Resident and Fellows Research
The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Cedars-Sinai is comprised of over 50 MDs and PhDs comprising an academic department recognized regionally, nationally and internationally. In the 2008-09 academic year, there were papers in peer-reviewed journals, 23 book chapters and two books published by members of the Department, who also presented more than 50 abstracts at regional or national meetings. In aggregate, the faculty participated in more than 40 courses, lectureships and visiting professorships. Many of the Cedars-Sinai faculty members are on editorial boards of major high impact journals, and two faculty members function as journal editors, attesting to the professional esteem in which the faculty is held. 
The Department of Pathology at Cedars-Sinai has many areas of academic strength, focusing on translational and clinical research. These include genitourinary pathology under the guidance of Dr. Mahul Amin the chair and one of the most widely recognized authorities in genitourinary pathology globally, who brings to the program extensive expertise and academic success in oncologic pathology of the genitourinary tract. Other areas in which the department has strong research programs include GI and liver pathology, cytopathology, pulmonary and mediastinal pathology, evidence-based medicine, transfusion medicine, breast pathology, and renal pathology among others. There are strong clinical departments with which to collaborate, and all contemporary research modalities are available including molecular pathology techniques.
There is a strong commitment to incorporating pathology housestaff into the academic mission, with residents and fellows actively participating in research, ranging from case reports to complex translational studies. Research opportunities and mentoring are incorporated into the housestaff education, as evidenced by the 29 peer-reviewed housestaff publications during the 2008-09 academic year and the 19 housestaff members who had 36 abstracts accepted for presentation at the 2009 USCAP meeting. This includes several posters in the Stowell-Orbison Awards Competition; from 100 academic programs (90 in the US and Canada, and 10 world-wide), our house staff contribution to scientific abstracts submitted for this prestigious award was in the top 10 programs in the world.
We encourage the Cedars-Sinai Pathology Housestaff to be involved with national and local pathology organizations in academic as well as administrative capacities, and provide financial and time-off support for such activities. For the 2008-09 academic year, our residents and fellows had accomplishments in these areas including receipt of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Genetics Endowed Fellowship award, Third Prize in the Los Angeles Society of Pathologists platform presentation competition, and invitations to our housestaff to present at three national graduate medical education meetings. One of the Cedars-Sinai Pathology residents was selected this year as a Global Outreach Consultant for the American Society of Clinical Pathology, and as one of only two residents to attend the "Day on the Hill" in Washington, DC, through a grant offered by the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) during which attendees met with their Representatives on Capitol Hill to express their concerns and views about critical issues in the lab profession. Our residents also served as Resident Liaisons for the American Society of Clinical Pathology and as Resident Advocate for the College of American Pathologists.
In addition to the many clinical and translational research programs with which the housestaff is involved, the Division of Experimental Pathology under the Directorship of Dr. Kenneth Bernstein brings internationally recognized expertise in the molecular mechanisms and biology of angiotensin converting enzyme and its receptors to the Cedars-Sinai Department of Pathology. Dr. Bernstein's laboratory has performed pioneering investigations in a wide range of experimental areas, including the control of ACE gene transcription, intracellular signaling initiated by angiotensin II, the role of ACE expression in the control of blood pressure, and the role of testis ACE in male reproduction. Recently, Dr. Bernstein made use of genetically modified mice to investigate the role of the renin-angiotensin system in the immune response to cancer. He has received several honors including an NIH MERIT award, the Novartis Prize from the American Heart Association, and the AHA's Basic Science Prize. With active NIH funding, the Experimental Pathology Division collaborates closely with the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, to provide the most state-of-the-art advances in this field of research. Dr. Bernstein is on the editorial board of three high impact journals, is a reviewer for more than 30 additional journals and also is a frequent grant reviewer, having sat on NIH study sections many times.
