Medical University of South Carolina

Program Director	Program Admin
Nikolina Babic, PhD, DABCC	Michele Barton, BS
Associate Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine	Program Coordinator
babic@musc.edu	bartonm@musc.edu
(843) 792-8814	(843) 792-3121

About the Program

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Department of Pathology & Lab Medicine offers a two-year clinical fellowship training program to provide the participants with the clinical, regulatory, and lab management knowledge as well as research experience. Upon program completion, the fellows are eligible and encouraged to take the American Board of Clinical Chemistry exam.

MUSC Clinical Chemistry fellowship training includes the following components:

• Small group discussions, practical exercises, and peer teaching. This occurs by including the fellow in chemistry rotations of pathology residents. The fellow also teaches the residents and is expected to participate in all relevant department seminars and clinical conferences.
• Laboratory rotations. The fellow rotates through different clinical laboratories within the MUSC, where they are involved in daily lab operations and participate in real-time troubleshooting and problem-solving.
• Clinical service. The fellow learns clinical interpretation and diagnostic relevance of tests by actively participating in clinical consultations. As the training progresses, the fellow is expected to demonstrate the ability to generate increasingly independent clinical consults.
• Laboratory leadership. During the second year of training, the fellow assumes the role of the acting Assistant Laboratory Director of a laboratory serving a community clinic.
• Clinical or translational research. The research project(s) may involve a new method development or validation, quality improvement or any other investigation related to clinical diagnostics.

Program Requirements

To be considered for the program, prospective fellows must have:

1. earned a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, or MD/PhD) at accredited institutions.
   • PhD candidates should have earned their doctoral degrees in clinical chemistry, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, or other biomedical science-related field.
2. 30 semester hours minimum requirement of undergraduate and/or graduate level biochemistry or chemistry courses to qualify for the American Board of Clinical Chemistry exam.

To Apply

Deadline for applications is September 1, for fellows applying for a start date of July the following year. Formal interviews begin after September 1. Offers are extended on or after October 1. Candidates are given a window of at least two weeks to consider the offer.

The application packet must include:

1. Letter of interest
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Three letters of recommendation

Submit the required materials to babic@musc.edu. Applications are only accepted in alternating years, with a start date of July.

Training Level

Postdoctoral Training Level
Number of positions available per year: 1 every other year
Duration of program: 2 years
Approximate annual salary or stipend: PGY Scale
Source of funding: Department Funded
Current number of trainees: 1
Number of past graduates: 7

Faculty

Nikolina Babic, PhD, DABCC	General Clinical Chemistry, Toxicology, Quality, Point-of-Care Testing
Christine M. Litwin, MD, AP/CP Board-Certified	Protein Electrophoresis, Clinical Immunology Testing
James E. Madory, DO, Board Certification in CP and Informatics	Laboratory Informatics, Transfusion Medicine
Elizabeth Rinker, MD, AP/CP Board-Certified	Hematology and Coagulation
Cynthia Schandl, MD, PhD, AP/CP Board-Certified	Molecular Diagnostics, Test Utilization, Laboratory Management