Curriculum and Case Access
For pathology trainees in the program, mornings are spent signing out dermatopathology cases, and afternoons are spent in the dermatology clinics (for 8 out of 12 months). For dermatology trainees who are in the program, mornings are spent signing out dermatopathology cases, and afternoons are spent training in anatomic pathology (for 8 out of 12 months). For 4 months, trainees spend the entirety of their time in dermatopathology. The year is structured so that trainees can maintain continuity with the dermatopathology service.
Cases are signed out by the dermatopathology fellow (who previews the cases) and the attending dermatopathologists. The fellow also has access to the dermatopathology material from the Baylor teaching hospitals within the Texas Medical Center area as well as from the many community hospitals in Texas whose pathology departments are run by full-time Baylor Department of Pathology & Immunology faculty members. These additional dermatopathology cases total over 10,000. See faculty lists on the Department of Pathology & Immunology and the Department of Dermatology sites. Experience in the techniques of immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, as they pertain to dermatopathology is provided.
Conferences
Trainees having completed pathology programs will be expected to attend and participate in all of the dermatology conferences. Conversely, trainees coming out of dermatology residency programs will be expected to attend relevant Department of Pathology & Immunology conferences and selected Department of Dermatology conferences. The fellow will present some didactic sessions, but this responsibility is not onerous.
The fellow will have the opportunity to participate in city-wide conferences in which both patients and interesting dermatopathologic cases are presented. Graduated responsibility in dermatopathology will be provided predominantly throughout the experience at Ben Taub Hospital, part of the Harris Health System. Some training in laboratory management is also provided.
Research
The fellow will be expected to participate in an investigative project which may be clinically-oriented or more basic research. There are numerous opportunities with any of the members of the departments of Pathology & Immunology and Dermatology.
