AUTOPSY SERVICE

Lawrence Kenyon, M.D., Ph.D. direct the Autopsy Service, with additional staff participation by John Farber, M.D., David Strayer, M.D., Ph.D., Renato Iozzo, M.D., Fred Gorstein, M.D., Raphael Rubin, M.D. and Mark Curtis, M.D., each of whom are responsible for the residency training in Autopsy Pathology. Residents and staff members participate in a weekly interdisciplinary Autopsy Conference where gross and microscopic findings of current autopsy cases are presented.

Residents rotate on the Autopsy Service for a total of five months in 1-2 month blocks during the first two years of the residency program. Additional opportunities to perform autopsies are present throughout the four years of residency in the context of the weekend on-call schedule. In addition, senior residents gain further experience supervising junior residents in the performance and evaluation of autopsy examinations. Additional experience in autopsy pathology is gained during the forensic pathology rotation at the Medical Examiner's Office (see Forensic Pathology description). Autopsies are performed in a state-of-the-art facility for isolation of infectious, communicable cases. Photographic equipment for documentation of gross findings is present within the autopsy room.

Resident responsibility during this rotation includes:

• Performance of the autopsy under supervision of the staff pathologist and the Director of the Autopsy Service;
• Presentation of the case with clinical correlation at a weekly gross conference;
• Analysis of the histological findings;
• Correlation of the clinical history, gross, and histopathologic findings in the creation of a comprehensive autopsy report under the supervision of the staff pathologist.

Resident performance is based on an evaluation of the accuracy of gross and microscopic examination, as well as the quality and timely completion of autopsy reports.