Hematopathology Fellowship

Fellowship Overview 

This one-year ACGME-accredited training program provides fellows with broad and in-depth knowledge of adult and pediatric hematopathology and related immunologic, cytogenetic and molecular techniques. By the end of their training, fellows are expected to be competent and independent in all aspects of diagnostic hematopathology.

Program Description 

As a tertiary referral center, the University of Pennsylvania receives adult and pediatric patients from around the world with diverse hematologic disorders, both neoplastic and benign.

Hematopathology fellows at the University of Pennsylvania divide their time between the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The combined services annually process about 2400 bone marrow biopsies, 650 in house lymph nodes and other tissue specimens, 1400 extramural cases, and several hundred cases submitted in consultation by pathologists and/or oncologists from the United States and abroad.

Fellows work closely with faculty during all stages of diagnostic decision-making, from the generation of preliminary reports, to the ordering and interpretation of appropriate tests, to the integration of clinical history, morphologic findings, flow cytometry and other laboratory studies.

Fellow education is emphasized and reinforced in a variety of formal and informal settings. Training takes place at the microscope, through a comprehensive series of didactic lectures given by faculty, and during supervised electives in related clinical laboratories (coagulation, molecular pathology, cytogenetics, and genomics). Fellows present at multidisciplinary and hematopathology-specific teaching conferences, and teach other trainees (medical students, residents and fellows from pathology and other disciplines, and medical technologists).

Fellows are encouraged to undertake at least one academic project and to present at national meetings. There are numerous opportunities for research, with fellow participation supported by all members of the division as well as the Center for Personalized Diagnostics. For qualified and interested applicants, an additional year may be made available to pursue more focused and in-depth research in hematopathology.

Faculty

Dale Frank, MD
      Director, Education

Siddharth Bhattacharyya, MD
      Director, Hematopathology Fellowship Program

Adam Bagg, MD
      Professor, Hematology

Gabriel Caponetti, MD

Faculty (CHOP)

Michele Paessler, DO
      Division Chief, Hematopathology, CHOP

Gerald Wertheim, MD, PhD
       Director, Hematopathology, CHOP

Vinodh Pillai, MBBS, PhD

Elizabeth Margolskee, MD, PhD
      Director, Hematology Laboratory    

Stipend

Stipend is commensurate with level of training.

Requirements and Application Process

Four positions are available each year. Candidates must have completed pathology training in an ACGME-accredited pathology residency program and be Board eligible by the start of their Hematopathology fellowship. Combined AP/CP training is recommended, but highly qualified AP-only or CP-only applicants may be considered. An interest in laboratory investigation and/or previous hematopathology-related research experience is desirable.