PrintAbout Our Program
In Conjunction with its Affiliated Hospitals, the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota Offers Outstanding ACGME-Accredited Graduate Medical Education to Physicians from Around the World.
The Program's mission is to provide strong basic training in laboratory medicine and pathology and its subspecialties, including cytogenetics, cytopathology, hematopathology, molecular diagnostics, surgical pathology, transfusion medicine/cellular therapy, and basic science & clinical research.
The Program's philosophic objective is to develop a sturdy medical knowledge/skill base and professional attributes that allow a resident/fellow to independently and competently practice pathology with a life-long commitment to continued learning and excellence.
Serving as the central hub, the residency program provides three core training avenues: combined anatomic and clinical pathology (4 years), anatomic pathology only (3 years), and clinical pathology only (3 years). To meet the needs of individual trainees, three subdivisions are available within each training avenue:
- Academic practice track,
- Community practice track, and
- Basic science research track.
While ensuring high-quality basic residency training, flexibility is a key Program attribute that ensures individual residents and fellows can evolve along the career pathway of their choice. The training program draws complementary strengths from its consortium of affiliated hospital, each with their own outstanding features. These hospitals include the University and Riverside Campuses of Fairview-University Medical Center, Hennepin County Medical Center, the Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office, the American Red Cross North Central Blood Services of St. Paul, and Memorial Blood Centers of Minnesota.
This Program is truly special and unique in its design, which provides equally strong emphasis on clinical and anatomic pathology training. As the components of laboratory medicine and pathology become more integrated, opportunities for trainees of the future to blend their training in these areas is critical. The clinical pathology core curriculum includes clinical chemistry, coagulation, hematopathology, immunopathology, medical microbiology/virology, molecular genetics/cytogenetics, and transfusion medicine / cellular therapy. The anatomic pathology core curriculum incorporates histology with state-of-the-art biotechnology to diagnose surgical, autopsy, and cytopathology cases. Cytopathology training includes the evaluation of gynecologic, non-gynecologic, and fine needle aspiration & biopsy specimens. In addition, trainees become very proficient in fine needle aspiration and bone marrow biopsy techniques. Ongoing training in laboratory management and health informatics is also integrated into the Program rotations.
As laboratory medicine and pathology involves continual learning and the sharing of knowledge with colleagues, the residents and fellows regularly participate in multiple inter- and intradepartmental conferences and medical student teaching. While not required, the residents and fellows are encouraged to explore and participate in clinical / basic science research, with a full spectrum of opportunities in immunology, molecular genetics, cancer biology, cytogenetics, environmental pathology, cell biology, health informatics, and others.