The Pathology Learning Center (PLC) is a support and resource center for teaching and learning with high volume public contact and year round curriculum development projects. 

Our goal is to provide a place where students and teachers can come together to study cases and exchange ideas, where students can have easy access to study materials, and where current curriculum issues are discussed. Faculty, residents, instructors, students and staff use the facility for course administration, small group meetings, independent study time, tutoring sessions, reference material library, microscopes, teaching slides, the latest software, and other curriculum related support. Primarily, the lab serves students and instructors in Pathology, but a variety of other departments frequent the lab as well. You do not have to be enrolled in a Pathology course to utilize this facility.

The advantage of studying at the Pathology Learning Center (PLC) is the availability of computers, resource materials, microscopes, faculty and support people; and the benefit of working in an environment surrounded by others equally concerned with mastering pathology content.

  • 6 Windows PCs
  • 15 Two-head microscopes
  • 2 Five-head microscopes
  • 1 Microscope with video monitor
  • 5 computer classrooms with digital projector for hands-on instruction (seats 8-9)
  • Wireless connection

Selected Student Comments

The people at the PLC are awesome! They can answer our questions, fix problems, help us do things we need to do, etc.

This is a wonderful resource. It is great to have such a supporting and helpful place to go and learn. The support staff for the course is great!

Angela Briggs

Angela Briggs, BA, MA

Title/Position
Instructional Services Manager
Angela oversees the functions of the PLC for students and departmental staff.

Hours

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday
Closed for University Holidays
Applies to summer, winter break, and spring break

Location

149 Medical Research Center
Carver College of Medicine
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1181

Contact information

Phone: 319-335-8192

Room Reservations

For room reservations or questions about the following conference rooms: 1177 ML, 133 MRC, 149 MRC (Scope Room), 364 MRC and 370 MRC; please contact Pathology Research Staff (Kim Smith: kimberly-k-smith@uiowa.edu, 319-335-4217) or (Carla Hartl: carla-hartl@uiowa.edu, 319-335-6559).

At the PLC:

Many of the resources available here are unique to the PLC and vital learning tools for students. The PLC staff is fully aware of the requirements of Pathology courses and special requests from the instructors, and the center is fully equipped and ready to assist patrons.

The resources most commonly used among students and faculty are:

Reference Library Topics:

  • Course Textbooks
  • Exam Review Books
  • Histology
  • Histopathology
  • Laboratory Medicine
  • Pathology

Search the PLC 2X2 Slide Database

If you experience problems with Path course web pages or software, the PLC staff can assist you or they can contact the right people to fix the problem.

Rooms are equipped with: 

  • Digital projector
  • Internet access

Room Locations:

  • 133 Medical Research Center (MRC)
  • 1177 Medical Laboratories (ML)
  • 364 Medical Research Center (MRC)
  • 370 Medical Research Center (MRC)

Availability times vary and reservations are required. Call 335-6559 or 335-4217 for room reservations.

Available to departmental personnel:

  • 2x2 teaching slide library and database
  • CME conference records and reports
  • Virtual Slidebox
  • Wireless connection 

Other equipment available to departmental personnel:

  • Overhead projector
  • Laser pointer
  • Logitech Visual Presenter

Course Support Offered:

  • Schedule classes
  • Coordinate and administer exams, post results in ICON and submit grades to registrar
  • Compile and distribute course evaluations
  • Analyze and track student performance data
  • Serve as liaison between advisors, registrars, allied health programs
  • Prepare and distribute supplies for Case Analysis

The coordinator and staff of the Pathology Learning Center (PLC) assist pathology faculty and instructors in the administration of the following courses:

  • Clerkships in Surgical Pathology, Autopsy Pathology, Hematopathology, Transfusion Medicine and Clinical Microbiology
  • Introduction to Human Pathology
  • Pathogenesis of Major Human Diseases 
  • Translation Histopathology