Dermatopathology Fellowship

Program Overview

The fellowship in Dermatopathology at the University of Virginia Medical Center is a one-year program that is primarily designed to prepare individuals for academic careers.  The program meets ACGME requirements for training programs in dermatopathology, and includes daily afternoon dermatopathology sign-out of both routine and consult cases which is supplemented with morning participation in Clinical Dermatology (for pathology-trained fellows) or in other pathology subspecialties (hematopathology, cytology, surgical pathology; for dermatology-trained fellows) for eight months of the year.  Under special circumstances, a second training year can be arranged.  The optional year offers extensive practical experience in diagnostic dermatopathology, and provides time for the fellow to pursue a research project in depth.

The dermatopathology service currently includes about 11,000 cases per year.  Approximately 9,000 cases are primarily generated from within the institution or the surrounding community and another 2,000 cases represent consultation material.  There is also a busy diagnostic immunofluorescence service.  Fellows review these cases, determine diagnoses, and then sign them out with the Program Director or other faculty.

Scholarly Activity

Fellows are expected to participate in scholarly activity and should plan to submit at least one project to a conference of their choice during their year, with the expectation that the work will also be written up and submitted for publication. Considerable latitude is granted in the selection of research projects.

Teaching and Conferences

There are one to two weekly dermatopathology teaching conferences led by the fellows, including an unknown slide conference for the dermatology residents that is part of a lecture series covering the entire spectrum of dermatopathology. Similar unknown sessions are held for the pathology residents during the second half of the year. Dermatopathology journal club is held twice per month.

Other dermatology-related conferences include monthly Dermatology Grand Rounds, a weekly melanoma (tumor board-style) conference, monthly cutaneous lymphoma (tumor board-style) conference, and a quarterly dermatology-rheumatology conference.  Numerous other pathology and dermatology conferences are held throughout the year that fellows are encouraged to attend.

Fellowship Requirements

Applicants must have an MD degree (or foreign equivalent with current ECFMG certification) and be board eligible or certified in AP or AP/CP (if pathology trained) or dermatology. While the two fellowship positions are not designated for dermatology or pathology, one fellow from each training background is preferred.