We would like to bring our residency program in pathology to the attention of the students in your Medical Scientist Training Program. We believe that a residency in pathology at the NIH offers an outstanding opportunity to combine a basic research experience with medical specialty training. The NIH program offers an excellent entrée into academic medicine, having produced a number of pathology chairs, as well as leading scientists whose numbers include members of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Laboratory of Pathology of the National Cancer Institute offers a fully accredited program in Anatomic Pathology. In addition to training in the traditional disciplines of surgical, post-mortem, and cytopathology, advanced training is offered in evolving technologies, including molecular diagnostics, proteomics, and cytogenetics. Stipends are based on prior experience and training, with a minimum PGY1 stipend in the range of $55,598/year for residents with a Ph.D. degree. Moving expenses to the Washington, DC area also are provided.

We are enclosing some literature that we hope you will distribute to students in your program, especially those entering their terminal year. The NIH community and the Laboratory of Pathology offer many unique research opportunities, and residents are free to select a research mentor of their choosing, either within or outside our department. Approximately one year of elective time is available during the first three years of residency, and there is the potential of an optional fourth year of full-time research. For those residents with a particular interest in and commitment to a career in experimental pathology research, a competitive option will be available in which three additional years of research time and support are provided by the Department. Interested residents can apply for this option at any time during their second year of residency. It is anticipated that many of our residents will successfully choose this option.

For positions beginning July 2010, application should be made during the late summer or very early fall of 2009. We do not participate in the Matching Program, but do have a rolling admissions policy. Therefore, interested applicants are encouraged to apply by October 2009. The complete application package should be received no later than December 15, 2009. We do accept applications through ERAS, which is a preferred mechanism to apply.

Sincerely yours,

Elaine S. Jaffe, M.D.
Program Director
Anatomic Pathology Residency Program
National Cancer Institute, NIH
Building 10, Room 2A33
10 Center Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-1500
Email: elainejaffe@nih.gov

J. Carl Oberholtzer, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Laboratory of Phathology
National Cancer Institute, NIH