The Department of Pathology

Letter from the Chief Resident

Dear Prospective Applicant,

Welcome to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Knoxville (UTHSC COM-Knoxville) Pathology Residency Program. Thank you for stopping by our site.

For those not familiar with the area, Knoxville is an awesome city in which to live. Not only is there a wide variety of restaurants, attractions, and outdoor activities nearby, there is often a festival, concert, or farmers’ market in downtown. Because Knoxville is a vibrant college town, there is also ample opportunity to attend UT athletic events, as well as the local minor league baseball and hockey games. Another great thing about the city is its proximity to the Smoky Mountains, Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, and Dollywood. Knoxville is also 2 hours from Asheville, NC and the Blue Ridge parkway, and a little over 2.5 hours from Nashville, TN.

The UTHSC COM-Knoxville Department of Pathology accessions over 30,000 surgical specimens, 50,000 cytology specimens, and 1,400 bone marrow/peripheral smear flow cytometry specimens per year. In addition, there are also interesting cases evaluated during our outside rotations at the Knox County Forensics Center, the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Dermatopathology Partners, and Molecular Pathology Laboratory Network. Our robust weekly tumor board conferences in areas such as breast, melanoma and soft tissue, head and neck, colorectal, pulmonary, and hematology oncology offer excellent learning opportunities centered around clinical-pathologic correlation.

Although UTHSC COM-Knoxville is a large academic hospital, our residency program is very close-knit. The faculty to resident ratio is essentially 1:1, which allows for an educational and collegial environment. The faculty truly care about your success not only as a resident, but also as an individual and in your future career. There are many opportunities to tailor the program to your interests and career goals, and our subspecialists are enthusiastic about mentorship. Our general sign-out style allows residents to see a large variety of cases each day in both the private practice and academic setting. Upon completion of training, our residents are well equipped and have no difficulty obtaining their desired fellowship(s).

Because of the close relationships I have formed and the extensive training that I am receiving, I am so thankful to be a part of the UTHSC COM-Knoxville pathology residency program. We have great faculty, abundant learning opportunities, and amazing program coordinators, all within a desirable city.

Thank you again for your interest in our program. I wish you all the best in the coming application season and in your pathology career. Please do not hesitate to contact me or our wonderful residency program coordinators, Ashley Capps, Lyndsey Cook, and Pam Guider with any questions that you might have.

Sincerely,
Whitney Brinkley, DO
Third Year