Breast Pathology Fellowship
Fellowship Overview
The goal of this program is to train academically oriented breast pathologists by providing comprehensive training in diagnostic breast pathology with special emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and management of breast diseases as well as active participation in clinical and translational research projects.
The breast pathology service handles a high volume of both simple and complex cases annually (≈10,000), including surgical resections, image-guided core biopsies, and consultation cases. The high volume of cases ensures that the fellow will be exposed to both common and rare breast lesions, and gain expertise in interpretation of biomarkers, immunohistochemical stains, and molecular test results. On clinical service, the fellow will be interacting with eight dedicated breast pathologists working in a completely subspecialized setting, with varying teaching styles. During our interactive sign-outs on microscopes, particular emphasis is placed on the correlation of pathologic and radiologic findings, and the management implications of the diagnoses.
To develop an insight into the role of the integrated multidisciplinary approach in treating breast cancer, the fellow rotates for at least one week in breast imaging, surgery, medical oncology, and radiation oncology. The fellow will get an opportunity to interact with clinicians and discuss challenging cases during the Multidisciplinary Breast Case Conference and Radiology-Pathology Teaching Conference. In addition, they will have the opportunity to learn from Multidisciplinary Clinico-pathologic Conference for High-risk Breast Lesions, Metastatic Breast Cancer Conference, Grand Rounds, Pathology Consensus Conference, and breast pathology & professional development related teaching sessions planned for Pathology Residents and Surgical Pathology fellows. The fellow will also have ample opportunities to participate in teaching breast pathology to residents, surgical pathology fellows, medical students, and visiting fellows from other disciplines.
Fellows are encouraged to engage in clinical and translational research with mentoring faculty, benefiting from Penn’s robust academic environment and strong collaborations with the Rena Rowan Breast Center, Basser Center for BRCA, and Translational Centers of Excellence (TCEs). Participation in at least one clinicopathologic or translational research project is promoted during the year, and the fellow is provided with dedicated research time to participate in research, if needed.
Fellows graduating from the program hold faculty positions at reputed academic centers as well as practice in community and private settings.
Faculty
Ira J Bleiweiss, MD (Section Chief, Breast Pathology Service)
Kimberly L Dumoff, MD
Sara Avalos Hernandez, MD
Tom Hu, MD
Rashmi Manur, MBBS
Anupma Nayak, MD (Program Director, Breast Pathology Fellowship)
Jasmine Vickery, MD
Paul JL Zhang, MD
Requirements
Successful completion of the Pathology Residency requirements for certification in Anatomic Pathology or combined AP/CP by the American Board of Pathology, and eligibility for Pennsylvania medical licensure.
Application
Documents needed: Completed application; Curriculum Vitae; Personal Statement; USMLE score report; ECFMG certificate (international); three (3) letters of recommendation. Please email your application and supporting documents to Dr. Nayak at Anupma.Nayak@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
