Head and Neck/Endocrine Clinical Fellowship Program

The one-year fellowship in head and neck/endocrine pathology at the University of Pittsburgh is among the longest standing fellowships of its kind, first established by one of the greatest pioneers in this subspecialty, the late Dr. E. Leon Barnes.  This fellowship aims to continue his legacy and mission of educating and training future head and neck/endocrine pathologists for the modern subspecialty era.  The primary objective is to offer the trainee a comprehensive exposure to a variety of lesions across all head and neck and endocrine sites with strong emphasis on multidisciplinary integration. Opportunity and facilities exist for clinical and translational research, which is strongly encouraged.

Follow this link for more information on the impact and legacy of Dr. Barnes.

Eligibility Requirements

The applicant must be board-eligible or certified in anatomic pathology as defined by the American or Canadian Board of Pathology. Foreign medical graduates, in addition, must have a good command of the English language, possess a currently valid ECFMG (FMG) certificate, and Visa.

In addition to an application, an updated curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendation, an interview at the applicant's expense is also required. Deadline for receipt of applications is January 1 of each year.

The fellowship ordinarily begins on July 1, but under special circumstances may start at other times.

Due to various circumstances, we will no longer participate in the Unified Fellowship Recruitment Approach for 2025-2026 (Please see the following link for additional information about this process). As such, we will begin our recruitment cycle on August 1, 2023, and make first offers at our discretion.

Head and Neck Pathology Environment

The training program is based in the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center - Presbyterian Hospital, a 500 bed adult medical-surgical hospital. The Department examines approximately 41,000 surgical specimens annually of which 5,000 are from the head and neck and endocrine sites.

The fellowship boasts a close working relationship with the oral and maxillofacial pathologists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and its pathology residency training program as well as a multidisciplinary group of clinical teams spanning the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Eye and Ear Institute, and Center for Cranial Base Surgery, among others.

State-of-the-art facilities exist for digital imaging, electron microscopy, flow cytometry, image analysis, in-situ hybridization, molecular (NGS) assays, and interphase cytogenetics. Head and Neck Pathology faculty are also co-leaders for the Tissue/Histology/Imaging Core for the National Cancer Institute designated Head and Neck Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE), one of five H&N SPOREs in the country.

Numerous teaching, clinical and research conferences are held weekly and monthly, hosted by the Departments of Pathology, Otolaryngology, and Division of Endocrine Surgery.

For further information on Head and Neck Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh, please refer to our Center of Excellence webpage.