Residency
Faculty
Janna Neltner, MD
Residency Program Director
Sahar Nozad, MD
CP Associate Director, Residency Program
Robert McDonald, DO
AP Associate Director, Residency Program
Therese Bocklage, MD
Vice Chair for Education
Leanna Brignola, MAed
Medical Education Specialist
Second row: Drs. Talal Arshad, Juanita Ferreira, Hafsa Nebbache
Third row: Drs. Akif Guney, Donna Hill, Jason Gilbert, Ali Alhaidary
Fourth row: Drs. Emmy Mbagwu, Nashwan Jabbour, Andre Ene
Not pictured: Drs. Nuha Shaker, Jing Di, Mohamed Hussein
Educational Goals And Philosophy
AIMS
Our training program aims to develop in each resident personal diagnostic and management skills that afford competence, timeliness, accuracy, and built-in lifelong improvement applicable to all aspects of anatomical pathology and laboratory medicine.
CONTINUOUS LEARNING
By a graduated and progressive exposure within anatomical pathology and laboratory medicine rotations with a corresponding evaluation of performance, the resident will develop lifelong habits of self-directed learning and critical self-evaluation that will allow for a happy satisfied lifestyle both inside and outside the laboratory. Throughout residency a teaching role is required. This fosters continuous learning and the important role that the pathologist plays as an educator in the laboratory, hospital, and academic setting.
RESEARCH
Research is a natural part of pathology as an inquiring open and unbiased mind is essential to the diagnostic role of the pathologist. While a research project is not a curricular requirement, it is encouraged as it stimulates the discipline, inquisitiveness, and lifelong commitment to discovery required of this profession.
TEAM APPROACH
A team approach to work, interaction with and knowledge of others within the department at all levels, and positive up-beat enthusiasm for all tasks is encouraged throughout the training program. Monthly and annual evaluations are aimed at being positive and reinforcing with a view to solving any problems as they arise and maintaining an open-door policy of communication with all faculty at all times.
Eligibility and Applications
Graduating medical students are accepted directly into the residency training program at the College of Medicine, but must apply through the NRMP via ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service). Graduate physicians may also enter the program after completion of an internship or other postgraduate training; such appointments do not always involve the NRMP. Although appointments are for one year at a time, a resident whose work is satisfactory can anticipate completion of the entire four-year program. The department can accommodate a total of twenty-two house officers. Residents in their second postgraduate year and beyond must be licensed to practice in Kentucky. The University pays fees for Kentucky State Medical licensure. Applicants must pass USMLE Step I and Step II and have at least three recommendation letters. Applicants must have graduated from medical school within the last 10 years. For IMG applicants, eligibility for J-1 student visa status is strongly preferred because of institutional requirements. Also, the university requires ECFMG certification prior to your application being complete and at least three months of US clinical experience. Potential candidates will be invited to come to Lexington, Ky. for a personal interview, during our interview period (October through December). The application deadline for our program is Oct. 15; however, applicants are invited to interviews on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Outline of the Program
All our residents train in both anatomic pathology and clinical pathology (AP/CP). Each year of training is divided equally between anatomic pathology and laboratory medicine with every year divided evenly into 13 four-week blocks. Orientation occurs in the first four weeks of resident training. During this time, first year residents are introduced to our autopsy and surgical pathology services, with direct guidance from a paired senior resident. Other services provide similar orientation periods including cytology and hematopathology. Such orientation periods facilitate rapid integration of the residents into the services workflow.
| PGY–Year | PGY–1 | PGY–2 | PGY–3 | PGY–4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block 1 | AP Orientation | Blood Bank | Heme | VA Surg Path |
| Block 2 | Autopsy | Chemistry | Surg Path | Cytology |
| Block 3 | Intro to Heme | Chemistry | VA Surg Path | Surg Path |
| Block 4 | Surg Path | Heme | Blood Bank | Elective |
| Block 5 | Forensics | Cytology | Lab Management | Good Sam |
| Block 6 | Autopsy | Cytology | Surg Path | Renal/EM |
| Block 7 | Surg Path | Elective | Neuropath | Informative |
| Block 8 | Heme | Microbiology | Molecular Diagnostics | Heme |
| Block 9 | Blood Bank | Microbiology | Molecular Diagnostics | Blood Bank |
| Block 10 | Surg Path | Surg Path | Surg Path | Microbiology |
| Block 11 | Autopsy | Surg Path | Cytology | Acting Lab Director 1 |
| Block 12 | Surg Path | VA Surg Path | Chemistry | Acting Lab Director 2 |
| Block 13 | VA Surg Path | Surg Path | Dermpath | Elective |
Electives
- Good Samaritan surgical pathology
- Neuropathology
- St. Clair (AP/CP)
- Hematopathology
- Breast pathology
- Bone and soft tissue
- HLA
- Renal/EM
- Oral pathology
- Transplant pathology
ANATOMIC PATHOLOGY (26-30 MONTHS)
- Surgical Pathology: 16
- Cytopathology: 4
- Autopsy: 4
- Neuropathology: 1
- Anatomic Electives (Dermatopathology, Outside Cases, St. Claire, Transplant Pathology, Renal Pathology, Research): 2 - 4
CLINICAL PATHOLOGY (18-20 MONTHS)
- Transfusion Medicine: 4
- Special Chemistry/Toxicology: 3
- Hematopathology: 3
- Microbiology: 3
- Lab Management: 1
- Molecular Diagnostics: 2
- Clinical Electives: 1 - 3
FACILITIES AND MATERIALS
The 945-bed Albert B. Chandler University Hospital is located on the main campus of the University of Kentucky and boasts some of the following:
- 100 autopsies annually
- over 30,000 surgical specimens annually
- 1500 bone marrows annually
- 16,000 cytological studies annually
- 730 medical legal autopsies annually
- 1400 cytogenetic cases annually
- 7000 professional laboraotory cases annually
- 11,000 immunomolecular cases annually
