Community Outreach

Community outreach is strong value at UC Davis Health and are sincere commitments by the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Supporting our community is essential to activities in all of our academic missions: clinical service, research, and teaching.

We are proud to highlight the activities below that demonstrate just some of our many efforts to support our community. We believe it is important to support and reflect our region in our workforce and our activities. To even learn more about us, explore our website or come to visit. We’re delighted to share many of the great things happening in our department.

• Supporting our community through laboratory testing:
  • We’re proud of our 30+ year tradition providing free routine clinical laboratory testing, including cervical cancer screening, to communities supported by our student-run clinics.
  • Members of the California State Assembly recognized our department with a proclamation in 2013 for our many years of participation in the Sacramento Community Cancer Coalition’s Annual Health Fair. We continue to support this and other community health fairs.
• Growing the pipeline of students in science and medicine:
  • Offered for almost 40 years, our Edmondson summer fellowship program is designed to expose talented college students to the excitement and intellectual challenges of careers in science and laboratory medicine. We also reach out to high school students through career fairs throughout our region to share information about the many careers available in pathology and laboratory medicine
  • Our faculty inspire science careers among K-12 students through visits to schools to introduce young people to science. Professor Veronica Martinez-Cerdeno founded the Ventricular Foundation whose activities include school visits and career fairs to advance knowledge of the brain and promote scientific education about the societal benefits of research. Associate Professor Brittany Dugger conducts the Brains to Classrooms outreach education program for local elementary school students. Since launching this program, she has provided an inspiring educational experience to approximately 100 local elementary students each year, on how to keep their brains healthy.
  • Visiting Pathology Resident Elective: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine offers a one-month elective surgical pathology rotation to eligible candidates. Third or fourth-year pathology residents from other schools may choose to participate in an in-person surgical pathology rotation at the UC Davis School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
  • Visiting Medical Students (Clinical): The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine offers a unique opportunity for visiting medical students. Eligible fourth-year medical students from other schools can participate in a four-week, in-person elective rotation at the UC Davis School of Medicine, especially if they are interested in matching into a UC Davis pathology residency program.
  • PathWAYS Program for UC Davis Undergraduate Students: The overall goal of the PathWAYS (Pathology Widens Avenues for Young Scientists) program is to increase the number of students in the field of health sciences by providing research and clinical opportunities designed to build life science skills, develop a sense of community, and identify potential mentors who can guide students on a pathway to academic success. Students who pursue advanced degrees and careers in medicine and research will be our measure of success.
  • AAMC Leadership development seminars for our faculty at the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine to enhance leadership skills and career development.
• Research to support the health of our community:
  • Veronica Martinez-Cerdeno leads the development of the Brain Bank of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, a new project of the UC Davis MIND Institute which aims to increase the availability of post-mortem brain tissue for the study of neurodevelopmental conditions like autism, fragile X syndrome, and Down syndrome.