Surgical Pathology Fellowship
Fellowship Director: Karan Saluja, MD
The Department of Pathology offers a one-year fellowship program, led by Dr. Karan Saluja, MD, to provide comprehensive, advanced training in diagnostic surgical pathology with a strong subspecialty focus. Through the expert mentorship, hands-on experience, and exposure to complex cases, the program aims to develop proficient, independent pathologists. Emphasizing excellence in diagnostic interpretation, research, and multidisciplinary collaboration, the program prepares fellows for leadership roles in academic, hospital-based, or private practice settings. Additionally, the fellowship fosters a commitment to lifelong learning, teaching, and quality improvement in pathology practice.
Fellowship Training Overview:
- Train Expert Surgical Pathologists with a Subspecialty Focus
- Provide in-depth exposure to various subspecialties including but not limited to head and neck, breast, gastrointestinal, gynecologic, genitourinary, cardiothoracic, placental, derm, renal and molecular pathology, ensuring fellows develop expertise in the areas while maintaining proficiency in general surgical pathology.
- Enhance Diagnostic and Consultative Skills in High-Volume, Complex Cases
- Ensure fellows gain experience handling high-volume and diagnostically challenging cases in the core subspecialties, including rare and unusual tumor entities, by working closely with expert faculty.
- Prepare Fellows for Leadership Roles in Academic and Community Practice
- Develop well-rounded pathologists equipped for academic faculty positions, hospital-based practice, or high-volume private practice settings, with expertise in subspecialty consultation.
- Integrate Advanced Technologies in Pathology Practice
- Provide training in immunohistochemistry, molecular diagnostics, and digital pathology to enhance diagnostic precision and efficiency.
- Promote Research and Multidisciplinary Collaboration
- Encourage fellows to engage in clinicopathologic, translational, or molecular research, leveraging institutional strengths in head and neck, breast, cardiothoracic and gastrointestinal oncology.
- Facilitate interactions with surgeons, oncologists, and radiologists through tumor boards and collaborative research initiatives.
- Develop Teaching and Mentorship Skills
- Train fellows to become effective educatiors by mentoring pathology residents, medical students, and pathology assistants, ensuring the next generation of learners and benefits from their expertise
Example Fellow Schedule:
Sample schedule block diagram
- Our academic year is divided into 13 four-week long blocks, the fellow will rotate on various subspecialties.
- Core Rotations:
- Head and Neck Pathology (2-3 months)
- Breast Pathology (1-2 months)
- Gastrointestinal Pathology (2-3 months)
- Gynecologic Pathology (1-2 months)
- Genitourinary Pathology (1-2 months)
- Cardiothoracic (1 month)
- Bone and soft tissue (1 month)
- Intraoperative Consultation (Frozen Sections, ongoing throughout the year)
- Elective Time (up to 2 months, customizable based on career goals)
Faculty:
Our pathologists are dedicated to fellow education with daily sign-out, regular didactic sessions and multidisciplinary conferences:
Current pertinent faculty members (one for each subspeciality besides others) include:
- Dr. Karan Saluja, MD (Fellowship Director)
- Dr. Jaiyeola thomas-Ogunniyi, MBBS
- Dr. Gustavo Ayala, MD
- Dr. Erin Rubin, MD
- Dr. Navneet Narula, MD
- Dr. Hidehiro Takei, MD
- Dr. Amanda Tchakarov, MD
- Dr. Mahmoud El-Sayad, MD
- Dr. Nidhi Tandon, MD
- Dr. Jing Liu, MD
- Dr. Denisse Leza Rincon, MD
Apply:
- Fellows must be board certified or board-eligible in either Anatomic and Clinical Pathology or Anatomic Pathology.
- Fellows must be eligible to obtain a Texas Medical License.
- Interested candidates may submit a CV and 3 letters of recommendation to Fellowship Coordinator, Ms. Amy Macias