The first year is focused on developing clinical skills where you will develop your knowledge base and gain experience in both the inpatient and outpatient management of children with a large variety of hematology, oncologic, and transplant-related disorders. Fellows are expected to take ownership of their patients during their rotations and throughout their continuity clinics. As fellows demonstrate the necessary skills to be Pediatric Hematology/Oncology physicians, a greater degree of autonomy is achieved. Potential research projects and preliminary research work is also explored during this time and is based on the fellow’s interests and goals. The remainder of the fellowship is focused on completing a research project. This will be accomplished under the guidance of a research mentor and established research laboratory. You will interview and identify this mentor as well as a research projected in the first year. A Scholarship Oversight Committee, in conjunction with the trainee, the mentor, and the program director will determine whether the selected research activity is appropriate to meet the ABP guidelines for scholarly activity. To maintain clinical skills, fellows return to the inpatient rotation for 4 weeks in each of the second and third years of fellowship.
Inpatient Experience
Fellows spend nine (9) four-week rotations managing patients on the pediatric floors, newborn nursery, neonatal intensive care unit, and intensive care unit with supervision from the ward attending. The fellow’s role and responsibilities will progressively become greater through the course of fellowship as their knowledge, skill, and experience increases. The duties that the fellow is to perform include directing inpatient rounds, providing follow-up for consultations, managing acutely ill patients, coordinating admissions and transfers, delivering informed consent for procedures and chemotherapy, participating in the management of patients receiving chemotherapy, and providing teaching to the students and resident. One week, generally in the third week of the rotation, the fellow will focus on the coordination and delivery of chemotherapy in conjunction with the Advanced Practice Practitioner.
Outpatient Experience
Fellow’s spend a total of two (2) four-week rotations in the outpatient clinic, where they will have an opportunity to see patients and interact with attending’s that specialize in each of the Pediatric hematology/Oncology areas. Clinics are organized around brain tumors, hematologic disorders (sickle cell/hemophilia), solid tumors, bone marrow transplant, long-term follow up/survivorship, and hematologic malignancies. These blocks are in addition to the continuity care clinic.
Continuity Clinic
Attendance at a fellow’s continuity clinic is mandatory and supersedes all other duty assignments expect to stabilize a critically ill patient. Fellow’s spend one half day each week in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology clinic through all three (3) years of training. The half day will be assigned in the morning. Fellows are expected to establish a relationship and follow a diverse panel of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology patients that have presented to them on the wards or in the clinic. A list of these patients is to be kept and reviewed in December to ensure appropriate diversity. Fellows are responsible for scheduling their patients during their continuity clinics.
Research Program
Research training is an important component of the pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship program. Fellow’s will develop a formal research project which will be their primary focus during their second and third year of fellowship. The fellow will be expected to formulate a three member Scholarship Oversight Committee (SOC), identify a mentor, and begin organizing a research project during their first year of fellowship. Time is provided during the subspecialty elective rotations to identify a mentor and begin planning. All fellows will be expected to engage in projects in which they develop hypotheses or in projects of substantive scholarly exploration and analysis that require critical thinking. Fellow’s must gather and analyze data, derive and defend conclusions, place conclusions in the context of what is known or not known about a specific area of inquiry, and present their work in oral and written form to their Scholarship Oversight Committee.
The SOC meets every six (6) months in the second and third year, formally or informally, to review fellows’ progress. A written report from the meeting is to be recorded in New Innovations.
Areas where research may be pursued:
- Basic science
- Clinical research
- Translational biomedicine
- Health services
- Quality improvement
- Bioethics
- Education
- Public policy