For decades, Oculus Pathology’s team has contributed to resident education through didactic lecture-based instruction and collaborative sessions discussing de-identified cases and other real-world practice details.

Today, Oculus Pathology’s dermatopathologists are helping educate the next generation of pathologists by contributing to dermatology resident training at a large medical school and teaching hospital in Texas, highlighting the trust and expertise the field has in our team of specialists and subspecialists. By combining structured lectures with real case review, the Oculus Pathology dermatopathology team helps residents build both foundational knowledge and applied diagnostic judgment. In presentations coined “The Unknown Slide”, residents work through real-world diagnostic challenges, apply pattern recognition, sharpen differential diagnoses, and discuss the clinical significance of dermatopathology findings.

The participating Oculus Pathology dermatopathologists are:

Mario Saab-Chalhoub, M.D.
Brent Talbott, M.D.
Susan Baer, M.D.
Tim Kolda, M.D.
Julia Choi, M.D.

“Across all specialty and subspecialty pathology programs, we provide more to the community beyond great pathology services to practices. Our involvement in academic medicine includes a variety of institutions across Texas to advance the practice of pathology through education, collaboration, and sharing expertise,” said Matt Thompson, MHSM, chief executive officer of Oculus Pathology. “The fact that our dermatopathologists are involved in residency programs speaks to the commitment of our team both to their own continued learning and to investing in the learning of the next generation of dermatologists.”

The dermatopathology residency education covers a broad dermatopathology curriculum, ranging from foundational principles to complex diagnostic categories. Topics include:

Neoplastic Disorders:

Epidermal Tumors: Benign and malignant tumors of the epidermis including cysts, sebaceous neoplasms, and sweat gland neoplasms.
Melanocytic Lesions:
Benign and malignant melanocytic neoplasms, including special subtype (e.g. Spitz nevus)
Soft Tissue and Vascular tumors:
Fibrous tumors of the skin, fat, muscle, cartilage, bone, and neural tumors
Vascular Tumors and Malformations

Hematopoietic:

Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma, cutaneous B-cell Lymphoma, NK-cell Lymphoma, and Myeloid Leukemia
Metastatic Tumors and Simulators.
Inflammatory Disorders:
Interface Dermatitis, Psoriasiform and Spongiotic Dermatitis, Blistering Diseases, Granulomatous and Histiocytic Diseases, Inflammatory Vascular Diseases, Panniculitis

Infectious Diseases:

Bacterial, Spirochete, and Protozoal Infections, Fungal Infections, Viral Infections, Helminths, and Arthropods

Specialized topics:

Molecular techniques in dermatopathology (FISH, CGH, PCR, Gene Expression Profiling, NGS)
Genodermatoses
Alterations in Collagen and Elastin
Metabolic Disorders
External Agents and Artifacts

“Dermatopathology is a highly visual and highly nuanced field of pathology,” said Dr. Mario Saab-Chalhoub, dermatopathologist at Oculus Pathology. “Case-based education gives residents the opportunity to think through difficult diagnoses, while also seeing the kinds of complex cases that practicing dermatopathologists evaluate every day.”

For Oculus Pathology, this educational role also reflects the strength of its dermatopathology service line. The same expertise used to train residents supports dermatologists, surgery centers, and other clinical partners that depend on accurate, timely, and clinically meaningful pathology interpretation.

“Our dermatopathologists bring tremendous value to the specialists we partner with because they have a strong tie to academic medicine, where the most advanced research and newest techniques and methods originate,” Thompson said. “That combination of academic medicine connectivity and practical experience is central to who we are as a physician-owned pathology group.”

Through clinical service, collaboration, and education, the dermatopathology team continues to reinforce Oculus Pathology’s reputation as a trusted partner for advanced dermatopathology interpretation.

To learn more about Oculus Pathology’s dermatopathology team, visit https://thinkoculus.com/our-team/