Animal Medical Center/Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center/ Rockefeller University/Weill Medical College of Cornell University
New York, NY

Overview
The Animal Medical Center (AMC), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Rockefeller University (RU), and the Weill Medical College of Cornell University (WMC) offers qualified veterinarians the opportunity to obtain residency/postdoctoral training in veterinary anatomic pathology. The principal aim of the program is to provide the trainee with the knowledge and technical skills necessary to develop a successful career in veterinary pathology in diagnostic, academic or industrial settings. Additionally, the program meets the training requirements needed to qualify for certification by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP).

Training Environment
The training program is unique as it provides a perspective from all four participating institutions allowing training in veterinary anatomic pathology and related disciplines such as phenotype assessment of genetically engineered mice. All four institutions are located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan between East 62nd and 71st Streets. New York City offers many educational, cultural, and entertainment opportunities. All 4 institutions are within walking distance of New York's famous museums. The Broadway theatres, opera, ballet, concerts, an infinite variety of restaurants, and Central Park are also nearby.

The AMC is one of the largest private veterinary medical teaching hospitals in the world, providing medical, surgical, and diagnostic services for the pets of residents of New York City and the surrounding region. The AMC employs approximately 85 veterinarians, including interns and residents, who are supported by over 200 administrative and technical personnel. The Center provides complete veterinary services 24 hours per day, 365 days per year to nearly 50,000 patients annually, including dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and other exotic animals. The AMC is divided into the departments of Medicine, Surgery, and Pathology. More than 300 lecture hours are given annually and informal seminars are held continually. Training emphasis at the AMC is on the pathology of naturally occurring disease and is based on participation in necropsy services, surgical biopsy services, research projects, hospital and departmental conferences, lectures and seminars. Case material is derived principally from the hospital population, which includes a variety of mammalian and avian/exotic pet animal species.

RU, MSKCC, and WMC conduct world-class biomedical research in diverse scientific disciplines. Animal resource programs at these institutions maintain and use a variety of species including mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, amphibia, fish, livestock, dogs, cats, and non-human primates. Specialized facilities including Ex Vivo Bioimaging and In-Life Rodent Imaging, Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy, the Laboratory of Comparative Pathology and the Genetically Engineered Mouse Phenotyping Service are also available and used for training.

Program Duration
The program length is 3 years. However, trainees desiring to broaden the scope and depth of research training may elect, with the approval of the Program Co-Directors, to extend the duration of study and progress into an optional PhD program at The Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

Admission Requirements
Graduates of AVMA-accredited schools of veterinary medicine with a strong interest in anatomic pathology are encouraged to apply. Graduates of a foreign veterinary college will be considered if they hold an Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduate (ECFVG) certificate, or provide evidence they are qualified to practice veterinary medicine in some state, province, territory, or possession of the United States, Canada or other country.

Program Oversight
Two Co-Directors oversee the pathology training program: the Chairman of the Department of Pathology at The Animal Medical Center, and the Director of the Animal Resource Program at the Rockefeller University.

• Keith Baer, DVM, Diplomate, ACVP; Chairman of the Department of Pathology, AMC
• Ravi Tolwani, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACLAM; Associate Vice President and Director, Laboratory Animal Research Center, Rockefeller University

Program Faculty
Seven staff pathologists, 5 of whom are ACVP board-certified, are affiliated with the four institutions. In addition, an ACVIM board-certified oncologist specializing in cytology and an ACVP board-certified clinical pathologist are adjunct staff members at AMC. Faculty biosketches are available upon request. 

• Keith Baer, DVM, Diplomate, ACVP; Chairman of the Department of Pathology, AMC
• Tracy Bartick, DVM; Associate Staff Pathologist, AMC
• Suzi Couto, DVM, Diplomate, ACVP; Comparative Pathologist and Head, Clinical Pathology Division, Laboratory of Comparative Pathology, MSKCC, RU, WMC
• Lilli Decker, DVM, Diplomate, ACVP; Clinical Pathologist, ALX Laboratories, AMC
• Krista La Perle, DVM, PhD, Diplomate, ACVP; Comparative Pathologist and Director, Laboratory of Comparative Pathology, MSKCC, RU, WMC
• Serena Liu, VMD, MS, Diplomate, ACVP; Staff Pathologist, AMC
• Andrew Loar, DVM, Diplomate, ACVIM; Cytologist, ALX Laboratories, AMC
• Richard Luong, BVSc; Associate Staff Pathologist, AMC
• Sebastien Monette, DMV, MVSc, Diplomate, ACVP; Staff Pathologist, AMC

Training Description

Required Service Duty:
Year one, trainees will spend four weeks on necropsy duty at AMC and three weeks at the Laboratory of Comparative Pathology/Genetically Engineered Mouse Phenotyping Core during a three month rotation. During year two, trainees will begin surgical biopsy duty for one week of every month in place of one week of necropsy duty. The service schedule established in year two, 1 week on necropsy duty and 1 week on surgical biopsy duty at The AMC, in addition to the week in laboratory animal pathology, will continue through year 3.

Required Seminar Attendance:
There are a plethora of weekly seminars held at the various institutions. Trainees are required to attend lab animal lecture series, gross/grand rounds, surgical conference, AFIP slide conferences, oncology lecture/journal club, Clinical and Pathology Conference (CPC), lab animal journal club, general pathology rounds and gross photos, and are strongly encouraged to attend any or all others as their time and interest permit.

Trainees are expected to present cases with interesting gross and histologic lesions during rounds at the AMC, CPC at MSKCC, and combined rounds with the Wildlife Conservation Society. Preparation for CPC includes preparing electronic presentations of laboratory animal necropsy cases with gross and histologic digital images and information from the current literature. The surgical conference, AFIP slide conference, and histopathology conference require intense preparation by independently examining, describing, and formulating morphologic, etiologic, and differential diagnoses on unknown slides, as well as reading appropriate current literature regarding the cases. Sharing of interesting small animal and exotic, laboratory, and zoo animal cases also occurs bimonthly in conjunction with pathologists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and various other institutions in the New York Metropolitan area.

Trainees will rotate along with the faculty as seminar moderator for histopathology conference, which involves selecting the slides to be used, appropriate preparations to be able to lead the discussions on all aspects of cases, and taking high quality photomicrographs to illustrate selected microscopic features of the lesions.

Individual and Research Study:
Intense individual effort is required to become a knowledgeable veterinary pathologist. These efforts should focus on reading of selected texts and professional journals in addition to utilizing gross and microscopic study sets available through the various institutions. A list of these resources and information on texts and journals pertinent to the ACVP board examination will be provided to the trainee upon starting the program.

Trainees are expected to present an interesting case at a yearly regional pathology conference (i.e. Northeastern Veterinary Pathology Conference in Cobleskill, NY). In addition, trainees will be permitted to attend one pathology continuing education conference (CL Davis courses [Descriptive, Gross Review, POLA], ACVP, Veterinary Cancer, etc.) a year.

RU, MSKCC, and WMC have diverse and active research seminar programs in support of their academic missions. Many of these seminars are relevant to the training of an anatomic pathologist, and trainees are encouraged to attend seminars of their interest.

There are numerous collaborative research opportunities at The AMC as well as RU, MSKCC, and WMC, and trainees are required to undertake a research project at any of these institutions.

Finally, it is expected that trainees will prepare and submit a minimum of one manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal by the end of the three-year training program. Manuscripts on pathology case reports or case series or research projects are acceptable.

Trainee Evaluation:
The Program Co-Directors will conduct annual trainee reviews, which reflect input from all of the staff pathologists. Evaluations will be based on the quality and timeliness of necropsy/surgical biopsy cases, presentations at seminars and conferences, and research- or pathology-associated manuscripts.

Preparation for Certification by ACVP:
The training program will satisfy the formal training requirements for application to take the certifying examination specified by the ACVP. Certification as a diplomate by the ACVP is a personal achievement and requires an intensive long-term commitment over the course of the 3-year program to read on broad topics of pathophysiology, to remain current in the literature specifically pertaining to veterinary pathology, and to apply this information in the practice of pathology.

Applications:
Address inquiries to:
Dr. Keith E. Baer
Chairman, Department of Pathology
The Animal Medical Center
510 E. 62nd Street
New York, NY 10021
Keith.baer@amcny.org