Program Overview

Program Overview

The University of Chicago offers a Clinical Laboratory Fellowship Training in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics, accredited by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG). This program integrates training in both molecular and cytogenetics, with a minimum duration of 24 months.

Description of Training Activities

The training program involves participation in daily diagnostic activities, including learning laboratory techniques, genetic test analyses, and result interpretation. Trainees will also learn clinical laboratory management skills, including lab regulatory issues and quality control procedures. Opportunities for developing and validating new clinical tests and participating in research projects are available.

• A Graduate-Level Course in Human Genetics (HGEN 47000) covering classical and modern approaches to studying cytogenetic, Mendelian, and complex human diseases.
• A Medical Genetics Core Lecture Series comprising 25-30 didactic lectures pertinent to clinical laboratories.
• Weekly Clinical Case Conferences involving the Cytogenetics, Molecular Genetics, Cancer Genetics, and Molecular Pathology Laboratory faculty, fellows, and staff.
• Monthly Journal Clubs aimed at studying and conducting critical analyses of the current literature.
• Weekly Exome Sign-Out Meetings presenting exome sequencing cases and interpreting results for clinical significance.
• Weekly Hereditary Cancer Risk Case Conferences discussing cancer risk assessment, surveillance, risk management, and research eligibility.
• Fellow Conferences reviewing interesting/unusual cases, discussing issues related to laboratory testing, and reviewing specific topics or diseases.
• Weekly Clinical Pathology Conferences discussing a wide range of topics relevant to laboratory medicine.
• Monthly Hematopathology Conferences reviewing interesting and instructive cases of hematologic malignancies.
• Quarterly QA/QC meetings involving trainees in processes required for quality control and quality assurance.

Eligibility

To be considered for a training position, candidates must hold a valid M.D. or Ph.D. degree and have experience in genetics, human genetics, or a related field. Additional eligibility requirements can be found on the ABMGG website.

• Candidates with a doctoral degree earned outside of the US, Canada, or Puerto Rico must have their credentials reviewed by the ABMGG Credentials Committee prior to the onset of medical genetics training.
• Applicants with an earned PhD or MD degree from a country in which English is not the primary language must have taken and passed the TOEFL-iBT examination within two years of applying to the program.

Application and Materials Required

The Laboratory Genetics and Genomics Fellowship training program is highly competitive, with only a few positions available per year.

• Accepting Applications: May 1st – August 31st
• Interviews: October-December
• Training start date: July 1st
• Materials required for application:
  • Updated CV
  • Three letters of reference
  • A personal statement (up to 1 page) specifying motivation for training and career goals

Financial Support

Fellows will receive standard stipend and benefits from the Departments of Human Genetics and Pathology at the University of Chicago.