, combined with the recent trend of increasing demand and aging of current pathologists, has meant a tremendous opportunity for fellows from our program. All departing fellows in recent years have had no difficulty getting offers for desirable positions in both academic and private settings.
The Cytopathology Fellowship at UI Hospitals & Clinics is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Information specific to program requirements for a pathology training program may be found at the ACGME’s Pathology Residency Review Committee.
Numerous conferences are available. Attendance is expected for all cytopathology conferences and expected as time allows for the others.
The cytopathology fellowship includes 52 weeks of training in cytopathology with active involvement in a hospital based fine needle aspiration (FNA) service including a pathology based FNA clinic and an onsite adequacy assessment service with pathologists attending FNA’s performed under radiologic imaging or endoscopic guidance. Fellows are actively involved in all aspects of cytopathology signout along with cytopathology faculty including a full spectrum of gynecologic and non-gynecologic cytology specimens.
Although there are no established elective rotations, it is possible to arrange electives in areas of particular interest to individual fellows which have applicability to the practice of cytopathology. Areas which might be considered for elective could include flow cytometry, molecular pathology, cytogenetics, and subspecialty areas of surgical pathology. Development of a elective would include input from the fellow, program director and elective faculty to ensure the elective meets the needs of the fellow, is applicable to cytopathology practice and has clear, achievable goals and objectives.
Pathology has historically been defined by the intersection of laboratory science and clinical medicine. Each new advancement in science that has had an impact on diagnostic medicine has spawned a new area of "laboratory medicine", from the application of light microscopy to immunohistochemistry, from serology to flow cytometry, and molecular genetics. In order for a pathology department to lead, and not just follow, it must create and maintain "germinal centers" of those sciences related to human biology and pathobiology. This difficult and fragile process is called "research". It is the strength of our Pathology Department that this process has happened in the past. We are fully committed to its continuation.