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Advanced Education and Residency Program in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

Pitt Dental Medicine Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology will arrange half-day morning or half-day afternoon, early November interview sessions through Zoom.

Please see video tours of the department, videos from the program director and residents, and videos about UPMC and the UPMC residency programs listed below.

Program Description

The Department of Diagnostic Sciences Residency Program in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology is a 36-month residency certificate program offered through the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Medical Education (UPMC ME). This program is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The program accepts one resident per year. Successful completion of the program will lead to a certificate in oral and maxillofacial pathology and will qualify the graduate to sit for the specialty board examination in oral and maxillofacial pathology.

Overview of the UPMC & University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine Oral Pathology Program

UPMC & University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine Oral Pathology Program :: Tour the Department

UPMC & University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine Oral Pathology Program :: Meet the Residents

UPMC & University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine Oral Pathology Program :: A Week in the Life of a Resident

UPMC & University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine Oral Pathology Program :: Pros & Cons

UPMC GME Program Overview

UPMC GME Program Hospital Tour

Curriculum

Faculty members are certified by their specialty boards of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Oral Medicine, or Anatomic Pathology, and possess a wide range of clinical, teaching, research, and surgical pathology experience.  The residency program offers a mix of didactic courses, electives, microscopic general and oral pathology, clinical oral pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, head and neck pain, hospital rotations, and research. Clinical patients are seen at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and though the faculty practice plan at the University Dental Health Services, Inc., as well as during the rotation in dermatopathology.

Rotations

Most pathology rotations take place at UPMC-Presbyterian Hospital, in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, across the street from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. UPMC is a major, regional tertiary care and transplant center that will expose the resident to a large volume and a wide variety of experiences. Rotations include 12 weeks in head and neck anatomic pathology, 6 weeks in dermatopathology, 4 weeks in hematopathology-lymph node, 2 weeks in autopsy, 2 weeks in Molecular and genomic pathology, and 4 weeks in pediatric pathology, with additional opportunities in thoracic pathology, informatics, breast pathology and bone and soft tissue pathology. The program allows some flexibility for the resident to concentrate on a particular area of oral and maxillofacial pathology.

Program Requirements

  • The resident must satisfactorily complete all required hospital rotations. 
  • Under the supervision of the attending faculty, the resident must gross, diagnose, order additional studies on a minimum number of biopsy cases, the number to be agreed upon by the resident and the program director.
  • Under the supervision of the attending faculty, the resident must interact with a prescribed number of clinical patients and clinical consultations, the number to be agreed upon by the resident and the program director. 
  • The resident must participate in teaching, including lecture and small group format.
  • The resident must complete scholarly activity, which can comprise case reports, clinicopathologic case unknowns, immunohistochemical research, or more rigorous science with a research mentor. 

Applicant Information

Applicants must have graduated from a CODA-accredited U.S. or Canadian dental school. 

Application Documents Required

Applicants are required to use the ADEA PASS system. Applicants benefit by being able to complete one standardized application, rather than individual applications to each program. Academic credentials are evaluated by the Admissions Committee of the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Advanced Education Program.

Application Deadline

The application deadline is October 1.

Applications received at a later date will be considered if the residency position has not been filled.  As soon as a completed application is received, the applicant will be notified. The program's admissions committee will review the applicant’s credentials, and those applicants whose credentials are deemed adequate will be invited for a personal interview.

Supplemental Application Fee for Certificate Residency Program

A non-refundable $75 supplemental application fee is required at time of application.

Pay Your Application Fee Now

Interviews/Selection of Students

With the assistance of the departmental administrator, the invited applicant will arrange for the half-day interview. Candidates will be notified of the Admissions Committee decision shortly after the interview.  

Benefits, Stipend, Tuition & Fees

Benefits are outlined in the resident manual, the resident contract, and on the UPMC resident website.

Stipend

Residents in the program are UPMC employees and qualify for federal graduate medical education stipends. The UPMC first-year graduate medical training annual stipend is approximately $59,000. Residents at UPMC do not pay tuition or fees, unless they wish to pursue a master’s degree.

Learn more about UPMC Benefits

Research

Each resident is required to perform scholarly activity. This can include writing up case reports of classic or unusual cases, clinicopathologic unknowns, or performing original research. The University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, and surrounding universities provide a vast variety of opportunities for research. Faculty within the Pitt Dental Medicine Department of Diagnostic Sciences conduct research in areas including 3-D printing and imaging, oral and maxillofacial lesions, immunohistochemical studies of salivary and odontogenic tumors, and data mining of the dental health record.
 

The advanced dental specialty education program in oral pathology is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at 312-440-4653, or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60611. The Commission's web address is https://www.ada.org/en.