Program Overview

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Program Overview

The Neuropathology Fellowship program at Columbia University Medical Center is accredited by the ACGME and qualifies candidates for board certification in neuropathology. The program prepares fellows for academic careers in diagnostic neuropathology and research.

Program Description

Fellows spend two years in the Division of Neuropathology, examining all nervous system tissues from biopsies and autopsies at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. The division receives a large and varied volume of material, including brains sent to Columbia for consultation, particularly in the areas of neurodegenerative diseases. Fellows examine all specimens and sign out daily with an attending physician.

Teaching Conferences

Teaching conferences are held regularly, including:

• Weekly brain cuttings
• Weekly microscopic conferences to review surgical and autopsy cases with all staff
• Weekly brain tumor board conferences
• Muscle biopsy reviews
• CPCs

Research Opportunities

Neuropathology fellows, along with residents from Pathology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, organize and present material at most conferences. Centralized departmental laboratories for molecular diagnostics and immunocytochemistry, and departmental initiatives to develop digital pathology, facilitate the use of these techniques for studying specimens. In general, fellows will be expected to spend much of the first year in clinical studies, and the second year will be spent in either laboratory-based research or in-depth clinical diagnostic work, in affiliation with a faculty member.

Requirements

• At least 2 years of training in anatomic pathology

Visas

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center will only accept J1 visas.

Types and Numbers of Appointments

Up to two positions are available per academic year.

Facilities

The Division of Neuropathology and the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology contain a large number of neuroscience research programs, with particular areas of strength including:

• Developmental neurobiology
• Cellular interactions in brain development
• Growth factors
• Cytoskeletal protein chemistry and molecular biology
• Myelination
• Epilepsy
• Neuro-oncology, particularly glial neoplasms
• Neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's, Huntington's, ALS, and Parkinson's diseases

Research Areas

The department has close ties to the Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry and the Department of Neuroscience. Many faculty members belong to the interdisciplinary Taub Center for Alzheimer Disease and the Aging Brain. A number of faculty also belong to the Columbia University Stem Cell Initiative and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Program Structure

The program is designed to provide fellows with a comprehensive education in neuropathology, including clinical and research training. The first year is focused on clinical studies, while the second year is spent in either laboratory-based research or in-depth clinical diagnostic work. Those trainees who wish to pursue laboratory-based research will be able to take an extra year for a program of full-time investigative work.