Public School Students Explore Careers at Annual Yale Pathology Day

A few dozen New Haven public high school students explored careers in pathology during the 2^nd Annual Yale Pathology Day held November 9 in partnership with Yale Pathways to Science.

Students spent the day in the department of pathology, learning about the life-saving work done every day and that a rewarding career in pathology does not require a medical degree. Pathology residents, graduate students, faculty, and staff members volunteered their time to tell the students about their work and why they chose a career in pathology.

“I remember being a kid when I did a Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program through Monmouth Medical Center (in New Jersey) and how inspiring that was for me,” said Kirby P. Gardner, MSc, a PhD student in Pathology and Molecular Medicine and a member of the Schalper Lab. “I was just hoping to pay it forward here today.”

Students completed several rotations, including the Autopsy Service and the Cytology Lab, and learned how to sample and make blood smears, and how researchers grow cancer cells outside the body.

“The goal is to expose them to career paths in pathology, but not just as physicians,” said Rick Crouse, PhD, Pathways to Science Program Manager. “We also want to teach students that there is an array of team members who contribute to pathology, from technicians to nurses to other clinical fields that are equally important in supporting the work of pathologists.”

Chen Liu, MD, PhD, Anthony N. Brady Professor of Pathology and Chair of Yale Pathology, welcomed the students, telling them about the department’s history, the work that is done here, and the important role pathology plays in the healthcare system. He also showed a slide that underscored that not everyone who works in pathology is a medical doctor, and the diversity among the department’s more than 450 employees. For many employees, their highest level of education is high school, or attendance at a two- or four-year college.

“We have clinical technicians and autopsy technicians who graduated high school. And then we have people who have a bachelor's degree, master’s degree, or a PhD,” Dr. Liu said. “That is why we will never say that one person is more important than another. We work together as a team to deliver excellent patient care – because that is what matters.”

In the Autopsy Department, students saw examples of human organs and learned from Pathology Assistant Eva Mlynarski, MHS, the important role autopsy plays in determining cause of death and how those finds inform medical research. In the Schalper Lab, lab members Kirby Gardner, Sam DeFina, and Lab Manager Viviana Ahumada showed students how they gather samples and demonstrated some of the lab’s high-tech equipment. Students were provided breakfast and lunch, as well as lab coats, goggles, and gloves for their work inside the labs.

The Yale Pathways to Science Program encourages middle and high school students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math through visits to Yale for special events, lectures, demonstrations, laboratory visits, research opportunities, and summer programs.

Many thanks to the pathology team members who volunteered to help make the 2024 Pathology Day a success. They include: Caleigh Mandel-Brehm, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology; Andrea Barbieri, MD, Associate Professor of Pathology; Nelson LaMarche, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology; Aashik Bhalodia, Graduate Student, Biological & Biomedical Sciences; Prisca Obi, Graduate Student, Immunobiology; Angela Kim, Graduate Student, Pathology and Molecular Medicine; Erika Bustos, Senior Administrative Assistant, Pathology; Gina Della Porta, DHSc, MHS, Director of Research Affairs; Chen Liu, MD, PhD, Chair of Yale Pathology; James Elia, Chief Graduate Student, Pathology and Molecular Medicine; Kara Duch, Cytology Manager; Vijay Antony, MBBS, MD, Pathology Resident; Stefany Mauri, Autopsy Technician 3; Kurt Schalper, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology; Sam DeFina, Graduate Student, Pathology and Molecular Medicine; Kirby Gardner, MSc, Graduate Student, Pathology and Molecular Medicine; Viviana Ahumada, Manager, Schalper Lab; Jack Zhang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biophysics, and Biochemistry; Sarah Davidson, MD, Pathology Resident; Darin Dolezal, MD, PhD, Instructor of Pathology; Pedro Madalozzo, Graduate Student, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry; Jenny Liu, MD, PhD, Pathology Resident; Noriko Toyosato, Graduate Student, Pathology and Molecular Medicine; Shazia Khan, MD, Pathology Resident; Eva Mlynarski, MHS, Pathology Assistant.