Cytopathology Fellowship

The Cytopathology fellowship holds to many of the same tenets that mark the residency program for the BJC/SLCH/ Wash U consortium: collaborative training with peers, diverse and interesting primary and consult material, graduated responsibility with significant independence.  Graduates of the program have the confidence and skills to manage a full workload immediately after training.  

The fellow participates in a diverse fine needle aspiration biopsy service and is actively involved in providing on-site evaluation. Fellows attend on-site procedures in radiology, interventional pulmonary clinic, head and neck clinic, and a variety of sites in St. Louis Children’s hospital in collaboration with our cytologists and cytopreparatory staff.  There is a mixture of gynecological and non-gynecological cytopathology, reflecting a large academic center medical practice. The hospital serves as the primary reference center and central cytology laboratory for many of the hospitals in the BJC system, which provides an opportunity for review of nearly 25,000 specimens.  The case volume includes 14,000 pap tests, 4,000 fine needle aspirations (with approximately 1,200 cases involving on-site evaluation), 6,500 non-gynecologic cytology cases and additional consult cases. The department was an early adopter of digital cytopathology and trainees have the opportunity to develop comfort with a variety of digital platforms.

The application of routine and emerging ancillary testing is integrated into the practice. Dedicated time focused on laboratory management, specimen processing skills, and research is provided. Trainees have opportunity for publication and have presented at the American Society of Cytopathology (ASC), College of American Pathologists (CAP), United States and Canadian Association of Pathology (USCAP), and digital pathology association meetings. There is ample opportunity for supervision and instruction of junior residents and medical students. The cytopathology faculty prioritize fellowship education and are engaged on a national level in cytopathology societies such as ASC and CAP.

The cytopathology fellowship has received initial accreditation by the American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) on December 2, 1996. 

Applicants must have a MD or DO degree (or foreign equivalent with ECFMG certification) and 3 to 4 years of training in anatomic or anatomic and clinical pathology in an ACGME accredited program. Fellows must be board-certified or board-eligible in anatomic pathology. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The department will sponsor J-1 clinical visas. Applicants with an existing H-1B visa may be eligible, but will first need to determine transfer eligibility. Please note that visa eligibility is subject to change, so check with the program for the most up-to-date information.

Training for the fellowship occurs in state-of-the-art facilities at WashU Medicine/Barnes Jewish Hospital. The cytopathology section is located in the 680,000-square-foot BJC Institute of Health (BJC IOH) at WashU Medicine, which is an 11-story research building housing laboratories and support facilities. The anatomic pathology clinical laboratories and offices are located on one floor. This close proximity makes it convenient and easy to interact with the laboratory, anatomic pathology faculty, residents, and staff.