Soft Tissue/Bone Pathology Fellowship
Fellowship Overview
Currently accepting applications for the 2028-2029 academic year
The Soft Tissue/Bone Pathology Fellowship (STB Fellow) is offered to PGY4 (or 3 for AP only trainee) and above residents and aimed toward the development of either academically or community oriented surgical pathologists with a subspecialty interest in bone and soft tissue pathology. The program is under the academic direction of Dr. Paul J. Zhang.
The Soft Tissue/Bone Fellowship program provides extensive experience in diagnosis of soft tissue and bone lesions using conventional microscopy, as well as histochemical and immunohistochemical stains, and various molecular assays at Center for Personalized Diagnostics (CPD) at HUP. The fellow will see all in-house HUP service cases and outside consult cases from three hospitals in Penn Health System (HUP, Pennsylvania Hospital and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center), other community hospitals in Penn Health System, out-research consult cases from regional hospitals. In a later month of the year, the fellow will be given the opportunity to function as a junior attending in signing out surgical specimens (non-biopsy specimen) with the residents under double head microscope.
Clinically, the fellow would be the go-to person in pathology for all clinicians in sarcoma services and responsible for twice a week clinical multidisciplinary conference. There is a great opportunity of academic-career development if desired. Small research fund sufficient to support IHC and/or small molecular study can be applied at AP department under the supervision of attending faculty. Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center has one of the few medical teams in the world devoted to bone and soft-tissue sarcomas. One month of electives are available for pursuit of other diagnostic or academic interests.
Requirements
Successful completion of the Residency requirements for certification in Anatomic Pathology or combined AP/CP by the American Board of Pathology, and eligibility for Pennsylvania medical training license.
Applications
**Currently accepting applications for 2028-2029 academic year. **
Positions offered: One fellow per year. Duration: One year.
Timeline: The program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is planning to participate in the NRMP Match for the 2028-2029 Fellowship cycle. An overview and FAQ page on the Match process for applicants are available on the NRMP Match site. The timeline can also be found on the International Society of Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology (ISBSTP) MSK Match page.
The program is currently accepting applications for the 2028-2029 fellowship. Applications submitted before the start of the recruitment cycle in November 2026 will be held and reviewed once the recruitment cycle begins. Applicants are encouraged to submit all application materials, including supporting documents, by December 15, 2026. Please note that applications received will only be eligible for the current recruitment cycle and will not be held or carried forward to subsequent recruitment cycles.
Candidates being considered for the program will be asked to interview. Consistent with the NRMP Match timeline, interviews will begin no earlier than January 1, 2027. Interviews will be conducted virtually.
Candidates must register for the Pathology Fellowship Match through NMRP beginning February 3, 2027. Detailed instructions for creating an account and registering can be found on the NMRP website and additional information can be found on the FAQ page.
Candidates may rank any participating Match program where they have completed an interview. Rank order lists may be entered beginning March 10, 2027, and must be certified by April 14, 2027.
Please refer to the NRMP website for complete details regarding Match deadlines, dates, and times.
