Physician-Scientist Pathway (PSP)

Overview
In addition to the residency training programs in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, and the Combined AP/CP, the Department offers a Physician-Scientist Pathway (PSP) for its trainees, with numerous opportunities for research and excellent mentoring faculty for those wishing to pursue a research career as physician-scientists in an academic setting. PSP residents complete all of the residency training program requirements and fellowship (if interested). This is followed by research training (postdoc equivalent) under the tutelage of an experienced mentor in a research environment in preparation for a predominantly focused research career. Applicants interested in this training option are encouraged to contact the Residency Program Co-Director Dr. Malay Haldar at mhaldar@pennmedicine.upenn.edu in advance of their separate application to the Residency Program.

Requirements
Applicants must have a dual degree MD/PhD background or an MD degree with a substantial and demonstrated track record of basic science work.

Interview Process
In the process of the residency program application, selections for the Physician-Scientist Pathway are conducted separately with a pre-interview questionnaire about residency program track interest, the anticipated career track beyond the training years, and specific faculty mentors whom candidates would be interested to meet at Penn. A two-day campus visit allows candidates to conduct interviews with prospective mentors.

Research Opportunities at Penn
The Department itself is consistently ranked in the Top 3 in NIH research funding with a strong focus on neurodegenerative diseases, immunobiology, cancer biology and therapeutics, and HIV immunology. The Department also focuses on molecular and genomic pathology in support of precision medicine and computational diagnostics. It is also expanding clinical services and research in apheresis and cellular therapeutics and provides support for Penn-developed personalized cancer immunotherapy. PSP trainees can pursue their research with any Penn-affiliated faculty.

To find specific Department faculty mentors with corresponding research interests, visit the Research Labs section. University of Pennsylvania faculty members in the biomedical sciences are clustered around several areas of research. To find mentors in any of the following areas, please visit:

Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
Cancer Biology
Developmental, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Genetics and Epigenetics
Microbiology, Virology and Parasitology
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Genomics and Computational Biology
Immunology
Neuroscience
Pharmacology

Placement of Graduates
For graduates going into academia, many of the program residents have stayed on as faculty members within the University of Pennsylvania Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine or at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), while others have accepted faculty positions at various prestigious departments across the country.

Among the notable alumni of the training programs are the chairs of the pathology department at the NIH, University of Arkansas, University of New Mexico, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Buffalo, and Roswell Park Cancer Center and faculty members at University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Yale, Cornell, Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Washington University, Vanderbilt, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, University of Michigan, University of Alabama, Emory University, and other preeminent universities. For a more comprehensive listing, please visit the recent residents placement section.