Soft Tissue/Bone Pathology Fellowship
Fellowship Overview
Currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 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 Paul J. Zhang, MD, Director of the Soft Tissue and Bone Pathology Service at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
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 FISH assay. In difficult cases, molecular sequencing is available 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), out-research consult cases from regional hospitals, personal consult cases of Dr. Zhang and Dr. Cooper and international digital consultation cases from China. In the later months 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.
The other unique aspect of the fellowship is to be trained in FISH diagnostic under Dr. Zhang, the Director of AP FISH Diagnostics. 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. Working with skeletomuscular radiology fellows and faculty to prepare the conferences is encouraged. There is a great opportunity of academic-career development if desired. Small research fund sufficient to support IHC and/or FISH 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. There are many world class sarcoma researchers in the program or in the Penn community at the campus who gather once month to share their research finding in the monthly sarcoma research seminar. The fellow is strongly encouraged to attend the seminar, interact or engage with research faculty or clinicians for his or her further research pursue. Two months 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 2024-2025 academic year. **
Positions offered: One fellow per year. Duration: One year.
Timeline: We will begin accepting applications annually in May, (approximately 22 months before the anticipated July start date). All application materials including supporting documents must be received by July 31st; however early submission is highly encouraged. Applications will be reviewed once ALL required documents are received.
**Fellowship positions are offered on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.**
Documents needed:
• Completed fellowship application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Personal Statement
• Photo
• Three (3) letters of recommendation
