Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Fellowship

Program Overview

The goal of the fellowship program in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine at the University of Virginia is to prepare fellows for careers that may combine academic and clinical pursuits, including service, teaching and research.  The basic program is intended to last three years in most cases, to allow sufficient time for in-depth training in the broad area of clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics and laboratory medicine as well as time to develop an area of research.

The first year is focused on in-depth study of laboratory medicine, with emphasis in the areas of clinical chemistry, toxicology, therapeutic drug monitoring, molecular diagnostics, biochemical genetics, laboratory computing, immunological testing, evidence-based laboratory medicine and point-of-care testing.  Additional time in hematology, coagulation and microbiology is available for fellows who wish to be prepared to direct a core laboratory.  Fellows are integrated into laboratory rotations with pathology residents and into clinical activities with residents and attendings in clinical departments, notably in the Divisions of General Medicine, Endocrinology and Infections Disease in the Department of Internal Medicine.

A key component of the program is a period of clinical, translational or fundamental research during the second and third years of the program with a member of the Department of Pathology.  Trainees in the research years continue to take call and are given the opportunity to attend laboratory medicine conferences relevant to their interests and to continue to develop their clinical skills.

Among the last 12 postdoctoral trainees in the fellowship (before accreditation of the program), six are in academic positions (predominantly at academic medical centers), four are at other medical centers, and two are in leadership positions in industry.

Prerequisites:

  • PhD, MD, or equivalent degree
  • Satisfactory completion of a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours (or equivalent) in undergraduate and/or graduate level chemistry and/or biochemistry courses taken at institutions acceptable to the American Board of Clinical Chemistry (ABCC).

Application procedure:

  • Completed Universal Application Form
  • Letter of interest
  • Current curriculum vitae
  • Graduate school transcript
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Visa status, if applicable 

If invited for an interview, in most cases applicants will be expected to present a seminar on their research.

The application, and all supporting materials should be sent to -

David E. Bruns, M.D.
Co-Director, Clinical Chemistry Fellowship
Department of Pathology
University of Virginia
1215 Lee Street, PO Box 800168
Charlottesville, VA. 22908-0168

Deadline:  None
Stipend:  Commensurate with experience
Number of positions per year:  1
Duration of program: 3 years 

Further information email our program coordinator.


Faculty:
John Savory, Ph.D., DABCC Program Co-Director, Mechanisms of Alzheimer disease; trace metals in disease

David E. Bruns M.D,, FACB Program Co-Director, Evidence-based laboratory medicine; peer review 

Doris M. Haverstick, Ph,D, DABCC Program Co-Director, Toxicology and pharmacology 

James C. Boyd, M,D, Mathematics and statistics in medicine; automation

Robin Felder, Ph.D., Medical automation research; robotics

James H. Harrison, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Informatics

Donald Hunt, Ph.D., Mass spectrometry of proteins; immunology

James Landers, Ph.D., Capillary electrophoresis, microchips 

Mani S. Mahadevan, M,D,, Molecular genetics; myotonic dystrophy

James Shipe, Ph.D., Athletic Drug Testing

Lawrence M. Silverman, Ph,D,, DABCC, Molecular diagnostics; modifier genes in cystic fibrosis

Meet our current Clinical Chemistry Fellows