School of Pathology

 

Introduction

Pathology is the study of disease. It is the bridge between science and medicine. It underpins every aspect of patient care, from diagnostic testing and treatment advice to using cutting-edge genetic technologies and preventing disease.  The disciplines that come under the Pathology umbrella are Haematology, Infectious diseases with Medical Microbiology or Virology, Histopathology and Immunology.  Each discipline addresses different aspects of laboratory medicine.  Haematology and Immunology include a significant component of clinical management with potential contact with patients.  The role of the histopathologist involves diagnosis from assessment of tissue and cellular samples and is essential for the management of suspected cancer cases and other clinical conditions requiring a tissue diagnosis.  Histopathology is also the route of entry into forensic (autopsy) pathology, paediatric/perinatal pathology and Diagnostic Neuropathology.

Head of School

The Head of School of Pathology is Dr Catherine Horsfield, a Histopathologist at Guy’s & St Thomas’ specialising in Medical and Transplant Renal Pathology and Uropathology. Catherine was previously a Deputy Head of School and has held positions as STC Chair and TPD roles for ST1s and for ST2-ST5s in South London over the past 15 years, and is an RCPath examiner. She is dedicated to working with the trainers and trainees across the Pathology subspecialties in order to continually improve the outstanding day to day work that all trainers already do, and to work with the teams to plan and implement changes aiming to optimise future ways of working and support the workforce

Deputy Head of School

The Deputy Head of School is Dr Raj Patel. He was appointed as a consultant haematologist in haemostasis and thrombosis at King’s College Hospital in 2005. He was TPD for the SE London rotation from 2005 -  2022, and STC Chair from 1997-2022. He coordinated the international training scheme at King’s from 2006 - 2022. Raj was appointed Deputy Head of School of Pathology in 2022, and is committed to supporting both trainees and trainers in Pathology.

Vision

To deliver world class training for pathology healthcare professionals:  developing a workforce fit for the future, trained to work in teams across organisational and professional boundaries ensuring efficient, timely and excellent clinical outcomes for all patients.

 

Training programme

The training programmes that fall under the LaSE SoP umbrella are:

•            Clinical Biochemistry/Metabolic Medicine (entry at ST3 after Core Medical Training & joint CCT in Chemical Pathology and Metabolic Medicine).

•            Core Infection Training (CIT) and Medical Microbiology/Virology (entry at ST3 after Core Medical Training or ACCS Acute Medicine & joint CCT in Infectious Disease and Medical Microbiology)

•            Haematology (entry at ST3 after Core Medical Training or ACCS Acute Medicine)

•            Histopathology (entry at ST1)

•            Immunology (entry at ST3 after Core Medical Training or ACCS Acute Medicine)

The training programmes are based on a 5 yr long programme.

Specialty units/areas in London

Pathology is a vital and competitive specialty that evolves with the latest advances in medical technology. We provide training at world-renowned training institutions including Barts and the Royal London Hospitals, The Royal Marsden, Guys’ & St Thomas Hospitals, St George’s Hospital, University College Hospital, Kings College Hospital, as well as several excellent district general hospitals. Working with a diverse healthcare population across London, trainees will experience a wide range of medical conditions in diverse urban communities.

Specialty Training Board Information

The London Specialty School of Pathology holds Specialty Training Board meetings twice per year. The purpose of this group is to bring together specialty leads from postgraduate medical training programmes across the three London local education and training board areas to consider issues of mutual interest in relation to Pathology, and to foster and share good training practice on a pan London basis.

To find out more about training in Pathology (including Curriculum, ePortfolio and Exams), please visit the Royal College of Pathologists website at www.rcpath.org