Mayo Clinic's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology is one of the largest clinical laboratories in the world. It is composed of more than 3,200 individuals working in 40 specialty laboratories performing more than 20 million tests a year. A highly skilled team of medical professionals including physicians, scientists, medical technologists, medical technicians, lab assistants, biologists, chemists, microbiologists, geneticists, and other specialists work collaboratively. The department receives specimens for testing from Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Health System and is a reference laboratory for other clinics and hospitals, both nationally and internationally.

The Division of Anatomic Pathology has 60 pathologists, with specialty expertise in all areas of surgical pathology. The division is organized around working groups dedicated to specific organ systems, but all members contribute service to general areas as well, such as the frozen section lab, autopsy, and cytology. The Neuropathology Section includes 7 sub-speciality certified neuropathologists, all of whom will be directly involved in your education.

The annual volume of neuropathology specimens at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, includes over 3,000 neurosurgical biopsies and 600 autopsy brains, as well as 650 skeletal muscle, 425 peripheral nerve, and 200 eye specimens.  These encompass the entire spectrum of common and rare neoplastic and non-neoplastic surgical, autopsy, skeletal muscle, peripheral nerve, and ophthalmic pathology entities. 

The division is supported by a full-service histology and immunohistochemistry laboratory, a highly active Division of Laboratory Genetics and Genomics laboratories performing next generation sequencing, chromosomal microarray, whole genome methylation profiling, and in situ hybridization studies, and an active electron microscopy section.  Having these available for the routine practice on a daily basis, trainees learn appropriate and efficient testing and integration of the results to help optimally guide care for their patients.

From the Program Director

Welcome to the Mayo Clinic Neuropathology fellowship program! Our mission is to help you learn the foundational skills essential to establish a productive and rewarding lifelong practice in Neuropathology. We sincerely believe that Mayo Clinic is a unique institution, where the interests of the patient are at the center of all that we do. We collaborate closely with our expert colleagues within pathology, molecular genetics, neuroradiology, neurosurgery, neurology, and neuro-oncology, where we provide fellows with a well-rounded perspective on the context of their diagnosis in the patient’s overall care.

The volume, diversity, and complexity of cases in our practice, both in-house and consultative, provides a robust setting for residents and fellows to develop tangible expertise in the evaluation of both common and rare neoplastic and non-neoplastic disease processes. By virtue of our extensive armamentarium of testing platforms (including immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, next-generation sequencing, chromosomal microarray, and whole genome methylation profiling), our trainees have the opportunity to evaluate cases at a high level, in service of producing the most effective diagnoses for their patients as delineated by the most current practice criteria. Our autopsy neuropathology training is enhanced by materials derived from our hospital autopsy practice, the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office, and various research endeavors including the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. In addition, our fellows have dedicated rotations through the ophthalmic pathology, skeletal muscle pathology, and peripheral nerve pathology services, working with and learning from nationally recognized experts in these fields. 

Our core faculty are highly engaged in education, with the curriculum emphasizing one-on-one teaching, hands-on learning, active mentorship, and graduated responsibility.  Our faculty are also actively involved in a spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical research, and look to involve fellows in meaningful projects in their areas of interest. Please take a moment to look around this website to learn more about what we have to offer, and feel free to reach out with any questions. Thank you for your interest in our program!

Jorge Trejo-Lopez, M.D.
Program Director

Faculty

One of the greatest advantages to training at Mayo Clinic is the approachability, accessibility, and collegiality of the faculty. Our faculty are committed to teaching and facilitating the growth of medical knowledge. Many of our faculty members have published and lectured extensively and are highly regarded in their fields.