group of students in a lab

Undergraduate Medical Education

On behalf of all our faculty and trainees, welcome to the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Ottawa! The Department includes Anatomical Pathology, Hematopathology, Microbiology, and Biochemistry.

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is actively involved in undergraduate medical education at the University of Ottawa with 39 faculty members contributing over 370 hours per year to pre-clerkship and clerkship teaching.

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine encourages medical students of all years to pursue an elective in the Department. Electives are designed to expose students to the various clinical activities and responsibilities undertaken by members of the Department. Electives are currently offered for medical students in the Divisions of Anatomical Pathology, Hematology, Biochemistry, and Microbiology.

We look forward to offering you an engaging and rewarding educational experience!

Students in an elective setting

Elective opportunities

Learn more about electives in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Visit our UGME website

Undergraduate medical education co-directors

Dr. Aleksandra Paliga, MD, FRCPC

Dr. Aleksandra Paliga, MD, FRCPC

Dr. Paliga attended post-secondary school at the University of Ottawa and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, graduating summa cum laude. This was followed by medical school at McGill University, then residency in Anatomic Pathology back at the University of Ottawa, followed by a 1-year hematopathology fellowship in Portland Oregon. She was subsequently hired by the Anatomic Pathology Department at the Ottawa Hospital. She is the lymphoma subspeciality lead and she is also the Undergraduate Medical Education Co-Director for Anatomic Pathology. She is very passionate about teaching and is actively involved in sharing her knowledge with medical students, residents and clinicians.

Dr. Omar Al-Nourhji, MD, FRCPC, D-ABP

Dr. Omar Al-Nourhji, MD, FRCPC, D-ABP

A graduate of Damascus University Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Omar Al-Nourhji initially completed residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Southern Illinois University. Following two years of practice in Newfoundland, he returned to pursue additional postgraduate training in the field of Pathology. Dr. Al-Nourhji completed an anatomical pathology/clinical pathology residency at St. Louis University, followed by a cytopathology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. He then returned to Canada to join the University of Saskatchewan before moving to his current position at the Ottawa Hospital, where he is part of the cytology and gynecologic pathology group and actively involved in medical student and resident education.