Pathology is more than what happens under a microscope. It’s about the people who dedicate their careers to improving lives. Beyond the Test: Connecting Communities Through Pathology, is a podcast for medical students, residents, and early-career pathologists navigating the journey into the profession.
Each month, you’ll hear honest conversations with people who are just a few steps ahead, sharing the lessons they’ve learned, the challenges they’ve faced, and the advice they wish they’d received sooner. Whether you’re exploring pathology for the first time or taking the next step in your career, our goal is to help you feel more connected, more confident, and inspired by the community you’re becoming a part of.
New episodes drop monthly. Because beyond every test is a story, a mentor, and a future waiting to be discovered.
Listen to the Latest
Season 2 | Episode #7: From Military Service to Medicine: Finding a Path in Pathology
How can military service shape a career in medicine? Couger Jimenez Jaramillo, MD, Maj, USAF, MC, an active-duty Air Force physician, researcher, and educator, has built her career at the intersection of service and pathology.
Dr. Jimenez Jaramillo shares her journey into medicine and how her military training and pathology residency at Brooke Army Medical Center helped shape her approach to leadership, teamwork, and patient care. She and Joanna discuss the experiences that inspired her work in neuropathology and brain injury research, as well as the opportunities that come with pursuing both a military and medical career.
They also explore the importance of understanding what matters most to you, remaining open to unexpected opportunities, and allowing your values to guide your next step.
This episode is a look at how service can shape not only the path you take, but also the physician, educator, and leader you become.
Featured Guest: Couger Jimenez Jaramillo, MD, Maj, USAF, MC is an active-duty Air Force physician, board-certified pathologist, researcher, and educator. She serves as an assistant professor of pathology at the Uniformed Services University and as an adjunct staff pathologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Her research focuses on neuropathology, brain injury, molecular diagnostics, and the use of emerging technologies in pathology. She is recipient of the CAP Foundation’s 2024 Clinical Laboratory Science Investigator Award, a member of the CAP Neuropathology Committee and a dedicated mentor to future physicians.
Resources and Links:
- Dr. Jimenez Jaramillo’s research on neurofibrillary tangles – First-author publication in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology, resulting from her work with Eli Lilly and Company.
- Surgical Critical Care Initiative Molecular Core Laboratory – One of the laboratories for which Dr. Jimenez Jaramillo serves as medical director.
- Armed Services Whole Blood Processing Laboratory–East – Learn more about the laboratory and its role in supporting the military blood program.
- Department of War Brain Tissue Repository – Information about the brain bank and its work advancing research into traumatic brain injury and related conditions.
- Uniformed Services University – Learn more about the university where Dr. Jimenez Jaramillo teaches.
- Brooke Army Medical Center Pathology Residency – Information about the active-duty anatomic and clinical pathology residency where Dr. Jimenez Jaramillo completed her training.
Learn More About Dr. Jimenez Jaramillo
- USU Airman Expands Medical Knowledge and Cultural Understanding Through Language Program
- CAP Foundation and Eli Lilly Support a Resident Passionate About Research
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