Cytopathology Fellowship

Fellowship Director: Yasir Ali, 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 (external link), Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital (external link), and University of Texas Houston specialty clinics (external link). Training includes close faculty supervision with progressive autonomy throughout the year.

Training Overview:

• Daily sign-out of gynecologic and non-gynecologic cytology specimens
• 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
• Preparation and interpretation of conventional smears, liquid-based cytology, and cell blocks
• Integration of ancillary studies including immunocytochemistry and molecular testing
• 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.

Educational Activities:

• Cytology consensus conference
• Unknown slide sessions
• Interdisciplinary tumor boards
• Didactic teaching sessions
• Quality assurance conferences
• Journal review and scholarly discussion
• Participation in resident and medical student teaching
• Scholarly activity is encouraged through case reports, abstracts, manuscripts, and national meeting presentations

Additional Faculty:

• Majd Al-Shaarani, MD
• Mahmoud El-Sayad, MD
• Tianhua Guo, MD, PhD
• Rongying Li, MD
• Jing Liu, MD, PhD
• Hidehiro Takei, MD
• Jaiyeola Thomas-Ogunniyi, MD
• Yu H. Zhang, MD

Apply:

• Now accepting applications for 2027-28 and 2028-29 academic years.
• Applicants must be board certified or board-eligible in either Anatomic and Clinical Pathology or Anatomic Pathology and eligible to obtain a Texas Medical License (external link).
• Interested candidates may apply here. (external link)
• Fellowship Coordinator, Ms. Debbie Pena