About

The SP-LIT Program combines training in anatomic pathology (AP) or clinical pathology (CP) with post-doctoral fellowships in cutting-edge scientific laboratories, all under the aegis of a proactive career mentoring program.

Education and Training Pathology Fellowships OverviewPathology Residency Overview

SP-LIT Program Overview and Goals

The Pathology Service at the Massachusetts General Hospital recognizes the unique challenges faced by academic pathologists committed to developing careers "split" between diagnostic pathology and basic research, and considers the training of such academic pathologists to be among its highest priorities. To address this priority, the department offers an Mass General Specialized Pathologist-Laboratory Investigator Training (SP-LIT) Program for residents and fellows.

The goal of the SP-LIT Program is to train academic pathologists to become subspecialist pathologists and independently-funded principal investigators in biomedical research. This approach to training combines the subspecialty organization of the clinical training experience with the research opportunities within the department, the hospital, the medical school, the university and the greater Boston scientific community. In short, the Program aims to train the next generation of leaders in academic research pathology.

The SP-LIT Program combines training in anatomic pathology (AP) or clinical pathology (CP) with post-doctoral fellowships in cutting-edge scientific laboratories, all under the aegis of a proactive career mentoring program. Trainees complete AP or CP training alongside other MGH Pathology AP, CP and AP-CP residents, but focus their elective time in research laboratories. Clinical rotations are scheduled to optimize research training by providing extended blocks of time for research. Clinical training is followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in a research laboratory at MGH or at other leading biomedical institutions in the Boston area such as the the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Massachustts Institute of Technology, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Whitehead Institute. Trainees are supported during the post-doctoral fellowship by a long-standing NIH T32 Training Grant that supports seven positions based in the Pathology Department. At all stages, participants in the SP-LIT program are strongly mentored, both in terms of research activity and for career development as clinician-investigators. Thus, the program is closely tailored to individual trainees' needs and interests.

Within the first few months of beginning their residency, residents in SP-LIT Program will meet with a physician-scientist mentor assigned by the Research Mentoring Committee. The mentor is chosen on the basis of overlapping clinical and/or research interests with the trainee. Trainees and mentors meet frequently throughout the program to develop a comprehensive plan for career development, which includes advice about appropriate clinical training as well as developing a research focus and identifying a research supervisor. A key early goal of the mentoring is to fine-tune possible research areas and to facilitate meetings between trainees and principal investigators in the Boston area whose laboratory interests overlap with those of the trainees. The SP-LIT Program is committed to the principle that the successful placement of trainees in post-doctoral fellowship laboratories depends on both scientific subject matter and "personality matching" of trainees and principal investigators. Particularly in the Boston area, where the choice of possible laboratories is unparalleled, the mentor can be an invaluable aid in evaluating the numerous opportunities and finding a good match.

SP-LIT Program Post Doctoral Fellowship Component

The Pathology Service at Mass General has maintained an NIH/NCI T32 Training Grant for the past 25 years and the grant has recently both been renewed for another five years and increased the number of position supported. The grant now supports seven fellows per year and has been highly effective in supporting the early careers of graduating residents over many years.  Mass General Pathology trainees in the T32-supported fellowship have also garnered individual grants for research fellowships, and Pathology residents are eligible for support on related T32 training grants in other MGH departments. Over the past 10 years, our trainees have been authors or co-authors on well over 100 publications, in journals that include Cell, Science, Nature, Cancer Cell, Developmental Cell, Molecular Cell, Nature Genetics, Current Biology and PNAS. 

The department will support SP-LIT Program trainees in any laboratory in the Boston area, including all institutions affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The current faculty on the T32 grant are listed below; additional faculty can be added to the program if trainees select new laboratories that are approved by the Steering Committee.

Current Faculty of MGH Pathology T32 Training Grant

Aryee, Martin, PhD
 Assistant Professor, MGH Pathology (MGH Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School) 
Bartel, David, PhD
 Professor, MIT Biology (Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, HHMI) 
Bernstein, Bradley, MD, PhD
Professor of Pathology at HMS, Associate Member at the Broad Institute
Church, George, PhD
Professor, Harvard Medical School, Department of Genetics (Wyss Institute at Harvard, MIT, Broad Institute)
Dyson, Nicholas J., PhD
Professor of Medicine at HMS and investigator in the MGH Cancer Center
Eggan, Kevin, PhD
Professor, Harvard University, Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Elledge, Stephen J., PhD
Professor, Harvard University, Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Getz, Gad, PhD
Associate Professor, MGH Cancer Center and MGH Pathology (Broad Institute, Harvard Medical School)
Haber, Daniel, MD, PhD
Professor and Director of the MGH Cancer Center, Isselbacher/Schwartz Professor of Medicine at HMS, Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and member of the NAS Institute of Medicine
Hochedlinger, Konrad, PhD
Professor at the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University, Investigator in the MGH Cancer Center
 Ingber, Donald, MD, PhD
Professor, Wyss Institute at Harvard (Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital)
Jain, Rakesh, PhD 
A. Werk Cook Professor of Radiation Oncology [Tumor Biology], Director of the Edwin L. Steele Laboratory in the Department of Radiation Oncology at MGH, member of the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Science
Joung, J. Keith, MD, PhD
Professor of Pathology at HMS, Associate Chief of Pathology Research, Director of the Molecular Pathology Unit, the Jim and Ann Orr MGH Research Scholar, and member of the Center for Cancer Research and the Center for Computational and Integrative Biology at MGH
Langenau, David, PhD
 Associate Professor of Pathology at HMS, Principal Faculty Member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and member of Molecular Pathology and the MGH Cancer Center
Lee, Jeannie, MD, PhD
Professor of Genetics Pathology at HMS, Howard Hughes investigator in the Department of Molecular Biology at MGH and member of MGH Pathology
Lindquist, Susan L., PhD
Member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Professor and HHMI Investigator in the Department of Biology at MIT, and NAS member
Louis, David N., MD 
Benjamin Castleman Professor of Pathology at HMS and Chief of Pathology at MGH
McClatchey, Andrea, PhD
Professor of Pathology at HMS and investigator in the MGH Cancer Center
Meyerson, Matthew, MD, PhD
Professor, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Pathology (Broad Institute, Harvard Medical School)
Ramaswamy, Sridhar, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine at HMS, investigator in the MGH Centers for Cancer Research, Regenerative Medicine, Human Genetics Research, and Systems Biology, and Associate Member at the Broad Institute and Harvard Stem Cell Institute
Rivera, Miguel, MD 
Assistant Professor of Pathology at HMS, an investigator in Molecular Pathology and the Cancer Center, and an Associate Member of the Broad Institute of Harvard/MIT
Sabatini, David, MD, PhD
Member of the Whitehead Institute, a Professor of Biology at MIT, an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and is associated with the Broad Institute
Scadden, David, MD
Darlene Jordan Professor of Medicine at HMS, Professor of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at MGH, Co-Director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, member of the MGH Cancer Center and of the NAS Institute of Medicine
Sgroi, Dennis, MD
Professor of Pathology at HMS and investigator in Molecular Pathology and the Cancer Center
Sharp, Phillip, A., PhD
Professor, MIT Department of Biology (Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research)
Suter, Melissa, PhD
Assistant Professor, MGH Medicine - Pulmonary Unit (MGH Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School)
Suva, Mario, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, MGH Pathology (MGH Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School)
Tearney, Guillermo Gary, MD, PhD
Professor of Pathology at HMS and Associate Director of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at MGH
Wagers, Amy, PhD
 Professor, Harvard University, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (Joslin Diabetes Center Section on Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology)
Xavier, Ramnik, MD, PhD 
Professor and Chief, MGH Medicine - Gastrointestinal Unit (Broad Institute, Harvard Medical School)
Zou, Lee, PhD
Professor of Pathology at HMS and an investigator in the MGH Cancer Center and Molecular Pathology

Selected Physician-Scientists Trained by the MGH Pathology Residency Program

Physician-Scientist

Program

Post-Doc-Lab

Current Position 

David Andrews, MD

CP

Kurnick (MGH) 

 Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology (Univ. of Miami)

Pavan Auluck, MD, PhD

AP/NP

Lindquist (Whitehead Institute/MIT) 

Associate Director, Translational Pathology and Research Technology (Biogen)

Sam Dadras, MD, PhD

AP

Detmar (MGH)

Associate Professor of Dermatology, Pathology and Genetics/Developmental Biology (Univ. of Connecticut)

Christian Davidson, MD

AP/NP

McClatchy (MGH)

Assistant Professor of Pathology (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School)

Karin Finberg, MD, PhD

CP

Andrews (CH/HMS/Duke)

Assistant Professor of Pathology (Yale)

Jeffrey Golden, MD

AP/NP

Cepko (HMS)

Chief of Pathology (BWH) and Professor of Pathology (HMS)

Marcin Imielinski, MD, PhD

CP

Meyerson (Broad/DFCI)

Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Weill Cornell)

Tan Ince, MD, PhD

AP

Weinberg (MIT)

Associate Professor of Pathology (Univ. of Miami)

J. Keith Joung, MD, PhD

CP

Pabo (MIT)

Professor of Pathology (MGH/HMS)

James Kirby, MD

CP

Isberg (Tufts)

Associate Professor of Pathology (BIDMC/HMS)

Daniela Krause, MD 

CP and Transfusion Medicine 

Scadden (MGH & Harvard Stem Cell Institute)

Research Group Leader and Physician (George-Speyer-Haus)

Jeannie Lee, MD, PhD

CP

Jaenisch (MIT)

Professor of Genetics (HHMI; MGH/HMS)

Robert Makar, MD, PhD

CP

Gertler (MIT)

Assistant Professor of Pathology (MGH/HMS)

Shane Meehan, MD

AP

Colvin (MGH)

Associate Professor of Pathology (U. of Chicago)

Matthew Meyerson, MD, PhD

CP

Weinberg (MIT)

Professor of Pathology (DFCI/HMS)

Neal Smith, MD, PhD

AP/CP

Bhan (MGH)

Associate Professor of Pathology (MGH/HMS)

Agata Smogorzewska, MD, PhD

CP

Elledge (HMS)

Associate Professor (Rockefeller University)

John Staropoli, MD, PhD

CP and Molecular Genetic Pathology

Zou (MGH)

Associate Medical Director (Biogen)

Guillermo (Gary) Tearney, MD, PhD

AP

Bouma (MGH)

Professor of Pathology (MGH/HMS)

James Versalovic, MD, PhD

CP

Fox (MIT)

Professor of Pathology (Baylor); Chief of Pathology (Texas Children's Hospital)

Omer Yilmaz, MD PhD

AP

Sabatini (HHMI/MIT)

Assistant Professor of Biology (MIT) and Assistant Pathologist (MGH)