Pathology Informatics Fellowship Programs

Training Opportunities in Pathology Informatics

A number of residents from my own institution as well as others have inquired about formal training opportunities in pathology informatics.  According to the directory on the Association for Pathology Infomatics website there are 5 recognized formal fellowship training programs listed (Henry Ford Hospital, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, U of Michigan and U of Pittsburgh).  Another program (East Carolina University) offers elective visiting resident rotations.

A number of the program directors spoke recently at the last APIII meeting in October and offered their vision, what their fellowships offer & the opportunities that exist for trainees interested in formal fellowship training. 

The programs welcome applications from interested candidates – an e-mail or phone call to the directors of the programs are welcome.

If you are a program director or have other opportuinities at your institution please let the API know to list your program.  

While the program attendence was lower in general the last day of the meeting when the fellowship discussion session took place, there were a number of current and potentially future pathology informatics fellows in the room. 

Sometimes the question of the employment market comes up for such expertise when considering a fellowship or what fellowships to apply for.  If you are considering training in pathology informatics I would encourage you to talk to the program directors who can share their thoughts and also direct you to others who may be heads of informatics sections within their pathology divisions or departments.

I have no doubt there will be a need and employment opportunities for this expertise within pathology and all the programs seem very open to making sure the fellowship you choose is customized to meet your goals.

Other opportunities to increase your exposure to pathology informatics include of course APIII, CAP Futurescape of Pathology, Lab Info Tech Summit and membership in API.

Several grant programs and funding opportunities also exist which can be found on the API website as well.