It is our firm belief that Laboratory Medicine and Pathology is the medical specialty where a research residency program makes the most sense. Residents in the research tract are given the opportunity to perform 24 or more months of scholarly basic or clinical oriented independent investigation as part of their residency training. The amount of time for independent investigation may be expanded, depending on a resident's interests and goals. The Medical Center is the major source of tertiary and quaternary care for over 1 million individuals in the health system and numerous other patients referred from the region and nation. Laboratory medicine and pathology is probably the most suitable discipline for the physician scientist.
Experimental pathologists have a long track record of making important discoveries.
One of the contributing reasons is that they have the vast majority of their working time to do investigative work, yet still maintain a clinical presence. The field of laboratory medicine and pathology gives you an important role of making definitive diagnosis of patients, and you are an essential part of the medical team. Yet time is afforded to you by not having the myriad of clinics and attending responsibilities. In summary, the flexibility offered by laboratory medicine and pathology makes it the optimal discipline for the physician scientist. For the research-oriented individual destined for academic positions, training in either one, but not necessarily both, is the norm.