The Department of Pathology offers fourth-year electives to visiting medical students enrolled in a LCME-accredited medical school (DMU also accepted) during the months of July through October.

These four-week rotations are approved and competitively arranged by the department.

Applications for away rotations in the Department of Pathology will be accepted beginning on 3/1/2026 through 4/15/2026, with notification of conditional acceptance being 5/1/2026–5/15/2026 to allow for arrangement of housing.

Rotation dates for the Fall Semester are as follows:

• 7/6/2026–7/31/2026
• 8/3/2026–8/28/2026
• 8/31/2026–9/25/2026
• 9/28/2025–10/23/2026

Application process

1. Students who are interested should submit the following materials as a single PDF to Nicole Astell at nicole-astell@uiowa.edu:
   • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
   • Program specific statement of interest, 350-word limit
   • Step 1 results (Pass or Fail on first attempt)
   • Step 2 results (if taken)
   • Current medical school transcript
   • Rank Preferred Rotation Dates in Order of Interest:
     • 7/6/2026–7/31/2026 (July)
     • 8/3/2026–8/28/2026 (August)
     • 8/31/2025–9/25/2026 (September)
     • 9/28/2026–10/25/2026 (October)
   • List Preferred Course
     • Hematopathology Clerkship
     • Surgical Pathology Clerkship
     • Transfusion Medicine Clerkship
     • Clinical Microbiology Clerkship
2. Following approval from the Department of Pathology, the applicant will need to complete the application process outlined here. Upon completion of these criteria, you will be allowed to formally apply and be approved as a visiting student. (Until this process is complete, the elective as approved first by the Department is not “official”).
   
   If you have questions, please contact Nicole Astell at nicole-astell@uiowa.edu.