Teaching and Conferences


Weekly Schedule

The weekly schedule of morning conferences consists of AP and CP core didactics, Unknowns conference or SOLO, Gross & Autopsy conference, and Pathobiology. A weekly CP noon conference is attended by CP faculty and residents that are on CP rotations. Additionally, AP and CP journal clubs meet one per month on Fridays and Department Grand Rounds is held regularly. Food is generally provided at our conferences.

Unknowns Conference and SOLO

Unknowns conference is the backbone of the resident educational conferences. Held each week, this faculty run conference gives the resident a series of cases highlighting difficult diagnostic areas or problematic cases. The cases illustrate diagnostic decision making, work-up, and management issues. Our Unknowns conference has gone digital! This allows our residents the convenience and flexibility to review the cases from any offsite computer.

SOLO, or Sign Out Live On time, is an image based “game” given once per month by co-residency program director Dr. Shobha Sharma. These images complement unknowns conference by giving the resident a forum to apply diagnostics skills and knowledge learned during the course of residency.

Pathobiology

Pathobiology is a weekly resident run conference in which a resident chooses a high impact scientific article to present and critique for our department. Topics are broad but generally concern mechanisms of disease pathogenesis or applied basic research relevant to diagnosis or treatment.

CP Noon

Residents on CP rotations will attend this noon conference where the CP resident on call presents the interesting or problematic cases that arose over the call week. Additionally, a Faculty member presents a topic as well as other CP residents who present an interesting cases or topics.

Journal Clubs

Journal clubs are held once a month for both AP and CP topics. These conferences are in journal club format with audience participation.

Pathology Faculty Grand Rounds

Our Department regularly hosts distinguished speakers from outside institutions. Many of these renowned pathologists choose to give slide sessions for our residents.

  • Stuart Schnitt, MD, Professor, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School - Breast Pathology
  • Henry Appelman, MD, Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan - Gastrointestinal Pathology
  • Brigitte M. Ronnett, MD, Professor of Pathology and Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University
  • Carol Farver, MD, Professor Pathology and Vice Chair, Department of Anatomic Pathology, Cleveland Clinic
  • Arie Perry, MD, Director of Neuropathology, Departments of Pathology and Neurological Surgery, UCSF School of Medicine - Neuropathology

Other Conferences

Other rotation specific educational conferences occur as well as upper level resident participation at multidisciplinary tumor boards.