Pathology forms the basis for much of clinical medicine. Surgery is a meld of anatomy and pathology of the human body. Diagnosis in the discipline of internal medicine depends on the groundwork of pathology. It is woven into every aspect of medicine.
The University of Kansas was fortunate to add Dr. Ivan Damjanov MD as chairman of the Department Pathology. Along with Dr. James Fishback MD, the second year course chairman, KU has moved toward innovative and creative methods of teaching and testing in pathology. Much of the course material is now posted to the internet, and the focus in examinations has moved away from "multiple guess" to a format requiring both knowledge and comprehension of the material. The advantages of having practicing clinical pathologists teaching the material became apparent very early in the course and it stood in stark contrast to everything presented by the PhD/research faculty.
My own experience with pathology was one of discovery. Aside from the usual stress of passing the exams, I really enjoyed most of the material. It really "made sense" to me for a change. After all, molecular biology is a fine thing but you can't see it! Not so with pathology, even though it may require a microscope.
last updated December 31, 1995
The Mature Medical Student
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