The first year of the Hematology/Oncology fellowship program is organized to provide an intense clinical experience in hematology/oncology as detailed below. The subsequent two years are tailored to the specific career and research interests of the fellow. There is opportunity for joint training in medical oncology/clinical pharmacology, or medical oncology/geriatrics (of 3-4 years) resulting in eligibility for clinical pharmacology or geriatrics boards as well.

The curriculum in medical oncology/geriatrics integrates training in both disciplines. In general, geriatric oncology fellows will pursue a program that is predominantly geriatrics in the first year, including inpatient, outpatient and long-term care experiences, but also with oncology continuity clinics. In the second year, geriatric oncology fellows typically will shift to a more traditional oncology program while maintaining an outpatient geriatric oncology (Survivor Clinic) continuity panel. The research interests of the trainee will be considered for flexible programming. For more information about the Fellowship Training Program in Geriatric Oncology, click here.

Clinical training experiences are highlighted below:

Inpatient service rotation
Each fellow will spend a minimum of eight months on the inpatient hematology/oncology services during his or her first year.

Outpatient clinic rotation
A significant commitment to primary patient management is expected. Each fellow will participate in three outpatient clinics each week during their first year as well as ambulatory rotation. The general hematology clinics serve patients with classic hematologic problems including abnormalities of white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets and coagulation, as well as hematological malignancies. The general oncology clinics include training in diagnosis and staging of various malignant diseases and outpatient chemotherapy administration.

Each fellow will maintain a general continuity clinic throughout the subsequent one or two years of fellowship training.

Fellows are asked to evaluate new patients and to present them to appropriate faculty members to whom they may have been referred. Fellows will perform the majority of new patient evaluations and presentations. Fellows will be expected to follow a reasonable number of patients so that the longitudinal aspects and natural history of a particular disease can be perceived.

Inpatient Services
The inpatient fellow will be expected to participate in Attending Rounds, which occur daily in the morning and occasionally in the late afternoon. The fellow will act as a junior attending and will assist the attending physician with teaching responsibilities as well as with patient care and management. In addition, the fellow will be responsible for writing treatment protocol notes, calculating drug doses, and writing orders for chemotherapy and experimental drugs.

Consultation Services
The fellow will be responsible for the primary consultation evaluation regarding hematologic or oncologic problems. The fellow usually will evaluate patients in conjunction with a medical resident and a senior medical student. The fellow will be expected to review all cases, including laboratory data and bone marrow material, before presentation to the attending physician. Most consultations are answered within 24 hours. Emergency consultations will be addressed to the fellow for initial screening and evaluation.

Electives
Fellows wishing to supplement their laboratory or clinical education in areas not emphasized at this University may elect to take rotations wherever feasible. Rotations with clinical associate members of the section in private practice, with other members of the cancer research center, and at other institutions are encouraged.

Abstracts
Each first-year fellow is expected to submit an abstract of some aspect of his or her clinical work to a regional or national meeting by the end of the 1st year. In subsequent years, fellows are encouraged to submit abstracts to national meetings and support is usually available to attend the meeting to present the abstract.