University of North Carolina | Medical Center

Program Director	Program Admin
​​Nichole L. Korpi-Steiner, PhD, DABCC, FADLM​	​​Janice Badstein​
​​Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine​	Program Coordinator
nichole.korpi-steiner@unchealth.unc.edu	jan.badstein2@unchealth.unc.edu
(984) 974-1498	(919) 966-4678

About the Program

Begun in 1972, this ComACC-accredited postdoctoral training program has a rich history of producing leaders within the field of Clinical Chemistry. Fellows receive two-years of intensive training in both the analytical and clinical aspects of clinical chemistry and are prepared to enter laboratory medicine in clinical service, educational, or research roles. Training takes place primarily within the McLendon Clinical Laboratories Core and Specialty Laboratories which occupy ~10000 sq.ft. of clinical laboratory space. The Core and Specialty Laboratories currently handle ~ 4000 samples per day and exceed 5,000,000 procedures annually. The testing menu along with the work produced through referral testing assures the trainee receives exposure to an extensive range of testing.

Training is flexible and dependent upon the fellow’s previous experience. During the initial six-month period, the fellow rotates through the major clinical chemistry sections: automated chemistry (general, high-volume testing), special chemistry (electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, etc), toxicology and therapeutic drug monitoring, and critical care (blood gases and point of care) testing. Throughout this period and into the second year as fellows demonstrate mastery of previous assignments, they are given additional responsibilities and activities of increasing complexity. Examples of such include test interpretation, method troubleshooting, on-call responsibilities, referral testing review, method/instrument evaluations, procedure revisions, and inspection readiness. The fellow is expected to participate in a variety of educational activities to supplement the rotations. These include didactics and informal discussions, Clinical Pathology Residents and Fellow’s Conference, Grand Rounds, and the McLendon Clinical Laboratories continuing education program. In the second year, the fellows are encouraged to devote a portion of their time to at least one research project, and serve as Acting Director of a laboratory section further expanding their participation in the leadership and management aspects of laboratory medicine.

Program Requirements

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

1. Earned doctoral degree (PhD) in a chemical, biological or clinical laboratory science or an MD or DO degree from an appropriately accredited university or college.
2. Successfully completed a minimum of 30 semester hours of undergraduate and/or graduate level courses in analytic, organic, physical, general chemistry, biochemistry, and/or others, to qualify for certification eligibility with the American Board of Clinical Chemistry prior to admission into this fellowship training program.
   • Candidates possessing an MD or DO must be certified in anatomic and clinical pathology by the American Board of Pathology or the American Osteopathic Board of Pathology or have met the requirements to take the Board examination.​

To Apply

​​Applications will be accepted beginning January (e.g. 2024) of the year preceding the fellowship start date (e.g. July 2025) ​Formal interviews will be conducted in September and continue until the position is filled ​ ​Offer will be extended on or after October 1st, and candidate will be given a window of at least 2 weeks to consider the offer

The application packet must include:

1. Letter of interest
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Official Transcripts (undergraduate and graduate or medical school transcripts)
4. Three letters of recommendation (submitted directly from referees)

If selected for an interview, the candidate will be provided a formal application per UNC Health Office of Graduate Medical Education requirement. Please submit application materials to program coordinator (Janice Badstein) and program director (Nichole Korpi-Steiner).​

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: UNC Health
Current number of trainees: 1
Number of past graduates: 35

Faculty

Steven Cotten, PhD, DABCC, FADLM	Clinical Chemistry, Neonatal Drug Testing, Clinical Data Analytics, and Quality Assurance
Nichole Korpi-Steiner, PhD, DABCC, FADLM	Clinical Chemistry, Point-of-Care Testing, Mass Spectrometry and Quality Assurance
Stephanie Mathews, MD	Hematopathology, Urinalysis, Protein Electrophoresis
Melissa Miller, PhD, D(ABMM), F(AAM)	Clinical Microbiology and Clinical Molecular Microbiology
John Schmitz, PhD, D(ABMLI), F(ACHI), F(AAM)	Clinical Immunology, Histocompatibility and Flow Cytometry
Karen Weck, MD	Clinical Molecular Genetics
Herbert Whinna, MD, PhD	General Clinical Chemistry, Coagulation, Protein Electrophoresis
David Williams, Jr, MD, PhD	Hematopathology, Hemoglobin Variant Analyses