Pathology Residency & Fellowship Training Program

Applicant Information

Medical school seniors and all other applicants receive appointments through the National Residency Matching Program. Resident candidates must be graduates of approved medical schools in the US or Canada or must be graduates of foreign medical schools who have ECFMG certification. All applications for PGY-1 positions must be submitted through the ERAS system. Deadline for applications is December 1.

All applicants must have passed step 1 and 2 of USMLE or COMLEX, preferably after one attempt. For graduates of foreign medical schools, clinical experience in the US is preferred. Applicants who have graduated from medical school more than 5 years ago will be considered only under exceptional circumstances. Non-US citizen applicants must meet the requirements for United States visa eligibility.

Our program receives approximately 600 applications every year. A total of 40-50 applicants are invited for interviews that take place from late October to early February. The Residency Admissions Committee meets in middle February to discuss and create the final ranking list submitted to the National Residency Matching Program.

Welcome from the Chief Residents

Thank you for your interest in the UTMB Pathology residency program!

 As chief residents (2024-2025), we would like to share with you some of the reasons (in no particular order) why we love our program and believe that it is a great place to take your first steps in pathology.

1. Great work culture and safe learning environment. In our program, you are supported at every step of your professional development: from learning the fundamental and more advanced concepts of pathology, to doing research, to fellowship applications. Faculty are always approachable and are ready to share a wealth of knowledge with their residents, fellows, and medical students. No question is too trivial to ask. Lab techs and Pathologist Assistants are an integral part of residents’ education as well. Your co-residents and fellows are always there and ready to help if needed.
2. Opportunities for professional growth. UTMB Pathology is a pioneer in Diagnostic Management Teams (DMTs). We practice a holistic, integrative approach to diagnosis. Not only will you learn how to make a pathology diagnosis, but you will also learn how to correlate pathology findings with clinical and imaging findings, and how to effectively communicate your diagnosis to the clinical team, helping them understand possible implications for patient care. Although not strictly required, research is encouraged in our program and there are multiple opportunities to write case reports, case series, collaborate with clinicians and do translational research as well. Also, residents have multiple opportunities for formal and informal teaching of their co-residents and medical students.
3. Diversity. We have a balanced mix of US medical graduate residents (both MDs and DOs) and international medical graduates (IMGs) coming from all around the world. There is a lot of diversity among faculty as well. We believe this enhances the learning experience for everyone.
4. Flexibility. Residents get to choose from a 4-year AP/CP track, a 3-year AP-only track, or a 3-year CP-only track. A Physician-Scientist track is also available. There is ample elective time (exact number of elective rotations depends on the track) to tailor your residency experience to your professional goals. UTMB is a part of the University of Texas system, and there are opportunities for rotations at the renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center. Program leadership is very responsive to residents’ needs and does everything to keep the program at its best.
5. Track record of success. UTMB Pathology residents present their research at state and national conferences and get recognized by a variety of state and national awards for their work. These are just some of the top national institutions in which our residents have recently obtained fellowship positions: MD Anderson Cancer Center, Mayo clinic, NIH, Johns Hopkins, and Yale University. That being said, UTMB Pathology is a great place, and it is not uncommon for UTMB Pathology residency graduates to stay at UTMB as fellows and faculty.
6. We embrace digital pathology. 100% of in-house surgical pathology and autopsy slides are reviewed digitally - no glass slides! This allows for more accurate estimates (margins and mitosis counts), easier access to archived slides, remote collaboration opportunities, easier image capture for posters and publications, and so much more. For whole-slide imaging, we currently use Philips solutions which are seamlessly integrated into EPIC. All your clinical history, imaging studies, pathology reports, gross images, and whole-slide images are just a couple of clicks away from one another. Few residency programs in the US can boast this.
7. Diverse patient population and unique location. At UTMB Pathology you will provide patient care for TDCJ (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) inmates as well as free world patients. Less than an hour’s drive from Houston, Galveston is an island in the Gulf of Mexico offering all the benefits of island life: a long strand of beautiful sandy beaches, affordable housing, amazing wildlife, opportunities for water sports, and fishing. Also, Galveston is a large cruise ship hub, so be prepared to take care of patients from all over the world.
8. Although UTMB has multiple campuses, most of Pathology residency training is centralized in Galveston campus. On very rare occasions you may need to travel 30-40 minutes to Clear Lake campus or League City campus, but again, that is very uncommon.

These are just a few of the reasons why we love our program. We hope you consider the UTMB Pathology residency for Match 2025, and we cannot wait to meet you! Good luck in the Match!