COVID-19 Notice
Please note that at this time all interviews for the residency will be performed remotely (virtually). 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.
In-person visits to Pitt Dental Medicine
In-person visits, such as externships, are severely limited for now. Visitors must be asymptomatic, come from a low-infection-rate area, and are limited in their locations and interactions once in the facility. Interested persons should contact the program director for access to our virtual seminars and sign-out.
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 encouraged 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.
If the applicant chooses to not use the ADEA PASS program, the completed application must include:
- The School of Dental Medicine Self-Managed Application;
- Three letters of recommendation (a dean's letter and two other recommendations). The dean’s letter is an official letter from your dental school indicating that you are a graduate of the institution. The personal letters of recommendation may be in the form of an e-mail or e-mail attachment sent from the person recommending the applicant. Otherwise, the letters must be in envelopes that are sealed by the individual writing the recommendation, and this person's signature must also appear on the back flap of the envelope;
- Original or certified (notarized) copies of all original language academic records and transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. Certified copies of the original certificates or diplomas awarded at the completion of studies must also be submitted. Where official, original documents are issued in a language other than English, certified (notarized) English translations must also be submitted. English translations of documents alone are not acceptable;
- Current Curriculum Vitae;
- A one-page personal statement stating your reasons and objectives for applying to this specialty and this program;
- A non-refundable application fee of $50 (check in U.S. funds made payable to the University of Pittsburgh);
- National Board Dental Examination (Part I and II) scores;
- Advanced Dental Admission Test (ADAT) score, if taken; and
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, if taken.
Place the application, curriculum vitae, personal statement, academic records and transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the application fee in one envelope. Please notify us by e-mail that you are sending a hard-copy application.
Incomplete applications will not be processed. All materials submitted for consideration become the property of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, and will not be returned to the applicant for any reason.
Mail applications to
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Department of Diagnostic Sciences
Attention: Erin King
3501 Terrace Street
G121 Salk Hall Annex
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
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.
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.