Cytopathology Fellowship
Fellowship Director: Takei Hidehiro, MD
The Cytopathology Fellowship at UTHealth Houston is a one-year, ACGME-accredited advanced training program designed to provide comprehensive experience in diagnostic cytopathology, fine-needle aspiration, and ancillary testing across a diverse range of specimens and practice settings. The fellowship emphasizes diagnostic excellence, graduated responsibility, multidisciplinary collaboration, and preparation for independent practice in academic or community-based cytopathology.
The fellow is exposed to a high-volume and broad case mix including gynecologic cytology, non-gynecologic cytology, fine-needle aspiration specimens, and rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) obtained from multiple major training sites, including Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, and UT specialty clinics. Training includes close faculty supervision with progressive autonomy throughout the year.
Fellow Training Overview
- Daily sign-out of gynecologic and non-gynecologic cytology specimens with faculty
- Extensive experience in fine-needle aspiration cytopathology
- Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) for adequacy assessment
- Ultrasound-guided superficial fine-needle aspiration training
- Dedicated exposure to image-guided fine-needle aspiration procedures performed in collaboration with Interventional Radiology
- Participation in adequacy assessment of deep-seated lesions obtained through radiology-guided procedures
- Preparation and interpretation of conventional smears, liquid-based cytology, and cell blocks
- Integration of ancillary studies including immunocytochemistry and molecular testing
- Correlation with surgical pathology, radiology, and clinical findings
- Participation in multidisciplinary conferences and tumor boards
- Laboratory management, quality assurance, and cytology-histology correlation
- Opportunities for scholarly activity, research, and medical education
Clinical Experience
The fellowship receives approximately 30,000 cytology cases annually, including:
- Gynecologic cytology
- Non-gynecologic cytology
- Fine-needle aspiration specimens
- ROSE procedures
Training occurs across multiple clinical environments, allowing exposure to tertiary-care, county hospital, outpatient, and procedure-based practice settings.
Faculty
- Yasir Ali, MD
- Mahmoud El-Sayad, MD
- Majd Al-Shaarani, MD
- Tianhua Guo, MD, PhD
- Rongying Li, MD
- Jing Liu, MD, PhD
- Hidehiro Takei, MD
- Jaiyeola Thomas-Ogunniyi, MD
- Yu H. Zhang, MD
Educational Activities
- Cytology consensus conference
- Unknown slide sessions
- Interdisciplinary tumor boards
- Didactic teaching sessions
- Quality assurance conferences
- Journal review and scholarly discussion
The fellow also participates in resident and medical student teaching.
Research and Scholarly Activity
Scholarly activity is encouraged throughout the fellowship year through case reports, abstracts, manuscripts, and national meeting presentations.
Apply
Applicants must:
- Be board certified or board eligible in AP/CP or AP
- Be eligible for Texas Medical Licensure
- Submit curriculum vitae, personal statement, and three letters of recommendation to this email “[email protected]“
Program start date: July 1, 2027.