Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship

Overview

As a tertiary referral center located in downtown Dallas, our primary training facility provides fellows experience in a broad range of pathology with a very diverse population base. Fellows are exposed to a wide variety of malignant disease, including:

• All types of solid tumors
• Hematological malignancies
• Non-malignant hematology disorders

Throughout training, fellows are given graduated amounts of responsibility for both acutely and chronically ill patients as they progress and learn about the natural history of cancer as well as acquire knowledge of the effectiveness of various therapeutic programs.

The training experience emphasizes basic pathophysiological mechanisms and therapy of neoplastic diseases. Fellows learn the appropriate use of laboratory tests, imaging techniques, biopsies and procedures used for the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic and oncologic disorders.

Fellows become familiar with design and interpretation of experimental protocols as well as the requirements of institutional review boards and the experience of obtaining informed consent from research participants. As part of the educational assessment, each fellow takes the American Society of Clinical Oncology Medical Oncology In-Training Examination annually.

Rotations

Outpatient experience constitutes a major portion of each hematology and oncology service rotation. Approximately 20 percent of inpatients are on the internal medicine teaching service; therefore, fellows see patients as a consultant for the internal medicine housestaff on the clinic service throughout the fellowship.

For patients not on the internal medicine teaching service, fellows work directly under the attending oncologist as the primary physician. After discussion with the attending oncologist, the trainee is responsible for writing orders, performing bone marrow examinations and other procedures, and implementing the ongoing care of outpatients.

Fellows also attend a continuity clinic with an attending one half day per week throughout the three years.

Call schedule

Fellows will be on call Monday through Friday during daytime hours for the attending physician with whom they are rotating. Fellows will take the first call from the hospital. Fellows are not on call after 5 p.m. during the week.

Fellows take call on weekends and holidays throughout the year, in rotating fashion. On weekends, the fellows are expected to answer outpatient phone calls, help with consults and admissions and be available for medical emergencies and procedures.

Conferences

The regularly held basic science and research conferences, journal club discussions, didactic fellow conferences and case conferences constitute a formal mechanism to provide fellows with fundamental information about the pathophysiology, pharmacology, genetics, molecular biology and immunology of malignant disease.

Participation in disease-oriented conferences (lymphoma, breast or other site-tumor multidisciplinary conferences) also involves discussion of basic pathophysiological mechanisms and new research developments.

Fellows also meet on a monthly basis for microscope review of unknown cases and review of morphology followed by discussion of the condition presented.

Required conferences include:

• Oncology conferences (rotational)
• Microscope rounds
• Case conference
• Journal club
• Palliative care
• Hematopoietic/site tumor conference
• Fellows conference
• Oncology grand rounds
• Internal medicine grand rounds
• Internal medicine housestaff conferences

Research

Fellows are required to identify a project of interest, secure a faculty advisor, develop an outline and prepare an abstract and/or manuscript which hopefully leads to publication in a peer-reviewed scientific medical journal and/or presentation at a national meeting.

One month during the first and second years of the program is reserved for research. During the third year, each fellow will have up to six months to participate in research.