The program is currently filled. The next available start date is July 1, 2025. We will be accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Academic Year from July 1 – September 30, 2024 by email at medgen@ohsu.edu. Currently, we do not have any available funded positions. A qualified fellowship applicant would have identified a possible independent source of funding for the entire training period prior to their application being considered for acceptance. Independent sources can include institutional or governmental support.  Policies prohibit self-fund and volunteer fellowship positions

Required Application Documents:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Personal Statement
3. (3) Letters of Recommendation
4. Letter of Financial Support
5. ABMGG Credentials Review (If applicable for Foreign Medical Graduates)

Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. We are proud of our commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply. To request reasonable accommodation contact the Office of Civil Rights Investigations and Compliance at 503-494-5148 or ocic@ohsu.edu.

Please contact the program coordinator with any questions during this recruitment season at medgen@ohsu.edu

About our program

The Knight Diagnostic Laboratories (KDL) at Oregon Health and Science University offers one Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG)-accredited Medical Genetics Training Fellowship, Laboratory Genetics and Genomics (LGG). This is a two-year program that is open to PHD and/or MD candidates with a strong interest in medical genetics and clinical laboratory medicine.*

The Laboratory Genetics and Genomics fellowship prepares fellows for the scientific and management challenges of running a clinical genetics and genomics laboratory. The fellowship retains many aspects of the previous two fellowships that it replaces, but also combines training areas where appropriate and relevant, for instance chromosomal microarray, accreditation or budget development. The training objectives are to thoroughly understand all aspects of clinical diagnostic testing including specific methodologies and their application to unique clinical presentations, from preconception and prenatal testing and throughout life. The laboratory experience, occurring at the KDL, includes training in all aspects of cytogenetics and molecular genetics, including: tissue culture, DNA and RNA extraction, microscopy, FISH, PCR, qRT-PCR, Sanger and next generation sequencing (including whole exome), chromosomal microarray, and many others. 

The fellow learns to communicate test results and their implications to referring physicians and directly to patients. Fellows may rotate through pediatric, adult, prenatal and cancer clinics at OHSU.  The fellow trainee will have the opportunity to develop and validate new clinical tests and participate in research projects. The fellow is exposed to clinical laboratory management including lab regulatory issues, quality control procedures, test validations, and lab information systems.
 
A fellow who successfully completes the training program will be eligible to sit for the certification exam in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics through the American Board of Medical Genetics (ABMG).  

Dr. Susan Olson is Program Director and Dr. Alaa Koleilat is Associate Program Director of the laboratory genetics fellowship training.
 

*Notes: until 2017, OHSU offered two separate ABMGG fellowships, Clinical Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Genetics; all training institutions have transitioned to a single fellowship as of 2017.  Also, the Clinical Biochemical Genetics Training Program has been discontinued; however, LGG Fellows will still have the opportunity to rotate through the Clinical Biochemical Genetics Laboratory.  The laboratory is directed by Cary Harding, M.D.

Mission Statement

The mission of the OHSU Laboratory Genetics and Genomics (LGG) training program is to train Clinical Laboratorians who will i) provide the best laboratory services to their respective patients and ordering providers, ii) develop cutting edge technologies and bring them into clinical service to end the ‘genetic odyssey’ and uncover therapy options, iii) actively engage with providers, patients and the lay public with regard to clinical genetics laboratory testing, with all its promises and limitations, and iv) embrace and foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment.

Program Aims

The OHSU LGG training program aims to train doctoral-level scientists to effectively run a Clinical Genetics and Genomics testing laboratory and to be leaders in the field of Clinical Laboratory Genetics and Genomics. The training program develops fellows into critical and professional members of the healthcare team, with extensive laboratory test analysis and interpretation training, but also through supervised patient interactions, daily interactions with clinicians and other providers, presentations at local, regional and national scientific meetings, publication opportunities, in-depth exposure to laboratory test development and validation, budgeting and staffing, and CLIA/CAP compliance. Upon successful completion of training, fellows are eligible to sit for the ABMGG board exams, which include a general Medical Genetics and Genomics exam and a specialty exam (LGG).

Contact us

For further information/inquiries regarding the Oregon Health & Science University Clinical Laboratory Fellowship Programs contact the Genetics Program Coordinator  or call 503 494-7703.

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Graduates of international medical schools who are applying for medical internships, residencies or fellowships must have a valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must be legally able to work in the U.S.or eligible to obtain authorization to work.