Overview for Prospective Medical Students
Electives in Pathology provide students an excellent way of broadening their knowledge of medicine and determining their level of interest in the specialty. Most pathology electives give students first hand knowledge of the central role pathology plays in the diagnosis of disease, and as such, are valuable for students going into almost any clinical specialty.
Both general and subspecialty electives in Pathology are available. Electives in anatomic pathology focus on morphologic and histologic diagnosis, while those in the clinical laboratory illustrate the effective use and interpretation of laboratory testing. Research electives provide insight into basic pathogenesis of disease. Students who have already made a firm decision to enter postgraduate training in Pathology should contact an advisor in the department to gain assistance in planning a balanced elective program.
How to Apply
Students must complete a registration form for each elective experience in order to receive academic credit. The forms are available from the Registrar's Office. After completing an elective registration form, the student must have it signed by the course director. Students are expected to consult with their advisors about their academic program at regular intervals.
It is the responsibility of the student to see that the Elective Registration Form is completed and submitted to the Registrar's Office in a timely manner.
A triplicate form with copies for the course director, the student, and the Registrar's Office is used register for all elective activities. The deadline for submission of elective registration forms is one month before the start of each quarter.
For more information, please refer to the complete Electives Book.
Visiting medical students (from other institutions), please contact [email protected].
Types of Electives
- Service Electives: Students may choose one of the many divisions of anatomic or clinical pathology to spend a month (or two) as a sub-intern.
- Research Electives: Students may do clinical or basic research in any of the divisions of anatomic or clinical pathology. Guidance may be from a particular pathologist or from the division as a group.
Elective Course Descriptions
Medical students at Johns Hopkins are offered various elective courses.
Adjustments Due to Global COVID-19 Pandemic: JHUSOM medical students converted to a Block schedule in summer 2020 due to curriculum changes necessitated by the global COVID-19 pandemic. During AY2020-21 we are operating on a block calendar where a half block (3-3.5 weeks in length) is equivalent to a half quarter (4-4.5 weeks). Specific questions about the academic calendar, quarter, or block schedule can be directed to [email protected] for JH medical students or [email protected] for visiting medical students.
Autopsy Pathology - JHH
Course Type: Clinical Elective
Department/Division: Pathology/Autopsy Pathology
Course Director: Dr. Avi Rosenberg
Phone: 410-955-3765
Faculty: Dr. Rosenberg, Dr. David Nauen, others
Availability/Duration: Throughout the year, but timing requires pre-approval by Course Director. Available as either a full quarter rotation or as a one month rotation if followed by pathology elective.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of Genes to Society
Drop Period: 2 months
Description: Students are trained to function as first year house officers on the autopsy service. They become responsible for work-up and sign-out of their cases and in other respects participate fully in the life of the department. There are informal case conferences at the autopsy table and at multi headed microscopes. Students have the opportunity to present cases at departmental and interdepartmental conferences or to write cases for publication. Brief supplementary exposures to other aspects of pathology (general surgery pathology, surgical pathology subspecialties, forensic pathology, and clinical pathology) are offered to students who enroll for a full quarter.
Blood Bank / Transfusion Medicine
Course Type: Tutorial or Clerkship
Department/Division: Pathology/Transfusion Medicine
Course Director: Dr. Evan Bloch
Phone: 410-614-4246
Contact: Lorraine Blagg - 410-502-9584 or [email protected] / Dr. Herleen Rai - [email protected]
Faculty: Dr. Herleen Rai and technical staff
Availability/Duration: All year, usually 1 month.
Prerequisite(s): Introduction to Pathology
Drop Period: 1 month
Description: This course provides an opportunity for medical students to gain experience in transfusion medicine {TM} in one of the largest and most academically productive TM services in the country. Students will learn about different types of blood products (I.e. indications, manipulation and management of adverse effects) as well as approaches to patients with complex transfusion requirements (e.g. hyperhemolysis, severe alloimmunization) or who are unwilling to be transfused. Students will have an active role in clinical consultations in the TM and apheresis services. Those with an interest in research are encouraged – but not required – to pursue projects with the TM faculty and technical staff. Collectively, this elective will enhance the ability to manage patients in diverse clinical settings. It is particularly recommended for students who are interested in pathology, surgery, anesthesiology, hematology, oncology, and intensive care medicine.
Clerkship in Surgical Pathology – JHH
Course Type: Clinical Clerkship
Department/Division: Surgical Pathology
Course Director: Dr. Marissa White - [email protected]
Phone: 410-614-3653
Faculty: Dr. White and staff
Availability/Duration: All year; ½ quarter or negotiable as arranged with course director; Visiting Medical Students accepted upon approval of course director
Prerequisite(s): Completion of Introduction to Pathology or Genes to Society
Drop Period: 2 months
Description: Students are trained in the techniques of general surgical pathology and then become responsible for the gross description, gross dissection, and microscopic examination of their assigned cases. Students are supervised by faculty members and senior residents, and they participate in all conference activities in the division. The elective exposes the student to a variety of modern techniques employed in the pathologic diagnosis of medical and surgical diseases and increases their awareness and understanding of the role played by surgical pathology in patient management. There are opportunities for exposure to other diagnostic pathology services (e.g., cytopathology and neuropathology)
Clinical Chemistry
Course Type: Tutorial
Department/Division: Pathology/Clinical Chemistry
Course Director: Dr. Daniel Chan
Phone: 410-955-2674
Faculty: Dr. Chan and staff
Availability/Duration: all year; to be arranged with instructor
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year medical student; completion of Introduction to Pathology
Drop Period: 1 month
ENROLLMENT LIMITED TO JHUSOM STUDENTS.
Description: This course will provide an introduction to the clinical and research activities of the Clinical Chemistry Division. Clinical aspects will focus on the analytical methods, quality assurance and the clinical interpretation of biochemical, immunological, and proteomics tests. Laboratories include: automated chemistry, critical care, emergency department, immunoassay for hormones and tumor markers, toxicology, and therapeutic drug monitoring. Research aspects will focus on clinical proteomics through interaction with the biomarker discovery laboratory. Students will meet with individual faculty members, attend laboratory meetings, rotate in the laboratories and be involved in research projects
Diagnostic Cytopathology
Course Type: Clinical Clerkship
Department/Division: Cytopathology
Course Director: Dr. Syed Z. Ali
Phone: 410-955-1180
Faculty: Dr. Syed Z. Ali and staff
Availability/Duration: One quarter or shorter; arrange with course director
Prerequisite(s): Introduction to Pathology.
Drop Period: 1 month
ENROLLMENT LIMITED TO JHUSOM STUDENTS.
Description: An opportunity to learn about the clinical significance of morphologic changes in cells and other elements of the cytologic specimen in health and in disease. The materials utilized are specimens from the Johns Hopkins Hospital Diagnostic Cytopathology Service, including Pap tests and biopsies from the Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) Service. There will be an active correlation of the clinico-radiologic, cytomorphologic and histopathologic findings and follow-up information..
Equitable Healthcare - Virtual
Course Type: Other
Department/Division: Pathology and Oncology
Course Directors: Dr. Marissa J. White - [email protected] and Dr. Richard Ambinder - [email protected]
Availability/Duration: Next Course Offering to be determined.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of Internal Medicine core clerkship
Drop Period: N/A
ENROLLMENT LIMITED TO VISITING MEDICAL STUDENTS.
Description: This course is a 2-week virtual clinical experience for students to engage in clinical and learning opportunities in the field of Surgical Pathology and Medical Oncology. It is designed for students who have already completed an Internal Medicine core clerkship and plan to apply into either Pathology or Internal Medicine residency, or wish to learn more about the multi-disciplinary management of cancer. The course will consist of a shared, universal curriculum that will cover topics such as health disparities, global health, LGBTQIA+ health, telemedicine, palliative care, and community resources in Baltimore. The morning specialty-specific curriculum will explore equitable healthcare within Surgical Pathology and Medical Oncology through lectures, independent review and team discussion of digital histologic slides, and team discussion of Medical Oncology problem sets, allowing students to refine their skills while networking with residents and faculty.
Fellowship Year in Pathology
Course Type: Other
Department/Division: Pathology
Course Director: Dr. Ralph Hruban - [email protected]
Phone: 410-955-9790
Description: A special one-year fellowship for medical students in good standing who have completed their second year in an accredited medical school. This fellowship is highly competitive and it is designed to give the student an in-depth learning experience in pathology. The fellowship is research-based, and the research can be either be anatomic or clinical pathology. The research is performed under the direction of a faculty mentor. In addition, the student is expected to participate in departmental conferences, meetings, and teaching activities. One year of credit toward board certification in pathology may be received for this fellowship.
Availability/Duration: Up to 2 fellowships per year. Contact Dr. Hruban or any faculty member for additional information; one year duration.
Prerequisite(s): Pathology A-1
Drop Period: N/A
Forensic Pathology - Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Course Type: Other
Department/Division: Pathology
Course Director: Dr. Nikki Mourtzinos, Program Director, 900 West Baltimore St, Baltimore, MD 21223 (BioPark)
Phone: 410-333-3353
Availability/Duration: All year; 4 weeks or one quarter; only one student rotating at any given time unless approved. To request approval contact Eleanor Thomas at 410-333-8159 or [email protected]. Visiting medical students must follow JHUSOM quarter dates
Prerequisite(s): Completion of Introduction to Pathology
Drop Period: 1 month
Description: Students will acquire first-hand knowledge of legal medicine by participating in regular functions of the Office of the Chief Medical examiner. Included are investigations of sudden, unexpected, and violent deaths, autopsy procedures, and toxicological and histological studies. Students are encouraged (after adequate orientation) to assist at autopsies, to participate in on-the-scene investigations, and to observe staff members testifying in court. They participate in daily rounds, lectures, and seminars. There are also opportunities to participate in on-going research projects centered on forensic pathology.
Gynecologic Pathology
Course Type: Tutorial
Department/Division: Gynecologic Pathology
Course Director: Dr. Russell Vang
Faculty: Dr. Russell Vang and faculty
Availability/Duration: Negotiable; also offered as a 4 week elective.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Instructor
Drop Period: 1 month
Description: Students observe and participate in the gross and histological assessment of gynecologic pathology specimens under the supervision of residents, fellows, and attendings.
Medical Microbiology
Course Type: Other (Laboratory Rotation)
Department/Division: Microbiology
Course Director: Dr. Karen Carroll
Phone: 410-955-5077 (Paula Mister)
Faculty: Dr. Karen Carroll and faculty within the Division of Medical Microbiology
Availability/Duration: All year; 4 weeks, limited to two students per quarter
Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of Microbiology
Drop Period: 1 month
Description: Laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases and detection of antimicrobial resistance. Visiting Medical Students accepted upon approval of Course Director and must arrange times directly with the Education Coordinator, Paula Mister.
This course will emphasize all facets of diagnostic testing. The student will review specimen collection guidelines as they pertain to microbiology samples. Diagnostic methods and specific technologies for detection of a broad range of clinically significant pathogens will be learned. Susceptibility testing methods including tests designed to detect resistance mechanisms will be covered. A major objective is to provide correlation of laboratory information with disease presentations in patients through a dynamic interface with healthcare providers and other divisions within the Department of Pathology. Learning objectives are fulfilled through bench rotations in the laboratory, daily work rounds, didactics, and interdisciplinary conferences.
Neuropathology
Course Type: Tutorial
Department/Division: Pathology/Neuropathology
Course Director: Dr. Juan Troncoso
Phone: 410-955-5632
Faculty: Drs. Juan Troncoso, David Nauen, Charles Eberhart, Fausto Rodriguez, and Meaghan Morris
Availability/Duration: 1 month or longer; visiting medical students must follow JHUSOM quarter dates
Prerequisite(s): Introduction to Pathology. Approved neuroanatomy and histology.
Drop Period: 1 month
ENROLLMENT LIMITED TO US MEDICAL STUDENTS ONLY
Description: An opportunity to learn the fundamentals of diagnostic neuropathology. The student will examine brain and spinal cord specimens obtained at Hopkins and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and will also participate in the evaluation of surgical neuropathology specimens from the inpatient and outside consultation services. Self-study materials and individual tutoring sessions on special topics in neuropathology are available. Students are encouraged to identify small research projects in their areas of interest. This experience is recommended for students interested in pathology, neurology and neurosurgery.
Surgical Pathology at Bayview
Course Type: Clinical Clerkship
Department/Division: Pathology
Course Directors: Dr. Kevan Salimian
Phone: 410-550-4253
Availability/Duration: All year; ½ quarter or full quarter; Visiting Medical Students accepted upon approval of Course Director
Prerequisite(s): Introduction to Pathology or Genes to Society
Drop Period: 2 months
Description: This course offers an opportunity to see and experience at first hand a wide spectrum of activities in anatomic pathology. Students will rotate in Surgical Pathology, functioning at the level of a first year resident in pathology. The student will perform gross dissections, dictate clinical summaries, review microscopic sections and sign out the surgical pathologic material under senior staff supervision.
Virtual Surgical Pathology
Course Type: Clinical Clerkship
Department/Division: Pathology
Course Directors: Dr. Marissa White
Phone: 410-614-3964 or [email protected]
Availability/Duration: All year; ½ quarter or negotiable as arranged with course director; Visiting Medical Students accepted upon approval of course director
Prerequisite(s): N/A
Drop Period: 1 month
Description: Online surgical pathology student rotation for medical students who have completed the pre-clinical curriculum. This case-based rotation is designed to simulate a surgical pathology resident experience, and will include remote previewing and sign-out of scanned cases multiple times per week with surgical pathology faculty and/or senior residents. Assigned reading will guide independent or group case previewing. Rotators will also be expected to attend surgical pathology meetings hosted on Zoom including pathology grand rounds, daily QA conferences, live sign-outs, and resident lectures. Rotators will be evaluated at the end of the rotation in the form of a brief 10 minute presentation on a pathology topic and a short assessment. At the end of the course students will:
- Summarize the role of a general surgical pathologist as a member of the multidisciplinary care team
- List the defining histologic features of several common pathologic entities
- Demonstrate how to determine the pathologic stage for an oncologic resection
- Describe how to approach assessing biopsy specimens
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
| Faculty | Research Interests |
|---|---|
| Syed Ali | Cytopathology; digital photoimaging; web-based teaching tools |
| Robert Anders | Tumor immunology, tumor immune microenvironment, liver and gastrointestinal pathology |
| Lois Arend | Pathology of native and transplanted kidney |
| Pedram Argani | Breast cancer, gall bladder, and bile duct carcinomas; pediatric renal tumors |
| Serena Bagnasco | Pathology of native and transplanted kidney |
| Alexander Baras | Machine learning/artificial intelligence applied to biological sequences and biomedical imaging; urological and gynecological pathology |
| Denise Batista | Prenatal and Postnatal Clinical Cytogenetics; Chromosome Microarray; delineation of genetic syndromes |
| Evan Bloch | Transfusion transmitted infections; Babesiosis; global blood transfusion safety; international health |
| Michael Borowitz | Leukemia and lymphoma, especially pediatric leukemia; flow cytometry |
| Karen Carroll | Diagnostic test development and evaluation for bacteria with emphasis on healthcare associated infections |
| Patrizio Caturegli | Autoimmune diseases; thyroiditis; hypophysitis; mouse models |
| Daniel Chan | Tumor markers; proteomics; immunoassay |
| Daniela Čiháková | Immunology, cardiac inflammation, myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, T cells, Macrophages, Innate lymophioid cells, cytokines |
| Ashley Cimino-Mathews | Breast cancer, tumor immune microenvironment |
| William Clarke | Therapeutic drug monitoring; clinical toxicology; drug assay development, point-of-care testing |
| Angelo De Marzo | Molecular pathogenesis of prostate cancer |
| Charles Eberhart | Pathogenesis of brain and eye tumors |
| Jonathan Epstein | Genitourinary pathology |
| James Eshleman | Early detection of pancreatic cancer; genes causing familial pancreatic cancer; liquid biopsy for patients with solid tumors; targeting cancer based on its genotype; novel molecular tools for cancer |
| Susan Eshleman | HIV genetic diversity, transmission and drug resistance; novel methods for HIV analysis |
| Mary Glenn Fowler | Prevention of mother and child transmission of HIV; treatment of pediatric HIV infection; and prevention among high risk adolescents and women in international settings |
| Edward Gabrielson | Molecular pathology of breast and lung cancer |
| Christopher Gocke | Molecular diagnostics and hematopathology |
| Michael Goggins | Pancreatic cancer, particularly early detection; cancer genetics; cancer epigenetics |
| Mary Kate Grabowski | Human immunodeficiency virus, epidemiology, pathogen phylogenetics, international health |
| Marc Halushka | Cellular expression and cardiovascular disease |
| Abdu Hamad | Type I diabetes, underlying mechanisms and innovative therapeutic strategies, role of B cells and Natural killer T-cells |
| Ralph Hruban | Cancer of the pancreas |
| Chien-Fu Hung | Cancer vaccine; immunotherapy; DNA vaccine |
| Peter Illei | Pulmonary pathology and cytopathology |
| Aaron James | Bone biology, bone repair, mesenchymal stem cells, bone tumors |
| Thomas Kickler | Hemostasis/thrombotic disorders |
| Claire Knezevic | Critical care testing, TDM/toxicology, Mass Spectrometry |
| Vassilis Koliatsos | Traumatic brain injury, traumatic axonopathy; stem cell therapies for neural injury |
| Scott Krummey | Transplant immunology, high-dimensional flow cytometry for immune profiling of transplant patient populations, histocompatibility, HLA antibody testing |
| H. Benjamin Larman | High throughput molecular assay development, human immunology, autoimmunity |
| Tatianna Larman | Intestinal epithelial biology, intestinal stem cell niche homeostasis, early colorectal cancer pathogenesis, GI/liver/soft tissue pathology |
| Anne Le | Metabolism of disease and metabolomics technologies |
| Qing Kay Li | Biomarkers in lung cancer and prostate cancer |
| Tong Li | Molecular biology of neurobiological diseases |
| Ming-Tseh Lin | Molecular diagnosis of solid tumor |
| Tamara Lotan | Prognostic and predictive molecular biomarkers for prostate cancer; PTEN/Pi3k/mTOR signaling in development and tumorigenesis; genitourinary pathology |
| Zahra Maleki | Cytopathology; Lung Neoplasms, Salivary Gland and Head and Neck Cytopathology |
| Joseph Mankowski | Comparative pathology and viral pathogenesis; neuroimmunology |
| Lee Martin | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Parkinson’s disease; mitochondria; stroke; neonatal brain ischemia; cell death; apoptosis-necrosis continuum; motor neuron disease; transgenic mice |
| Mark Mazinke | Analytical pharmacology, laboratory automation, precision medicine and pharmacogenetics |
| Andres Matoso | Urologic pathology including rare tumors and bladder cancer |
| Alan Meeker | Molecular pathology and telomere biology of prostate and other cancers |
| Heba Mostafa | Diagnostic Molecular Virology, Viral Surveillance and Evolution |
| David Nauen | Structure and function of human hippocampus |
| Kiyoko Oshima | Liver and biliary pathology, liver transplant pathology |
| Nicole Parrish | Antibiotic development; use of natural compounds as antimicrobials and the basis for synthetic scaffolds; diagnostic development for rapid detection of antimicrobial resistance; understanding antibiotic consumption and the relationship to development of antimicrobial resistance in both pathogens and commensal organisms |
| Nicholas Roberts | Pancreatic cancer, inherited cancer, in vitro and in vivo cancer models |
| Richard Roden | Cervical cancer; ovarian cancer; papillomavirus; vaccine development; virology |
| Fausto Rodriguez | Surgical neuropathology and pediatric brain tumors |
| Brigitte Ronnett | Gynecologic pathology |
| Max Rosario | Corona Virus T cell vaccines and NK cell immunology |
| Scheherazade Sadegh-Nasseri | Molecular mechanisms of Antigen Processing in relation to autoimmune diseases, HIV, memory T cell longevity, and vaccine designs |
| Alena Sovonenko | Cognitive deficits in animal models of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and schizophrenia; testing experimental treatments for these diseases; their mechanisms, safety, and side effects |
| Jonathan Schneck | Basic mechanisms controlling T-cell mediated immune responses; cellular engineering; adoptive immunotherapy; cellular microarray-based high-throughput analysis of immune responses |
| Karen Sfanos | Cancer biology; prostate cancer |
| Ie-Ming Shih | Molecular events that drive precursor lesion to invasive cancer; Molecular targets for new therapy by exploring caner genomics; Integrated proteogenomic analysis of human cancer |
| Trish Simner | Clinical microbiology, antimicrobial resistance and novel diagnostic tools for infectious diseases |
| Lori Sokoll | Clinical chemistry; tumor markers; immunoassays |
| Charles Steenbergen | Cardiac pathology; myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and cardio protection |
| Shuying Sun | Neurodegenerative diseases and RNA metabolism |
| Elizabeth Thompson | Pancreatic tumors, tumor immune microenvironment, immune response to different stages of neoplasia |
| Aaron Tobian | Transfusion medicine and HIV |
| Juan Troncoso | Neuropathology of normal aging, Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease with emphasis on morphological and biochemical studies of human postmortem tissues. My laboratory has access to >2500 autopsy brains, with fixed and frozen tissues, of neurodegenerative diseases and controls (30 to 65 years of age) |
| Chris VandenBussche | Genitourinary pathology; ancillary testing in small biopsy specimens; cytomorphologic digital analysis |
| Russel Vang | Gynecologic pathology |
| Tian-Li Wang | DNA damage repair in cancer development; Chromatin remodeling in ovarian cancer; Cancer stem cell study; Innovative cancer detection using body fluid |
| Philip Wong | Molecular mechanisms and mouse models of neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases; experimental therapeutics |
| Laura Wood | Cancer genomics; pancreatic and liver cancers; gastrointestinal and liver pathology |
| T.C. Wu | Cancer, immunotherapy for HPV associated malignancies and other gynecological cancers; molecular pathology and DNA vaccines |
| Rena Xian | B-cell lymphoma genomics, next-generation sequencing, non-invasive diagnostics, viral-associated lymphomas |
| Deyin Xing | Diagnosis and molecular pathogenesis of gynecologic neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions |
| Mark Zarella | Digital pathology, Human interpretable machine learning using histology images |
| Hui Zhang | Developing and applying high-throughput mass spectrometric technologies and data analysis pipeline for multiomics characterization of proteins and protein phosphorylation/glycosylation |
| Sean Zhang | Medical mycology; molecular diagnosis of fungal infections |
| Zhen Zhang | Bioinformatics; biomarker discovery; computational methods for expression data analysis; biomarkers for ovarian cancer |
| Ying Zou | Characterization of chromosomal structural abnormalities in leukemia and lymphoma using cytogenomics methods; Fluorescence in situ hybridization |