Applying/Matching to Forensic Pathology Fellowships

Welcome!

Welcome to the NAME Fellowship Page! Forensic Pathology is looking for enthusiastic pathologists to join our outstanding profession! Forensic Pathologists protect the public health and safety of the living through the investigations into sudden and unexpected deaths. It is an extremely rewarding and comprehensive career, where all aspects of medicine are encountered, and all types of injuries investigated. If you find yourself drawn to problem solving and diagnostic challenges, then Forensic Pathology may be the path for you.

This page provides valuable resources to those MD/DO pathology residents or residency-graduated pathologists looking to pursue Forensic Pathology subspeciality fellowship training.

Forensic Pathology is a board certified subspeciality through the American Board of Pathology (ABPath). Forensic Pathology is the medical subspecialty that is focused on death investigations and diagnosis of disease and injuries leading to death. The fellowship requires the performance of >200 autopsies in a fellowship year and exposes the fellow to associated fields of forensic toxicology and forensic science. Forensic Pathology fellowship programs offer one year of specialized training for Pathology Residency graduates (AP/CP; AP-only;).

If you are looking for an open fellowship spot for July 2026 click here for a list of openings and contacts.  

Yes, I’m Interested in becoming a Forensic Pathologist! So now what can I do? 

Investigate training programs! NAME has established a database of individual program information, for you to have the ability to investigate and compare programs. The program information is updated by the program directors themselves. The database allows you to filter, sort, view geographically by map, and download the data to excel so you can better compare data of interest.

The Fellowship Programs have also crafted some individualized fliers to highlight their programs. The fliers can be found here.

The Forensic Training Program Database (FTOD)

Click here to be re-directed to the Forensic Training Database:  

Log-in to the database as “guest”

How do I apply for a fellowship position for July 2027?

Applying! The quick answer: Some programs will be using ERAS and some will use paper applications submitted via email. Program specific information can be found in the FTOD.

The Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) is available to programs and applicants.  It is important to check the list of participating programs and possibly contact programs directly, to verify whether they will accept applications outside of ERAS.

For the programs using ERAS, the ERAS application service becomes available in the July preceding the Match year. To apply using ERAS you will request a token, work on the electronic application, and electronically distribute the applications to programs using the system.

The list of programs using ERAS for July 2027 fellowship spots can be found here:

https://systems.aamc.org/eras/erasstats/par/display.cfm?NAV_ROW=PAR&SPEC_CD=310

Now that you’ve applied, What’s Next?

Interviews. Interviews will be offered by the programs typically in the winter. Most programs are doing virtual interviews, however others may have an in-person option, and some others may offer a visit to the office after rank lists are completed. This is program specific, and the program directors or program coordinators will communicate this directly to you.

And then ... the Match

95% of the Fellowship positions are managed through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) where a match occurs ~ 14 months before the training program will begin.

The NRMP information can be found here .....

https://www.nrmp.org/fellowship-applicants/participating-fellowships/pathology-fellowship-match/

NRMP Match Dates 2026 (for positions starting July 2027)
•Match Opens: February 4, 2026
•Ranking Opens: March 11, 2026
•Quota Deadline: April 1, 2026
•Ranking Closes: April 15, 2026
•Match Day: April 29, 2026

Other Enrichment Opportunities for In-Residency Training:

Many of the pathology professional societies are offering scholarships to residents who are interested in forensic pathology. These scholarships allow the resident to rotate at a participating Medical Examiner’s Office to gain additional exposure and hopefully solidify their interest in the subspecialty.

You can learn more about the residency scholarship programs here:

https://www.ascp.org/membership-resources/scholarships-grants/resident-forensic-rotation-awards
https://foundation.cap.org/what-we-fund/forensic-pathology-advanced-training-grant/

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