Education

Train for your future

Housed within Dalhousie Medical School, the Department of Pathology offers a variety of excellent educational opportunities, including five specialized residency programs, a master’s program and a PhD program.  

Whether you plan to specialize in a particular stream of pathology or you prefer to train as a generalist, each of these programs offers a carefully planned curriculum designed to help you reach your career goals.

Residency programs

If you have a medical degree, you can do your residency in pathology and specialize in one of five different areas:

• general pathology
• anatomical pathology
• hematological pathology
• medical microbiology

Each of these residency programs is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dermatopathology Fellowship:

Background

To contribute to the need for subspecialty training in Dermatopathology in Canada, a 1year Dermatopathology Fellowship program was established at the Department of Pathology in Halifax by Dr Noreen Walsh, in July 2012. This was undertaken with the support and collaboration of the Divisions of Anatomical Pathology and Dermatology. The program is accredited by the International Committee for Dermatopathology (ICDP). Fellows who complete the program are eligible to sit for the ICDP examination in Dermatopathology and thereby gain international certification in the discipline. To date 8 individuals have completed the program. The 2023-2024 has been committed. The program had been unfunded and fellows who have pursued it, obtained independent financial support for the duration of their training.

The Future

Recently a charitable donation to the QEII Foundation in Halifax, establishing the Noreen Walsh Fund in Dermatopathology, has made it possible to provide funding for the Fellowship in the future. With the ongoing commitment of the Department of Pathology, the Division of Anatomical Pathology and the Division of Dermatology (Department of Medicine) the Fellowship will continue, with funding. Dr Sylvia Pasternak, is currently Director of the Program

Applications

Candidates eligible to apply to the Program include those certified in Anatomical or General Pathology by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (RCPS©) of Canada, or individuals eligible to sit for the RCPS©) qualifying exams in those disciplines. Applications should include a letter outlining the individual’s professional aspirations and a copy of his/her curriculum vitae (including a list of 4 referees with whom the applicant has worked in the past 4 years). Following a process of short-listing (which takes place during the month of June of the year prior to commencement of the academic year in question), candidates would be expected to undertake a site visit to Halifax, for interviews and for exploration of benefits offered by the Program

Applications should be sent to Dr Pasternak (Sylvia.Pasternak@nshealth.ca)

Sylvia Pasternak MD, Co-Director, Dermatopathology Felowship Program, Halifax, NS.

Graduate programs

MSc program

If you have a BSc, you can train for a career in medical research and plan to obtain a PhD. Take courses in pathology and other biomedical sciences and conduct a research project that will provide a basis for your thesis. Find out more about our MSc program.

PhD program

If you have an MSc degree in pathology or another life sciences field, consider applying for our PhD program. Our comprehensive examination and your thesis will ensure you are well-prepared for a career in research. Find out more about our PhD program.

Seminar series

Check out this year's graduate studies seminar series to see what our students are working on.

Stipends and Tuition

Minimum stipends (listed below) take into consideration the tuition amount that is paid at each stage of degree and if the program is M.Sc. or Ph.D. Full fees are paid by first year MSc students only. International fees are only paid by international students at the MSc level. 

Find more information in the Student Handbook.