Houston Methodist, an affiliate of the Weill Cornell Medical College and Texas A&M Medical College, offers an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited molecular genetic pathology fellowship for physicians who have completed pathology or medical genetics specialty training and are interested in pursuing a career in molecular genetic pathology and related research. The program has eleven faculty, including two clinical pathologists with subspecialty certification in molecular genetic pathology, and three board-certified medical geneticists.

One one-year fellowship position is available each academic year under the directorship of Jessica Thomas, MD, PhD, MPH. The Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at Houston Methodist processes more than 40,000 molecular assays per year (including infectious diseases, genetics, and oncology), and the testing volume continues to grow at a rate of more than 25% over the last 3 years. The laboratory has state-of-the-art instrumentation for manual and automated DNA extraction, PCR and real-time PCR assays, non-PCR molecular assays, next-generation sequencing and other molecular techniques. The laboratory oversees molecular oncology and molecular genetics sendouts, which total more than 1,500 specimens per year.

The fellowship has outstanding partner institutions in the Texas Medical Center. Trainees will benefit from a rotation in a well-recognized medical genetics program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, which houses first-rate genetics counseling training programs. Fellows will also rotate at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine, whose molecular laboratories are recognized in oncology and genetics, respectively.

The basic training is complemented by research opportunities and unique elective experiences in areas that are emerging as future challenges in the practice of pathology, such as advanced molecular microbiology, molecular imaging, bioinformatics, and hematopathology. Fellows interested in additional translational research experiences have a wide variety of choices in the Houston Methodist Hospital Research Institute. It is anticipated that an area of research interest will be identified early in the fellowship and that one or more clinical research projects will be completed during the training. Training in laboratory management, information systems, and quality assurance is included in the program. The fellow participates in weekly next generation sequencing consensus conferences, molecular tumor boards, and is responsible for several clinical pathology case conferences and journal clubs during the program. The fellow also has the opportunity to attend other various anatomic and/or clinical pathology conferences throughout the year.

Stipend

Commensurate with level of post-graduate training. For more information, visit our GME Compensation and Benefits page.

Requirements

Candidates must be board-certified or board-eligible in Clinical Pathology, Anatomic/Clinical Pathology, or Medical Genetics. Candidates must be eligible for a Texas Physician-In-Training Permit or hold a full physician Texas licensure.

Application Deadline

Application deadline is December 31 of the year prior to the intended fellowship year, which begins July 1.