Prospective Applicants
A letter from the Downstate Pathology Residency Program Leadership
Dear Pathology Residency Applicant,
Our SUNY Downstate residency program leadership team believes in transparency about potential changes in the program. You may have read in the news about a proposal to close all inpatient services at the University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), the teaching hospital for SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (Downstate). First, let us reassure you that we are working to preserve inpatient care through partnerships with our existing affiliated hospitals, building and expanding on those partnerships to provide even better care to our community and a robust training site for our residents and fellows. Second, our campus leadership is working with SUNY to guide this restructuring effort to minimize or remove any disruptions to resident training. Furthermore, should this proposal be approved, changes will happen over a several-year period.
Our pathology residents rotate at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Maimonides Medical Center, both the Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses of the New York Harbor VA, Kings County Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center (for molecular and cytogenetics), in addition to University Hospital at Downstate. Therefore, we believe our residents will be minimally impacted. We have always shifted residents to sites based on what is the best educational experience at the time.
The majority of our current cases at UHD are from outpatient procedures that we expect will continue. It was interesting for us to review the data and see that 73% of our surgical pathology specimens are from ambulatory surgeries.
Since Downstate and Maimonides have the same pathology leadership and several attendings who work at both hospitals, we have been planning to expand the time residents spend at that site and have been working on integrating the services. A brand-new Maimonides laboratory has been built and was designed with a residency room, which is right across from a lounge space for all the residency programs at Maimonides. We will be making the change to more rotations at Maimonides regardless of decisions made on University Hospital at Downstate.
We are confident that education, research, and training in our Downstate residency program will be further strengthened by our plans. The response from our current residents has been overwhelmingly positive.
As an institution, Downstate remains committed to providing vital care to our community and offering you an outstanding pathology residency.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at pathologyresidency@downstate.edu
Sincerely yours,
Steven Kang, MD Jenny Libien, MD PhD
Program Director, Pathology Residency Chair of Pathology, Downstate Health Sciences University
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center
Brooklyn, NY 11203 Brooklyn, NY 11203
steven.kang@downstate.edu jenny.libien@downstate.edu
Pronouns: he / him / his Pronouns: she / her / hers
Applying for Residency
All applications must be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The Program does not accept hard copy applications via regular mail, fax nor electronic copies via email.
Residency candidates must be graduates of medical schools in the United States or Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or be graduated from a foreign medical school acceptable to the American Board of Pathology and hold an ECFMG certificate.
Three (3) Letters of Reference and an interview are required. Letters should include information regarding the candidate's pathology experience if possible.
Applications must be received by November 30, 2024 for appointments beginning July 1, 2025.
The program will sponsor only J-1 visas for 2025-2026.
Contact us for more information.
Interview Process
All interviews will be conducted virtually for candidates applying for residency in academic year 2025-2026. We will use a video conference technology to connect candidates with an interviewer in real time. Candidates will be asked to sit face-to-face with the interviewer(s) and answer their questions. Candidates will be given an opportunity to ask questions.
FAQs
Do You Accept International Medical Graduates (IMG) to your program?
Yes
Am I Required to Pass USMLE Steps 1 and 2 on my 1st attempt?
Yes
I am a U.S. medical school student. Am I required to Pass USMLE Step 2 to interview?
U.S. students do NOT need to have taken Step 2 to be granted an interview. However, they must have completed and passed Step 2 prior to beginning the residency program.
If I am an IMG, am I required to pass Step 3 prior to my interview?
Successful completion of Step 3 is preferred.
Does your program require DO applicants to provide USMLE transcripts as well as COMLEX?
We accept both USMLE and COMLEX examination transcripts (not the individual score reports). Either may be submitted as part of your application.
Are there admission’s criteria with regard to date of medical school graduation?
Yes. Applicants should have graduated within the past 10 years (i.e., 2014).
Do you take applicants outside the Match?
No.
Is on-campus housing available?
No.
Can I submit my application via email or by mail or in person?
No. Our faculty only considers applicants whose files come to us through the ERAS system. We only review those candidates’ applications that are complete. If you have not submitted all of the required documents through ERAS, we urge you to do so at your earliest convenience to receive full consideration in the admission’s process
Do you require Interviews?
Yes, we require an interview before we consider an applicant for an appointment in our program.
Is there an Application Deadline?
To be considered for an interview, applicants must have all their materials completely uploaded in ERAS by November 30, 2024.
Is ECFMG Certification needed for Interview?
No, but it is required prior being offered a position.
Are Observerships available?
No.
Will I receive a response to my application?
Yes. All applicants are notified in writing of the status of their application. If rejected, you will learn of that decision within one week of the faculty’s meeting and review of your application. If under consideration, you will be advised within one month of your application regarding scheduling an interview or rejection..
How should I dress for a virtual interview?
Dress professionally, as you would for an in-person interview.
Will the interviews be recorded?
No