Training and Experience
Clinical Experience
Our clinical inpatient teams are divided into three separate hematology, oncology and BMT services. Fellows spend 10-12 weeks on each of the Hematology and Oncology services during their first year, providing inpatient and consultative care. Eight weeks are also devoted to the Blood and Marrow Transplant service in the first year. Fellows have ample opportunities to perform procedures, i.e., lumbar punctures and bone marrow aspirates biopsies and bone marrow harvests. The Hematology/Oncology clinic is staffed by an attending physician at all times. During Ambulatory Clinic rotation, first-year fellows participate in all of our subspecialty clinics for Hematology, Oncology and BMT, while working hand in hand with national experts. Also, fellows spend two weeks of dedicated time with our Neuro-Oncology team and four weeks with Hematopathology during the first year. All fellows have an assigned half-day continuity clinic per week throughout the fellowship, with many choosing to revisit subspecialty clinics and/or procedures during their third year.
Research Experience
The goal of the fellows’ research experience is to learn basic aspects of experimental design and implementation and develop skills needed to produce impactful basic, clinical, translational, medical education, quality improvement, or public health research. Nationwide Children’s, the Abigail Wexner Research Institute, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and Arthur G. James Comprehensive Cancer Center boast world-class research facilities and a renowned faculty with demonstrated experience mentoring fellows. Fellows have pursued research with investigators from our Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, and the Institute for Genomic Medicine. A host of other laboratory options are available, including those at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and OSUCCC – James. Interested fellows have earned advanced degrees in Clinical Science, Public Health, Business Operational Excellence, and Medical Education; the pursuit of which have been supported by the institution and division. Fellows are expected to develop and complete a project that meets criteria for scholarly activity as defined by the American Board of Pediatrics. Experienced faculty guide all first-year fellows in defining their long-term career goals and selecting appropriate mentors through a dedicated research rotation. Fellows working toward independent research careers regularly publish high-impact first author manuscripts and secure funding for their work through institutional and foundation grants and the National Institutes of Health, including those administered by the T32 program within our Center for Childhood Cancer Research. Additionally, we offer a diverse array of fourth-year subspecialty fellowships in Hemostasis-Thrombosis, Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapies, Sarcoma, Neuro-Oncology, and Research. All fellows are expected to submit abstracts to professional meetings and present their research at national meetings; most complete the fellowship program with multiple publications in their portfolio.
Conferences
A full didactic series is offered to fellows. Required conferences include a weekly multidisciplinary patient management meeting, tumor board, monthly problem conference, bi-monthly journal club, quarterly morbidity/mortality meeting and the fellowship didactic lecture series. Fellows play an active role in these didactics. In addition, our institutional Graduate Medical Education Department has organized Fellow’s College Curriculum, designed to meet the needs and ACGME requirements of fellows based on year of fellowship, as well as a dedicated Research Seminar Series and Quality Improvement Program. Fellows are also strongly encouraged to attend divisional research meetings, monthly Pathology for Hematology-Oncology didactic, disease-specific management meetings, pediatric grand rounds and any of the other outstanding educational opportunities offered in the other divisions at Nationwide Children’s.
Call Schedules/Moonlighting
Weekday home-call is divided amongst first-year fellows three days per week, with the fourth day divided between the senior fellows. Weekend call is approximately every fourth weekend throughout fellowship either on the combined Hematology-Oncology service or on the BMT service. This consists of covering calls on inpatients from nurses and residents, as well as home calls from parents. Attending backup is always available and communication with the attending physician is encouraged. Moonlighting opportunities are available with the program director’s approval.
