Pathology-Anatomic and Clinical Residency Curriculum

Our rotations are four weeks long with 13 blocks/year for a total of 52 rotations over a four-year residency. In order to graduate, all residents are required to complete at least 18 months of clinical pathology and 18 months of anatomic pathology. Residents may start taking electives in second year with a total of six elective months over the four years.

We invite you to check our training site page for additional information regarding our rotations at each specific hospital.

Please see link for specific site information:

• Ben Taub Hospital (BTH)
• Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center (BSLMC)
• Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC)
• Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH)
• Harris County Institute of Forensic Science (HCIFS)

Call is taken from home one week at a time (Monday to Sunday), starting the in the latter half of the first year. Formal AP call consists of late evening or weekend frozen sections or Life Gift assessments from Ben Taub Hospital and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center. Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center have rotation-specific AP call which includes after hours and weekend specimen triage, frozen sections, and rare weekend autopsies during the rotation months only. 

CP call will also begin in the latter half of the first year, following rotations in Hematopathology and Transfusion Medicine. CP call is typically taken during CP months. Residents can expect to be called about a wide range of laboratory issues including blood smear reviews for acute leukemias, approval for blood products and special coagulation tests, transfusion reactions, pheresis procedures, and other clinician inquiries. The volume of calls is variable, averaging one to three calls per night. Residents are strongly encouraged and welcome to call the on-call fellow or faculty member for consultation on each case.

Residents in our department consider the lecture and conference schedule to be one of the strengths of the program. Residents are required to attend interactive daily morning conferences from 8-9 a.m., many of which are offered with online streaming. Citywide conferences take place at HMH on Fridays and offer a separate robust didactic series with unparalleled expertise. 

Our conference schedule is organized into a two year, systems-based curriculum to include balanced weekly anatomic and clinical pathology didactics. We utilize Blackboard and BCM Box to further facilitate these lectures with optional reading assignments, quizzes, and course evaluations.  We also have monthly anatomic and clinical pathology unknown conferences presented by both faculty and residents. The lecture modules consist of traditional and interactive lectures each with corresponding unknown sessions led by the faculty in various formats (glass slides, cases, and PowerPoint presentations). Site specific conferences other than the 8 am conferences include Breast, Gynecological, and GI scope sessions at Ben Taub Hospital, Interesting Case Conferences at Ben Taub, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, and Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center, monthly Cytology didactics, and monthly Interesting Gross Case Workshops led by our PA (pathologists’ assistant) faculty. 

Incoming residents will receive a month of faculty and resident-led orientation lectures and microscope sessions including introductory grossing with corresponding basic histology and rotation-specific orientations. Upper level residents are available on most beginning rotations to help new residents get acclimated. 

We have three unique mandatory courses integrated into the resident morning conference schedule including a yearly Molecular/Genomic Medicine Course, three-week long Research Course, and three-week long Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement Course. The Research and QI/QA courses alternate every other year for 1st and 2nd years. 

Finally, residents are required to present at least once in residency at the Citywide Surgical Pathology and Citywide Hematology Conferences on behalf of Baylor College of Medicine, both offering invaluable professional presentation experience and exposure to rare and interesting cases. 

Where you get a Whipple specimen almost every day!

The Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center offers residents experience in a busy setting for cardiac, liver and kidney transplant service.

AP Rotation

• ~18 000 specimens with high complexity
• Baylor St. Luke's offers subspecialty sign out, with services including GI/LKiver, Thoracic, Beast, GYN, GU, Head and Neck, and Medical Renal.
• Bi-monthly interesting case conference
• Frequent slide review sessions

Elective Rotations

• AP: GI/Medical Liver, Medical Kidney, Breast, GU
• CP: Blood Bank and Transfusion Medicine, Hematopathology

Ben Taub Hospital is where you spend most of your time as a first-year resident.

We have three different resident rooms, all located on the 6th floor with a beautiful view of the Houston Zoo.

AP Rotations

• 12 000 - 13 000 specimens a year
• General sign out with 4 days cycle: Frozen- Grossing - S2 (sign out big specimens) - S1 (sign out biopsies)
• Weekly multi-head scope sessions conducted by expert pathologists including Breast, GI and GYN pathologists
• Bi-monthly interesting case conference
• Monthly interesting gross case conference
• Weekly tumor boards
• Monthly Rad-Path conferences

Cytology

• ~ 21 000 specimens a year
• Frequent Superficial FNAs

CP Rotations

• Adult Hematopathology, Chemistry and Microbiology

Available Elective Rotations

• GI, Liver, Breast, GYN, Soft tissue, Flow Cytometry

Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center is one of the largest Veterans hospital in the country. The hospital began its life in the waning days of World War II.

AP Rotations

• ~ 16 000 specimens including GI, GU, Dermatopathology, lungs and many more
• Three days cycle: Grossing & Frozens – Sign out one – Sign out two
• Weekly tumor boards

Cytology Rotation

• ~ 6000 specimens including urine, thyroid, lung cytology and pap smears
• One resident at a time
• Frequent superficial FNAs

CP Rotations

• Blood bank/Hematopathology and Chemistry

Texas Children's Hospital is the largest pediatric hospital in the nation, providing medical care in more than 40 pediatric subspecialties. 

CP Rotations

Texas Children's is the main hospital for our CP rotations.

• Molecular and Genetics Pathology, Chemistry, Transfusion Medicine and Coagulation, Microbiology, Lab Management, Informatics and Pediatric Hematopathology
• Innumerable research opportunities

Surgical Pathology

All residents spend two months in surgical pathology:

• Three days cycle: Grossing & Frozen - Sign out - Transplant
• One week: Placental Pathology