I was attracted to Mayo Clinic based on its reputation and on the people with whom I would be training. While I was instantly impressed with Mayo Clinic, I was most surprised to see how nice everyone is there — I felt comfortable from day one. I have remained close to my mentors at Mayo Clinic, and am proud to count them amongst my closest friends. The Mayo model emphasizes the importance of medical education, and I always felt that my educational opportunities and needs were a priority.

Program graduate and current assistant professor at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

I don’t think I’m biased when I say that the cardiovascular pathology program at Mayo Clinic is the best place to train in cardiovascular pathology. Not only are the attending physicians experts in their field, but they create an encouraging and stimulating environment to learn. There is frequent collaboration between the entire pathology department and other clinicians. Once you train at Mayo Clinic, you can always “phone home” when you encounter something interesting or unusual as you advance in your career. My time at Mayo Clinic will always remain a bright spot in my memory and I use the knowledge I acquired daily in my work.

Program graduate and current program director of the Forensic Pathology Fellowship, University of Alberta and assistant chief medical examiner at the Office of the Medical Examiner in Alberta, Canada

Obviously, Mayo Clinic's reputation speaks for itself. I chose the Cardiovascular Pathology Fellowship because it provided the most comprehensive and well-rounded training of any program. The opportunities for scholarly activity are wonderful and the training in diagnostic surgical and autopsy cardiovascular pathology is second to none. For being such a renown institution, the pathologists were down to earth and wonderful to interact with, which greatly enhanced the educational quality of the program.

Program graduate and current clinical assistant professor of pathology and director of the Decedent Care Center at the University of Iowa, and the medical examiner for Johnson County, Iowa