Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Interest Group

Mission:

The mission of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Interest Group (PaLMIG) is to provide medical students with early exposure to, and opportunities in, the field of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. We aim to:

  1. Increase students’ awareness of the breadth of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine during the pre-clinical years;
  2. Demonstrate the integral role of pathologists in providing clinical care to patients;
  3. Demonstrate how knowledge gained during the pre-clinical curriculum forms the fundamental knowledge base for the practice of pathology.

Objectives

  1. Increase medical students’ awareness and understanding of the breadth of pathology;
  2. Facilitate medical students wishing to explore pathology through engaging and interactive lectures and demonstrations;
  3. Increase the number of senior medical students choosing pathology as a career – can be measured by monitoring graduating class Match statistics.

We will accomplish these objectives by providing opportunities that span the broad scope of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, including:

  • Facilitating shadowing experiences within both Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, at the microscope and grossing bench, including:
    • Pathology Case Sign-Outs at the microscope;
    • Forensic Pathology & Autopsy observation, including a day trip to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner;
    • Hands-on Surgical Cytopathology frozen section workshop;
    • Microbiology Plate Rounds
    • Tour of the BMC Blood Bank
  • Speaker Series & Career Lunches
  • Case Presentations
  • Dissemination of Departmental Research Opportunities
  • Journal Club-type events

    Resources:

    • A list compiled by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) of both funded and non-funded clinical and research opportunities open to medical students considering taking additional time during medical school to pursue Pathology-oriented training in Pathology programs across the country.
    • Pathology Outlines is an authoritative all-around resource for gathering pathology-related information quickly and easily – the ‘Up-to-date’ of Pathology
    • The Intersociety Council for Pathology Information’s website of Training Resources for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. This is an excellent resource for finding information about a career in Pathology.