Primate,
Sorry about the lag in replying, but I've been overseas for New Year's and am still washing the vodka out of my system.
Anyways, I've lived in Cleveland for about 15 years now, and have had the unique pleasure of watching the city go straight down the toilet. Allright, maybe I'm exaggerating, but I'll get to the city proper a little later:
Did a PSF at University Hospitals, and a month at the CCF. Here's what I can tell you:
UH: Pretty decent balance of surg path and clin path, and used to be the place in Ohio for peds path (Redline and Dahms are the two peedie path folks, and Redline's mere physical presence is intimidating, not less that he's a freaking genius). However, UH has taken a hit with surgeons leaving in droves (most peds surgeons are now at Children's in Akron, and a few CT surgeons left in the earlier part of the millenium). Neuro is very strong at UH - notable faculty are Cohen, like you mentioned (who brings a guitar to class and composes songs about neuro path), as well as many CJD researchers at CWRU whose names currently escape me. Transfusion med/blood banking are pretty strong at UH - Yomtovian is pretty big in blood banking, and they've consistently released pretty good attendings into the field (Ravi Sarode, now at UTSW, for starters). Autopsy is pretty well handled at UH with a weekly conference of interesting findings. There was some internal restructuring in the mid-90's which, while I haven't completely grasped, apparently meant a loss of research dollars; but research opportunities are still aplenty, especially with CWRU next door. The residents, now mostly US Grads, all seem pretty happy, even with the interim dean, who seems to be very pro-resident, even if his personality is a bit quirky.
CCF: Unlike UH, whose philosphy seems to be giving residents a well-rounded basic understanding of ap and cp, the Clinic is largely geared to suit it's enormous volume of surgery specimens. This means a much easier time on CP (which emphases more interaction with clinicians), especially with blood banking, and more interesting cancer cases. And lots, lots, LOTS of GI (for which the new PD has brought in Mary Bronner, international guru in the field). Peds path is weaker than UH, but they make up for it with strong molecular and surg path. The PD is relatively new, but is young and has many ideas for the program -- which, for now, means a new multimillion dollar signout facility where each room has it's own digital camera, and a large conference room will have plasma screens connected to it's multiheaded scope. The ultimate idea of the PD is to make the program one of the top 3 in the nation, which, with it's volume, is a very feasible thing to do. The CCF also has the added luxury of being able to throw garbage bags filled with money at world-renowned faculty, so that the only obstacle to them teaching at the Clinic is living in Cleveland. Residents have a remarkably easy time considering the giant volume (9-5 days are the norm, whereas UH residents more frequently will pull a longer day), and have also developed odd habits, such as bodychecking each other, and random students, into various walls and obstacles throughout the hospital corridors. Neuro path is very strong too, with Prayson being the local np guy. It seems that there's a lot of dialogue between the np staff at both hospitals.
That should hopefully be enough about the programs for now; if you have any other questions that can't be answered by the blue book, please don't hesitate to ask.
Now, on to the city:
Cleveland, unfortunately, isn't the best city to live in. that is, if you're young, single, and like independent music. The whole area between Pittsburg and Detroit used to rely heavily on the steel industry, and while Cleveland has recovered from the capitulation a few decades ago, it's still more of an industrial town. The previous mayor ran the town terribly, and it will probably take a while to sort out all of his mistakes, corrupt practices, etc. But there's hope: Downtown Cleveland is becoming more and more active, with new restaurants popping up and lots of housing being built in very attractive locations. Living downtown means a 10-15 minute drive to work, and access to pretty much the best parts of the entire city. The Browns still suck since the return as a franchise a few years ago, but that only means things will improve; the Tribe is past it's golden years of the late '90s, and the Cavs will take a while to reach the heights they had when, two years running, the only think that kept them from advancing in the playoffs were last-second Michael Jordan jump shots. But, they do have LeBron, so they'll at least be interesting to watch.
Phew. I just realized how much I wrote... I'll stop for now, and just quickly recap:
1) the Clinic is probably geared more towards primary practice, but don't let anyone tell you that the staff isn't geared towards teaching. That's a load of crap. It's a program with a young and ambitious PD who has the attitude, philosophy, and (most importantly) money to make the program one of the best in the nation.
2) UH has a history of internal strife between the research and clinical side, but it doesn't really seem to affect the residency program proper. While not enjoying the name recognition as it's neighbor a few streets farther West, it still has plenty of it's own faculty that are widely well-known, and a very well-balanced program.
3) if you, like most people, won't mind living in Cleveland, either of the above programs are pretty damn good places to do your training (residents in both places are pretty happy with their lot). As always, what you want in a program will vary, so make sure you're an informed consumer before making your decision.
hope I didn't ramble. And hope I helped.
ac
