The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Memorial Sloan Cancer Center offers a one-year fellowship training program in head and neck pathology. The fellowship begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th the following year. All fellows should have completed residency training in anatomic pathology and be certified (or eligible for certification) by the American Board of Pathology.
The head and neck pathologists at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center function as part of a multidisciplinary disease management team that includes head and neck oncologists and surgeons, radiation oncologists, endocrinologists and radiologists who work together to establish diagnoses and render state-of-the-art care to patients with head and neck neoplasms. Using a large volume of quality in-house and submitted consultation case material, as well as recommended reading lists, the head and neck pathology fellows achieve competence in the pathologic diagnosis, staging, and prognostication of the full spectrum of head and neck tumors. Fellows interested in pursuing an academic career have opportunities to perform large clinico-pathologic and molecular correlations involving hundreds of patients with head and neck tumors. This research endeavor will render them well equipped to embark on an academic career in head and neck pathology.
Goals and Objectives
The primary goal of the head and neck pathology fellowship is to enable fellows to gain sufficient experience in diagnosis, teaching, interdisciplinary consultation and research to allow individuals to function as outstanding attending pathologists at the completion of training. Fellows prepare for and present cases at the weekly head and neck tumor boards. Fellows are also expected to attend head and neck subspecialty sign out sessions. Teaching of the oncologic pathology fellows and head and neck surgical fellows is required. Fellows will also review slides and arrange correspondence for consultation cases. Examination of microscopic slides is the cornerstone of learning surgical pathology. Through attendance at daily sign out, the fellows will have reviewed slides from approximately 3000 cases (patient material) over the course of the year.
Research Activities
Fellows typically spend 50% of their time pursuing research activities, including independent clinicopathologic and translational research projects, as well as participation in on-going interdisciplinary studies.
Fellows have access to intradepartmental and institutional didactics across the breadth of the disciplines of pathology and oncology.
The successful applicant will demonstrate a focused and sustained interest in head and neck diseases and will be an energetic individual committed to a career centered on head and neck pathology with strong oral and written communication skills. Prior fellowship training in surgical pathology, especially oncologic pathology is desirable but not required.
Download a Head and neck Pathology Fellowship Program brochure.
Availability
2026
Deadline
August 1, for appointments beginning 2 years later (ie. 8/1/2021 for start date 7/1/2023). Early application is encouraged because completed applications may be considered on a rolling basis.
Length of Program
One year
Number of Positions
One
How to Apply
Only complete applications will be reviewed. Once applicants have submitted their applications, they will need to send the following documents:
- Three letters of recommendation from an institution in which the applicant has trained. Letters should be addressed to Dr. Ronald Ghossein, the program director. Please request letter writers add the following line after the heading (RE: Candidate’s Name, Program & Dates for the program)
- CV
- Copy of a medical school diploma and translation, if necessary.
- International medical school graduates must submit a copy of their Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate that is marked “valid indefinitely”
Stipend and Maintenance
The stipend is commensurate with the year of the applicant’s postgraduate training. Nearby housing is available with rents that are comparable to NYC market rates; professional liability insurance and health coverage are provided free of charge.
Facilities
Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases is a 425-bed hospital devoted to the care of patients with neoplastic diseases. The hospital is part of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which also includes Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. There is an affiliation and close interaction between the clinical and research units of the Center and the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, as well as with Rockefeller University.