A Letter from our Residents

Dear Applicant,

Welcome to UVA Pathology! We are so excited that you are taking the time to explore our program. Prior to your interview, we want to share some of our favorite aspects of our program and living in Charlottesville.

Our residency training occurs at the University of Virginia Medical Center, which is situated within walking distance of the University of Virginia campus (“Grounds”) and from Charlottesville’s bustling pedestrian Downtown Mall. With the exception of our time at the Office of the Medical Examiner, the entirety of our training occurs at this one hospital site. Our program offers robust training that focuses on graduated responsibility, producing pathologists ready for independent practice in both private and academic settings. Our trainees go on to a diverse range of fellowships and career paths in both anatomic and clinical pathology. We work closely with world-class faculty members on research, quality, global health, and educational projects.

The residents and AP faculty offices are situated mere feet from each other on a common hallway, which fosters an open-door, comfortable, and collaborative work environment. By the end of first year, we are able to determine which faculty are in their offices merely by the sound of their anecdotes and laughter coming down the hall. Third year residents also share offices with first year trainees in order to build camaraderie, provide mentorship, and facilitate the transition into residency. The second years are housed in the CP offices, a bright and sunny space that also boasts a kitchen and couches. Our CP home is in close proximity to the CP faculty offices, as well as multiple medical laboratories, allowing us to develop collegial relationships with our laboratory teachers.

As you can probably already tell, we are a people-centered program. We care about creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere and helping each other succeed. We are well integrated into the UVA School of Medicine: residents frequently assist with pre-clerkship lectures and gross pathology laboratories, and we are able to share our passion for pathology with a large number of rotating medical students each year. The UVA Pathology family extends far wider than our training in the hospital. We have a diverse array of resident-led wellness and social events, from the UVA Pathology Run Club (i.e. the Pathletics) to trivia nights, dinners out, brewery tours, and board games. At national meetings, the UVA Pathology team is readily recognizable as a large crew of current and former trainees, faculty, and family members that enjoy sharing memories and a good meal. We have a mixture of singles and families, dog people and cat people, homebodies and outdoor adventurists.

Charlottesville sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is home to a large number of local restaurants, historical sites, shops, craft breweries, wineries, concert venues, music and film festivals, and great local school systems (both public and private). The University of Virginia hosts abundant athletics and cultural activities. Commuting to the hospital is never a challenge; the majority of residents walk, bike, bus, or drive to work in less than 20 minutes. The city is close to Shenandoah National Park, Washington D.C., Richmond, and Virginia Beach. Charlottesville is repeatedly listed as one of the happiest and most livable cities in America.

We hope you enjoy your virtual visit and interview. We are thrilled to meet you and share our program with you. Check out our bios on the UVA pathology residency website for more information. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions if you would like to chat about the program or our personal experiences!

Welcome to UVA!

Sincerely,

The UVA Pathology Trainees