MS/Certificate in Oral Pathology
Welcome to Ohio State’s Oral Pathology Residency Program
Our program is designed to provide the post-graduate dental resident with the clinical and microscopic skills necessary for the practice of oral pathology. However, we also seek to provide a well-rounded educational experience through an emphasis on critical evaluation of biomedical literature, teaching skills, and research design and protocol. Our goal is to create an informal environment that promotes higher learning and helps you emerge as a leader in the field of oral and maxillofacial pathology.
Degree Granted
MS plus certificate*
Students Accepted
1
Program Length
36 months
Application Deadline
September 1
How to Apply
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We strongly encourage interested candidates to visit the program prior to the application deadline. A visit will allow prospective applicants to meet and interact with current residents and faculty, and to see the attributes of the program firsthand. Please contact the program director Dr. John Kalmar to pre-arrange your visit. He can be reached by email kalmar.7@osu.edu or by phone 614-292-6577.
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Applications are accepted from May through August for admission the following academic year. Early applications are strongly encouraged.
All applicants must submit the following by September 1:
- Online application and required application fee (see application link below)
- Official dental school transcript
- Undergraduate transcript
- Curriculum vitae
- Statement of intent
- Three recommendation letters
- Dean’s letter
U.S. and Canadian trained dentists (or dental students) must also submit:
- Undergraduate transcripts (Official documents)
- National Board Examination Scores, part I & II (dental students: part I)
Foreign-trained dentists must also submit:
- Official undergraduate transcripts, if applicable, or official high school transcripts
- TOEFL official results (minimum acceptable score: 595 paper, 100 online) or IELTS official results (minimum acceptable score: 7.5)
- Official translation of all foreign language documents (e.g., transcripts)
International applicants (non-U.S. citizens, permanent residents, refugees or political asylees) who have completed or will complete the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree and who wish to pursue a master’s or PhD degree, must also submit financial documentation.
All supporting documents (letters of reference, etc.) can be attached to your application before submitting or sent electronically to gpadocs@osu.edu once your application has been submitted.
If you are unable to send documents electronically, please mail hard copies to:
Darryl T. Hamamoto, DDS, PhD
Associate Dean of Graduate Education, Admissions, and Institutional Outcomes
College of Dentistry
3173 Postle Hall
305 W. 12th Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210-1267
In the Ohio State graduate school application under Graduate Study Plan, list Graduate Programs as Dentistry -- Specialization: OPA
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Following application, candidates are selected and invited for an interview. An interview is mandatory in order to be considered for acceptance. Interview dates (typically in late October/early November) are fixed. Interviewees meet with all available full-time faculty and current postdoctoral students to receive all pertinent information about the program, its attributes and problems, as well as to be further evaluated personally as to their candidacy.
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Following the interview process, applicants are ranked for acceptance and notified on a rolling admission basis. Acceptance letters to each successful applicant inform and contain the specifics of the program, to include that the program is a combined advanced degree/certificate program, financial costs (e.g., clinical equipment, books, copy services, licenses, dues, etc.), and expectations. A formal letter of understanding and acceptance into the program is required from each successful applicant.
More About Our Program
The first year of the oral pathology residency is primarily devoted to the diagnostic aspects of specialty training, both clinical and histologic. Course work includes:
- general pathology
- oral pathology
- pathology laboratory technique
- surgical oral pathology
- clinical rotations in oral diagnosis/medicine and oral radiology
The first half of the second year consists of hospital service, including:
- three months in surgical pathology
- one month in anatomic pathology (autopsy)
- one month in clinical pathology (laboratory medicine)
- one month in dermatopathology
A one-month elective rotation is also available in forensic pathology.
During the latter half of the second year and the entire third year, the majority of your time will be devoted to research. Each student is expected to develop and finish a research project to earn the Master of Science degree. During the last year you will also develop competence in the clinical and microscopic diagnosis of oral disease.
You will attend and participate in seminars, special clinics, conferences, lectures and clinical consultation sessions during the residency.
Teaching Duties
Each resident is expected to teach as part of the training and learning experience in pathology. You will be assigned a small number of lectures or seminars in dental hygiene or pre-doctoral dental courses during your first, second or third years. Supervision and teaching of pre-doctoral dental students is required for one to two half-days per week while clinics are in session. All residents are expected to make case presentations from time to time.
During the three years of the program, a resident will serve no more than 20% of the time as a graduate teaching assistant, providing support to the undergraduate didactic and clinical courses in oral diagnosis, oral pathology and oral radiology.
Research
During the three-year course of the certificate program, time is provided to complete the work necessary for the MS. If you are interested in remaining in an academic environment in the United States, you will find that a PhD is often necessary to successfully compete for extramural funding, leading to promotion and tenure.
Presentations and Papers
Residents are encouraged to attend the American Academy of Oral Pathology annual meeting and to present an abstract or paper at some point in their training, under the direction of one of the attending staff. The faculty will make every attempt to arrange financial support for travel to the meetings, at least in part; however, this is not guaranteed. Residents who do not present will typically not be eligible for support.
Publication of original manuscripts is encouraged, but not required. Ideally, you should be able to prepare at least one case report of an unusual lesion as well as submit the findings of the research project for publication during the three-year course of the residency program.
Residents will rotate through anatomic, surgical and clinical pathology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for six months during the program, performing under supervision all aspects of training, including grossing and signing out of surgical specimens, and performing and signing out of autopsies. All conferences and other activities of the pathology department during this rotation will be attended.
Other elective and/or required rotations include:
- oncology/radiology
- oral and maxillofacial radiology
- ENT
- dermatology
- plus others
Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology residents are appointed as full-time Graduate Teaching Associates and will receive a stipend of $29,796 during academic year 2024-25. In addition to the stipend, the Graduate Associate appointment provides tuition and health care benefits. It pays for the student's general fees, instruction fees, and resident or non-resident tuition, and also pays for 100% of the Student Health Insurance premium.
In order to improve communication between staff and pathology residents, the position of "chief resident" has been established. Reporting to the program director, the chief resident is a third-year resident whose duties consist of:
- informing the staff and/or residents of any changes in the seminar, teaching, lecture or clinic schedules, as well as outside conference dates.
- making necessary arrangements for seminars, case presentations, etc., including securing the room, audiovisual equipment and any other equipment needed.
- serving as an ombudsman between the staff and residents.
- assuming greater responsibility for initial diagnoses of cases.
A stipend of $29,796 per year and a tuition waiver are provided throughout the program to our residents. Residents are also provided with health insurance whose premium is fully paid by the university.
Questions? Contact Us
Darryl T. Hamamoto, DDS, PhD
Associate Dean of Graduate Education, Admissions, and Institutional Outcomes
College of Dentistry
3173 Postle Hall
305 W. 12th Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210-1267
hamamoto.4@osu.edu
Learn More
Visit the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology page to learn more and view our faculty.
The Oral Pathology Residency Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements”. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678. The Commission’s web address is: coda.ada.org.
Ohio State academic programs are designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure and certification and state licensing board contact information at odee.osu.edu/students/state-authorization#licensure. Click on the link for State Dental Boards.