Pathology Residency Program

Daniel Coldren, MD

The anatomic and clinical pathology program here at Wake Forest is a wonderful place to work and train. I really just look at creating the most well-rounded pathologists at our programs. I mean, I think that best suits everybody in their career, so when then they leave Wake Forest that they feel comfortable and confident that not only are they be a competent pathologist, but that leads and translates to better patient care. When our residents leave this institution, that not only are they going to be providing top-notch healthcare to their patients, but also they're going to thrive in their careers.

Grant Kozeny, MD

What drew me to Wake was I really enjoyed kind of the atmosphere and the vibe that I was getting from my interviews and talking with faculty and residents. Everyone was just so passionate about pathology and wanting to share it. It didn't seem overly stressful and everyone was very supportive of each other. It was really kind of an environment that I thought I could really thrive in and generally enjoy my time here.

Angela Niehaus, MD

We have a wonderful anatomic program here. You're going to see complex cases because of our cancer center, and then also, you're going to see your bread and butter cases that you're going to see on a daily basis. I like that. I think that's a huge strength of our program to see the diversity of different cases that you have. The way that our clinical pathology is set up is amazing. We have the techs downstairs in the laboratory running the tests daily, are actually the techs that are teaching you, so you have a very good fundamental knowledge base when it comes to clinical pathology.

William Harrison, MD

There's numerous opportunities for research, which is pretty much to the level whatever the residents want to do from case reports to case series to more translational or basic science research, and there's plenty of opportunities for more long-term basic projects with comparative medicine, which is a part of our pathology department.

Addie Hancock, DO

One of the biggest strengths I would say about Wake is the faculty and staff. They love what they do and they're very passionate about what they do, and that shows in how they teach. Also, the one-on-one time we get with our attendings, because of that and their investment in learning, they spend a lot more time with the residents teaching them their process. I don't know that every program gets the amount of time with the attendings that we do.

Nancy Rosenthal, MD

We assign a mentor to a resident as they first come in the door and they meet with them on a pretty regular basis to try to help with the transition to being a pathologist, to transitioning out to whatever fellowship or academic career or private practice that you want to do. The mentors meet with you on a pretty regular basis. They know what's going on with you. It's another person in addition to the program director that you can go to for career advice, for personal advice, or whatever you need as a resident.

Richard Jordan, MD

The culture here at Wake Forest working with faculty and residents, it's a really wonderful environment to work in because I wanted to work in a place where I felt accepted, in a place where I felt that I could go to anybody with questions. I definitely feel that way here, that there's a very collegial environment where we all try to work together. We try to encourage each other. We try to give each other the proper support that we need to succeed in our training.

Alexandra Balmaceda, MD

Our program emphasizes a lot on integrating everyone's different culture, and so we have, and during our wellness lunches that we have monthly, that we talk about different topics. We also try to integrate certain holidays that people might have. We bring different foods from different countries and that way we learn about each other, and that makes us, I think, a better, stronger program.

Daniel Coldren, MD

One of the major strengths though, really about this program is the family atmosphere that we have amongst the resident group. I really like to promote wellness, so it's very important to me that they build these relationships over the four years with each other as well as with the faculty, whether they're doing path on tap once a month or doing their wellness lunches once a month. If you work in a happy environment, you're going to learn the best. We're members of the clinical team. I mean, they may be residents and I may be an attending, but at the same point in time, we're all doctors working together for our patients.

Addie Hancock, DO

They have so many things to offer from the amazing immersive learning environment to the inviting and encouraging atmosphere that they provide for their residents, and in going forward in the careers that we have in the future, the environment that we get here and the learning experience that we get here is only going to make us that much more well-rounded and capable of pursuing any future career that we choose.