Terrence Geiger, MD, PhD

Director of Clinical Pathology
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis, TN
Undergraduate: UCLA (1986)
Medical School: Yale School of Medicine (1993)
Graduate School: Yale University (1993)
Residency (Laboratory Medicine): Yale New Haven Hospital (1996)
Fellowship (Transfusion Medicine, Immunobiology): Yale New Haven Hospital (1999)

What attracted you to the residency program at Yale New Haven?

Laboratory Medicine is pretty unique at Yale because it is an independent department and really stands on its own. The department has a very strong clinical reputation, as well as being affiliated with impressive research. I was specifically interested in Transfusion Medicine, an area that is particularly strong. As a medical student at Yale, I had already met many of the faculty and had some insight into the training program. Staying at Yale for my residency was an easy decision.

How did Yale New Haven prepare you for your current leadership role?

Leadership training is particularly prominent in the Laboratory Medicine program, and this is part of its philosophy. You're there training to direct a lab, not just acquire clinical knowledge or care skills. There's a lot of one-on-one time with lab directors. It's daily and continuous, which is very important. There's also a great deal of time spent with department managers, the technologists and supervisors. This is important in learning what's necessary from a regulatory and a management perspective. Yale's training gave me good perspective on all aspects of operations necessary to be able to direct a clinical laboratory, and that experience has proved incredibly important to me.