The pathology program at St. Joseph's provides excellent training opportunities for residents. Residents enjoy working with a well-trained and knowledgeable faculty who care about the residents and their educational goals. We are among the largest hospitals in the state, with a busy inpatient and outpatient surgical service and tertiary referrals that keep cases diverse and interesting. Please take a moment to review the pathology web site and learn more about our program. If you have any additional questions, please call our program coordinator at 602-406-6540.

In a constant attempt to improve residency education, our program is undergoing changes.  First, the program has expanded.  With the renewed interest in Pathology, we have been able to increase our residency size.  For academic year 2005-2006, we increased to 10 positions. 

Improvements to the physical plant have included new study stations for each resident and updated audiovisual equipment (including digital cameras, digital projector and new computer hardware).  The library has been refurbished along with numerous books and study aids that were acquired.  A twelve-headed Olympus microscope has recently been installed.  We are currently in the planning stages for a revamped main laboratory, which will double the size of the gross and frozen section space. 

In addition, this year the department hosted its Third Annual Pathology Conference: Update in Surgical Pathology.  Presenters were from Mayo Clinic (Rochester) and St. Joseph's.  The conference was held April 7 and 8 and included topics:

• Columnar cell breast lesions
• Microglandular adenosis
• Non-epithelial renal neoplasms
• Wilms tumor
• Pediatric brain tumors
• Ovarian pathology
• Metastatic lesions in the breast
   

• Spindle cell carcinoma of the breast
• Interstitial nephritis
• Prion diseases
• Systemic vasculitis
• The lymph node in viral disease

Lastly, Maricopa County built a new Forensic Science Center to rival any in the country. The state-of-the-art facility is a great place for our residents to rotate in Forensic Pathology. With the addition of a modern conference room, the Maricopa County Medical Examiners have established a monthly lecture series for the residents and other public safety professionals.