Training Programs

Cornell University
New York State College of Veterinary Medicine
Ithaca, NY

Programs Offered

Cornell offers two training programs in anatomic pathology and a program in clinical pathology.  All are three year residencies designed to prepare competitively selected veterinarians for careers in veterinary pathology.  We do not offer a combined program of residency and graduate training, although our trainees are encouraged to consider advanced graduate training upon completion of their residency.

Residency in Anatomic Pathology:  Trainees spend three years at Cornell, learning the fundamentals of gross and microscopic pathology through participation in necropsy and biopsy services supplemented by specialty rounds, journal club and slide seminars.  Residents also benefit from regular interactions with clinicians and researchers within the College of Veterinary Medicine and the larger Cornell community. Residents are expected to complete an original research project with publication in a peer-reviewed journal and are encouraged to participate in collaborative projects and/or publication of individual case reports.

Cornell-Wildlife Conservation Society Combined Residency in Zoo and Wildlife Pathology:  Trainees spend their first two years at Cornell, immersed in traditional anatomic pathology training as described above. The third year is spent at the Bronx Zoo, focusing on diseases of wildlife, zoo and exotic animals.  Case material comes from the Bronx Zoo, as well as numerous other zoos and aquaria in the New York metropolitan area.  Residents benefit from regular interactions with both clinical veterinarians and pathologists.  Currently, applicants are recruited for this residency program every three years

Residency in Clinical Pathology:  Trainees spend three years in the clinical pathology laboratory at Cornell where they learn the fundamentals of clinical pathology and laboratory medicine.  Residents participate in daily cytology/hematology read-out sessions, weekly slide seminars, journal clubs and reviews of special topics in clinical pathology. Residents are expected to complete an original research project with publication in a peer-reviewed journal and are encouraged to participate in collaborative projects and/or publication of individual case reports.

Facilities

The Section of Anatomic Pathology at Cornell University is housed in the brand-new, state-of-the-art New York Animal Health and Diagnostic Center.  This facility opened in September, 2010, and includes a necropsy area with an attached BSL-3 suite.  The Wildlife Conservation Society in New York City serves as the training location for the third year resident in the combined zoo and wildlife program, and offers a full necropsy suite, and histopathology and molecular diagnostics laboratories.   

The clinical pathology laboratory is located in the College of Veterinary Medicine.  The laboratory includes sections dedicated to hematology, diagnostic cytology, clinical chemistry, immunology and urinalysis.  In addition to the latest modern chemistry and hematology analyzers, specialized diagnostic testing, including flow cytometry and protein electrophoresis, are also available on-site.

Faculty

• Elizabeth Buckles, DVM, PhD, DACVP; Assistant Professor; Wildlife Pathology, Poultry Pathology
• Brian Caserto, DVM, DACVP; Lecturer; Musculoskeletal Pathology
• Gerald Duhamel, DVM, PhD, DACVP; Professor; Gastrointestinal pathology
• Dee McAloose, VMD, DACVP; Courtesy Senior Lecturer (Wildlife Conservation Society)
• Sean McDonough, DVM, PhD, DACVP; Associate Professor; Immune System Pathology
• Jeanine Peters-Kennedy,  DVM, DACVP, DACVD; Assistant Professor; Dermatopathology
• Heather Priest, DVM, DACVP (Clinical Pathology); Instructor; Oncologic Pathology
• Deanna Schaefer, DVM, DACVP (Clinical Pathology); Lecturer; Hematopathology
• Donald Schlafer, DVM, PhD, DACVP, DACT, DACVM; Professor; Reproductive Pathology
• Teresa Southard, DVM, PhD, DACVP; Assistant Professor; Laboratory Animal Pathology, Neuropathology
• Tracy Stokol, DVM, PhD, DACVP; (Clinical Pathology); Associate Professor; Hemostasis, Oncology, Laboratory management

Community
Ithaca is a culturally diverse and vibrant city located on the shores of Cayuga Lake in beautiful central New York, yet within easy access to major metropolitan centers. Recently named one of America’s ten most livable cities by Outside Magazine, Ithaca has more restaurants per capita than any other city in New York State. In addition to many theaters, museums, and galleries, it is a nature lover’s paradise, surrounded by the world-famous Cornell Plantations, Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary home of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, five breathtaking State Parks, and lovely rolling hills and many small agricultural communities. Cycling, hiking, cross-country and downhill skiing, swimming, sailing, nature walks, bird watching, and our famous Farmers Market are a very big part of the Ithaca experience.

New York City, the training site for the third year zoo and wildlife pathology resident, is a dynamic metropolitan which offers a variety of social and cultural activities, unique restaurants and shopping areas, as well as all the other amenities of a large city.

Additional Information
For additional information about programs in anatomic pathology:

• Consult our website:  http://www.vet.cornell.edu/biosci/pathology/residency.cfm
• Or contact Jeanine Peters-Kennedy  (jp256@cornell.edu) or Teresa Southard (tls93@cornell.edu)

For additional information about the program in clinical pathology:

• Contact Tracy Stokol (ts23@cornell.edu) or Deanna Schaefer (dms279@cornell.edu)