Welcome to the Pathology Program
From the Program Director
Welcome to the pathology residency program at the Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota.
We offer a four-year ACGME-accredited program in anatomic and clinical pathology. The pathology resident training program gives residents a broad, comprehensive pathology background and opportunities to gain experience in all sub-specialties. The concepts of graded and progressive responsibility under the guidance and supervision of faculty members, along with a focus on lifelong learning, are the core tenets of our educational program. We believe that at the completion of training, graduates are prepared for the challenges ahead and can look forward to the fulfillment that comes from pursuing a career that fosters life-long learning.
Our primary training location is Sanford Health which is the largest rural, non-profit healthcare system in the nation. Sanford is comprised of 47 medical centers, 224 clinics, and 2,800 physicians and advanced practice providers. The primary hospital is a 500+ bed non-profit tertiary care center with a cancer center, heart hospital, and children’s hospital. The pathology department is located in the primary hospital and provides pathology coverage for Sanford Health and the surrounding areas seeing approximately 50,000 surgical specimens per year. These distinctive healthcare characteristics give our residents a strong foundation in all areas of pathology and provide great opportunities to pursue a career in pathology in a private or academic setting. In addition, our residents will rotate at the Sioux Falls Veterans Affairs Health Care System. The size of our program allows for extensive one-on-one interaction with faculty from the beginning of training to help develop individual skills as a pathologist.
As an active staff member at the Sanford USD Medical Center, I practice hematopathology along with general anatomic and clinical pathology. Medical students and residents are fully integrated into the clinic. I am typically in clinic 5 full days weekly with designated time set aside for administrative duties.
Our program is extremely excited about the recent addition of specialists in molecular pathology, clinical chemistry, and microbiology. These individuals help oversee the clinical pathology rotations and provide didactic sessions in these areas. We are also excited about our brand-new surgical pathology fellowship program, which will welcome its first fellow in July of 2023. The fellow will provide educational sessions and oversight for the residents along with serving as a mentor/resource.
We hope that you enjoy exploring our program website, where you will find additional information regarding our rotations, conference schedule, benefits and living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Douglas W. Lynch, MD
Pathology Residency Program Director