Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship Program

A scenic photo taken from OHSU looking out at Portland's South Waterfront and Mt. Hood in the background.

In the OHSU Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship Program, our goal is to train the next generation of physician-scientists to provide exceptional clinical care and advance the field while maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

Our curriculum is designed to meet the following objectives:

  • Develop physician leaders in hematology and oncology by providing individualized training to fellows through strong mentorship, faculty supervision, and the opportunity to train on one of several different professional pathways.
  • To educate and train hematology/oncology fellow who will provide exceptional, compassionate, patient-centered care with a team-based approach.
  • To provide a training environment that encourages scientific discovery through guaranteed protected time for clinical, translational, and basic science research.
  • To promote a learning environment that focuses on continual growth so that fellows can reach their potential as clinicians and scientists by providing an atmosphere focused on ongoing feedback, goal setting and self-reflection.

The OHSU Hem-Onc fellowship program aims to attract outstanding candidates who are driven to be a part of scientific discovery, to provide excellent and compassionate clinical care, and, ideally, to commit to an academic career in medicine.

Educational tracks

Hematology consults

Number of blocks: 
Location(s): OHSU and PVAMC 
Team: Attending (1), fellow (1), internal medicine resident (0-2), medical student (0-1) 
Fellows will see consults at both OHSU and PVAMC, often with an even balance of the two on a daily basis. This mixture of patient populations provides an excellent and broad exposure to all manner of non-malignant hematology pathologies, including disorders of thrombosis and hemostasis, hemoglobinopathies, and all manner of cytopenias. In addition, the hematology consult service serves as the primary consulting team for all patients with hematologic malignancies admitted for chemotherapy at PVAMC; these patients are managed primarily by medicine teaching service and hospitalists with hematology consultants guiding care.

Oncology consults

Number of blocks: 
Location(s): OHSU and PVAMC
Team: Attending (1), fellow (1), physician assistant (1), internal medicine resident (0-2), medical student  
Fellows will see consults at both OHSU and PVAMC, often with an even balance of the two on a daily basis. This mixture of patient populations provides an excellent and broad exposure to all manner of solid tumors and patient populations. Consults typically consist of: 1) new cancer diagnoses to help with appropriate staging and other workup, 2) assistance to primary teams in diagnosing and managing cancer and treatment-related complications, 3) assistance with palliative/end-of-life discussions with patients, family and other medical providers. 

Malignant hematology

Number of blocks: 
Location(s): OHSU 
Team: 
Attending, fellow, advanced practice practitioners (APP), pharmacist(s) 
Fellows will participate in a multidisciplinary team caring for patients with all manner of hematologic malignancies admitted to OHSU for treatment and/or complications of care, including CAR-T and immune therapy. The malignant hematology service is split into three teams: 1) acute leukemia, 2) allogeneic transplant, and 3) autologous transplant. Fellows typically spend their first block on the acute leukemia service, and second block on the allogeneic transplant service, though fellows are able to tailor their second rotation depending on their clinical interests. Fellows will be the primary provider responsible for 5-6 patients at one time.

VA outpatient

Number of blocks: 2 
Location(s): PVAMC 
Team: Fellow (1) 
The VA outpatient block provides a structured schedule to rotate through a variety of multidisciplinary hematology and oncology clinics at PVAMC, including Lung, GI, GU, head & neck, as well as hematologic malignancies. This experience includes participation in the various sub-specialty, multi-disciplinary tumor boards at the VA. In addition, fellows will participate in addressing “e-consults” to the PVAMC heme/onc service, providing excellent experience in initial triage and response to various consult questions. 

Palliative care

Number of blocks: 
Location(s): PVAMC 
Team: Attending (1), heme/onc fellow (1), palliative care fellow (1), social work (1-2) 
Fellows will participate in a multidisciplinary team seeing inpatient consults at PVAMC. Consults are typically for assistance in managing cancer-related symptoms, emotional suffering and end-of-life discussions. Fellows will receive see consults with heme/onc diagnosis. This rotation also includes participation in a weekly palliative care outpatient clinic, which often provides opportunities for fellows to see their own patients from their own VA heme/onc clinic panel in a structured palliative care setting.

Elective

Number of blocks: 1 
Location(s): PVAMC 
Fellows are provided a block to devote to educational, clinical or research activities of their choosing. Fellows are expected to design a learning and/or research plan before the start of this block. Examples of elective activities include intensive exposure in a single sub-specialty solid tumor clinic, a broad exposure to several different clinics, or intensive focus on a basic, clinical or translational research project. 

VA fellow clinic

The OHSU hematology/oncology program prides itself on a unique and robust VA clinic experience, consistently reported by fellows to be the highlight of their training. Fellows serve as primary consultants for their own panel of veteran patients in a weekly clinic on Thursday mornings at PVAMC, continued throughout all three years of fellowship. Patients from are referred from Oregon as well as the greater Pacific Northwest region for ANY hematologic or oncologic disease; this provides a continual, broad exposure to pathologies. Fellows see patients and formulate workup and management plans independently. 2-3 attending physicians are always available in clinic with the sole purpose of staffing patients. Benefitting fellows in this clinic is an experienced group of hematology and oncology nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and social workers who make themselves available to assist fellows in effective an efficient longitudinal care of medically complex patients. Each fellow is assigned to one of three nurse practitioners, who can assist by seeing patients in between chemo cycles, monitoring for toxicities, and any number of other tasks.

Fellow tumor board experience

A highlight of the VA outpatient fellow clinic is a weekly fellow tumor board. This event occurs every Wednesday afternoon, and is attended by all fellows, typically 3-4 attendings of various specialties, and a dedicated radiologist; pathologists and other specialties can be invited on a case-by-case basis. This tumor board exists solely for the benefit of the fellows, who are provided the opportunity to present new or challenging cases in preparation for clinic the following day. This venue facilitates real-time interpretation of imaging studies by the radiologist as well as robust discussion of supporting evidence for various management strategies. This unique conference has been widely hailed as a major strength of our program, positioning fellows as champions of their patients’ care and helping them confidently develop comprehensive management strategies ahead of time for new and difficult clinic cases.

Subspecialty clinics

In their second year of training, fellows rotate through subspecialty hematology & oncology clinics at OHSU and the VA. Fellows spend 3-4 weeks in each subspecialty, with emphasis on GI, breast, lung, hematologic malignancies, and non-malignant hematology. Fellows are expected to see patients from their attending’s clinic panels. Attending physicians consistently provide relevant literature on specific topics encountered during clinic. In addition, fellows attend the relevant weekly tumor boards for the subspecialty rotation to which they are assigned.

Grand rounds

New this academic year, the OHSU heme/onc division is initiating a division-wide grand rounds on a quarterly basis. This session, meant to continue strengthening a sense of community, collegiality and creative vision for our division, will feature prominent guest speakers invited from across the globe to present and discuss relevant, timely and novel ideas and topics of interest to all disciplines within hematology/oncology.

Rotating didactic session

When: Monday morning (8 am-9 am) 
This session consists of a rotation of topics and often led by fellows, including morbidity & mortality conferences and case presentations, and also provides a venue for fellows to present ongoing or published research projects as well as practice job talks. This time also provides an opportunity to continue disease-specific didactics typically presented during Friday morning conferences.

VA fellow tumor board, board review, and FDA drug approvals

When: Wednesday afternoon (12 pm-2 pm) 
This afternoon session includes the VA fellow tumor board from 12-1, followed by a board review session on a specific topic led by a fellow from 1-2, coordinated with disease-specific didactic sessions on Friday mornings (see below) to reinforce learning. On a monthly basis, the 1-2 slot is also dedicated to review of recently FDA-approved drugs in hematology & oncology, where fellows are expected to each prepare a short presentation on a newly-approved therapy and an interpretation of the data leading to its approval. This is also considered a highlight by fellows as a dedicated time to keep up to date on the rapidly expanding field of heme/onc therapeutics.

Tumor-specific “Master Class”

When: Friday morning (8 am-9 am) 
The Master Classes consist of disease-specific lectures to review pathophysiology, diagnosis, staging and management. Fellows are expected to lead at least one of these sessions per year on a disease type of their choosing, with assistance from an appropriate faculty member who also attends the session to provide additional learning pearls. These topics are coordinated with weekly board review sessions to reinforce learning (see above).

Thrombosis and Hemostasis conference and “Thrombosis board”

When: Friday afternoon (12 pm-1 pm) 
At this popular and heavily-attended weekly conference (pizza included!) chaired by Dr. Tom DeLoughery, all manner of topics in thrombosis and hemostasis are presented. Format is typically a patient case, followed by an open discussion of the workup and management. Topics discussed have included: High-risk thrombophilias (antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, cancer-associated thrombosis), workup of the undifferentiated bleeding diathesis, discussion of anticoagulation reversal strategies, and difficult scenarios in hemophilia. Once per month, this time slot is dedicated to a “thrombosis board,” which provides an opportunity for any providers (fellows and attendings from both pediatric and adult backgrounds) to present interesting or challenging outpatient or inpatient cases for discussion, including review of labs and imaging in a group setting, in a manner similar to malignancy tumor boards.

Journal clubs

When: Quarterly, evenings from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm 
Journal clubs are hosted by attendings at their homes, and are attended by fellows and any interested faculty, with food and drink provided. Host attendings select 1-2 newly published, high-impact journal articles in their field of expertise to present to the group and discuss in an informal setting.

Fellows in the OHSU hematology/oncology program will be positioned to succeed in any area of basic, clinical or translational science research. The Knight Cancer Institute has received the highest designation from the National Cancer Institute as a “Comprehensive Cancer Center,” due to the extensive breadth of research performed at our institution and the high quality of care delivered to our patients. Our fellows have been highly successful in applying for major career development grants, including two recent recipients of the ASH Research Training Award for Fellows (RTAF), ASCO/AACR Vail clinical trial design workshop, and Hemostasis & Thrombosis Research Society Fellow Consortium. Fellows in our program can academically thrive as a result of several key factors: 

  1. Over 200 active clinical trials led by OHSU primary investigators across all disciplines of solid and liquid oncology and non-malignant hematology. 
  2. The new Knight Cancer Research Building (KCRB), a beautiful center offering space for translational research collaboration and providing state-of-the-art technology 
  3. The Oregon Clinical & Translational Research Institute, providing assistance on research design, implementation, medical writing and biostatistics, as well as offering multiple educational courses
  4. Financial support to apply for, and attend, society meetings/conferences including ASH, ASCO and ISTH. 

Fellowship tracks

Following the first year of core rotations, the second- and third-year fellowship training allows for educational individualization based on the interests and needs of each fellow. Fellows will complete their training through one of the four tracks as outlined below, with ongoing support from their individual scholarship oversight committee.

In addition to the mentorship provided by the fellowship tracks, mentors and fellows will be encouraged to access resources provided by the OHSU Mentorship Academy and schedule individual meetings with a Professional and Career Development Specialist at OHSU.

    Fellow expectations

    • Indicate interest in a specific fellowship track at the start of first year, with firm commitment at the start of second year
    • PD or chief fellow(s) will facilitate introduction between first-year fellow and Faculty Mentor within track of interest
    • Meet with Faculty Mentor within the first 3 months of the first year to identify clinical and research mentors within subspecialty of interest
    • Develop a scholarship oversight committee to include the Faculty Mentor and clinical/research mentor(s) to meet twice a year to review clinical, research, and professional progress (timeline detailed below)
    • Review and comply with the general requirements of the specific track starting in the second year of fellowship

    Faculty mentor expectations

    Faculty mentors are chosen for their connections with other faculty, approachability, and natural ability for mentoring. Expectations include:

    • Meet with the fellow within the first 3 months of the first year to identify and assign clinical and research mentors based on each fellow’s specific interests
    • Arrange for subsequent meetings every 6 months thereafter, ensuring that the specific goals of each meeting are addressed per the timeline below
    • Formulate a general framework of both short-term (3-6 months) and long-term (2-5 years) career goals with the fellow
    • Detail the general requirements of the track and ensure that the fellow is completing the set goals appropriately

    Who: Fellows interested in academic careers focusing on management of hematologic malignancies using transplantation and cancer immunotherapies including cellular therapies.

    Faculty mentor: Brandon Hayes-Lattin, M.D.

    General requirements

    Clinical

    • First-year: 1 month leukemia and 1 month BMT
    • Second/Third-Years:
      • Inpatient: 1 month allo-HCT and 1 month auto-HCT
      • Expectation: serve as the attending physician (“mock-tending”), managing the entire service but not acting as the primary caregiver of any one patient 
    • Outpatient:
      • ½ day clinic in mentor’s clinic for duration of second/third year
      • ½ day rotating clinic with 4 different BMT attendings in 6 month blocks during second/third year
    • Cellular Therapy rotation: 1 month, divided into 1 week rotations
      • Apheresis/stem cell procurement
      • Stem cell processing
      • HLA laboratory: Kashi
      • Cytogenomics / Molecular genetics
    • Additional suggested rotations:
      • Transplant ID rotation
      • Palliative care/supportive oncology
      • Moonlighting on BMT service

    Research

    • Basic, translational, or clinical research project pertaining to transplant or cellular therapy in conjunction with primary mentor  
    • Attend and/or present abstract at one major conference per year: ASH and/or ASTCT 
    • Publications: minimum of 1 paper (research paper, review article, or case series/case report) or book chapter per year

    Educational goals

    The following goals are adapted from the ASTCT Guidelines for Fellowship Training in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Immune Effector Cell Therapy (Jain et al., Transplant Cell Ther 2022)

    Medical knowledge

    • Describe the history and evolution of HCT as a therapeutic modality.
    • Describe the types and biology of hematopoietic stem cells, the sources of hematopoietic cells, modifications of the HCT product and the use of growth factors.
    • Describe the pathophysiology, including the types and biology, of immune effector cells (IEC)
    • Describe the use of HCT for the treatment of and the outcomes for the following diseases: acute and chronic myeloid leukemias, acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemias, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, Multiple myeloma, Myelodysplasia and myeloproliferative disorders, Aplastic anemia, Germ cell tumor
    • Describe the indications for autologous, allogeneic transplantation, or CAR T-cell therapy and the differences in patient management, complications and outcomes between them
    • Understand the diagnosis and management of early and late complications of HCT including:
      • Short- and long-term complications of preparative regimen chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy
      • Graft versus host disease: diagnosis, pathophysiology, staging, prophylaxis and treatment
      • Veno-occlusive disease: diagnosis, pathophysiology, prophylaxis and treatment
      • Immunosuppression and infectious disease:
        • Fungal and PCP prophylaxis
        • Empiric antibiotic therapy for prolonged neutropenia
        • Monitoring and treatment of CMV
      • Selected ID, GI, pulmonary and reproductive complications
    • Understand the diagnosis and management of early and late IEC toxicity including:
      • Cytokine release syndrome
      • IEC-associated neurologic syndrome (ICANS)
      • Delayed hematopoietic recovery 
      • Risk for infection 

    Patient care

    • Demonstrate clinical skills of medical history and physical examination, with specific attention to complications related to immunosuppressed patients.
    • Demonstrate clinical skill in the diagnosis and management of graft-versus-host disease.
    • Demonstrate clinical skill in medical management of patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy and immunosuppressive agents. 
    • Demonstrate clinical skill in managing patients who receive IECs
    • Demonstrate competency in performing the following procedures: 
      • Autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell apheresis
      • Cryopreservation, thawing, and administration of hematopoietic stem cells and cellular products
      • Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy
      • Lumbar puncture and intrathecal chemotherapy

    Interpersonal and communication skills

    • Develop and demonstrate competence in effective and efficient communication with patients and their families.
    • Develop and demonstrate competence in effective and efficient communication with physician colleagues on the BMT service, BMT APPs, physicians from other services, nursing, and support staff. 

    Practice-based learning and improvement

    • Formulate and research clinical questions through clinical databases pertinent to patient care as they arise.   
    • Demonstrate the ability to teach medical information as an educator of patients, families, and other health care members of the team
    • Select Cases for in-depth research discussion and presentation at the weekly BMT educational conference

    System-based Practice

    • Recognize financial issues of HCT including costs of therapy, the prolonged nature of HCT complications and recovery, and the impact of contracts with insurance companies.
    • Actively participate in the multidisciplinary approach to caring for BMT patients including appropriate recognition of other health professional’s roles and demonstrate competence in team interactions, including nutritionist, pharmacist, APP, physical therapist, social worker, nurse coordinator.

    Professionalism

    • Demonstrate respect and compassionate use of medical skills for BMT patients. This includes the treatment of patients and families dealing with life-threatening illnesses undergoing toxic therapies.
    • Demonstrate respect and compassionate use of medical skills for BMT patients receiving comfort care.

    Who: Fellows interested in a career in academic clinical research

    Faculty Mentor: Emerson Chen, M.D.

    General requirements

    Clinical

    • Inpatient: minimum 2 weeks during second/third year on the inpatient consult service (depending on subspecialty of interest)
      • Expectation: serve as the attending physician (“mock-tending”), managing the entire service, leading rounds, fielding questions 
    • Outpatient: 
      • ½ day clinic in mentor’s clinic for duration of second/third year
      • ½ day rotating clinic with other attendings within subspecialty of interest (or extend to full day(s) of clinic with mentor) for duration of third year
    • Additionally suggested rotations based on subspecialty of interest: 
      • Hematology: 
        • Transfusion medicine and blood banking 
        • Hematopathology
        • Bloodless medicine
        • Hemophilia 
        • Center for Women’s Health & Hematology
    • Oncology:
      • Radiation oncology
      • Surgical oncology
      • Molecular pathology
      • Genetics
    • Hematologic malignancy:
      • Inpatient leukemia or BMT 
      • Hematopathology 

    Research

    • Design a mentored-research project to comply with the goals detailed below
    • Application for an early career development award is required: 
      • ASH Research Training Award for Fellows, ASH Minority Hematology Fellow Award, ASCO Young Investigator, Lymphoma Research Foundation Clinical Investigator CDA, OHSU Medical Research Foundation Early Career Investigator, etc.  
    • Application to additional training program is encouraged: 
      • ASH Clinical Research Training Institute, ASCO/AACR Clinical Trials workshop, AACR Molecular Biology in Clinical Oncology workshop, NCI Drug Development workshop, EHA-ASH Translational Research Training in Hematology, SWOG, etc. 
    • Consider enrollment in the AACR Professional Advancement Series Sessions (sessions include grant writing workshop, navigating the path to a successful career in cancer research, etc.)
    • Attend and present research abstract at one major conference per year
    • Publications: minimum of 1 paper (research paper, review article, or case series/case report) per year

    Education

    • Human Investigators Program (HIP) certificate program enrollment is required 
    • Consider enrollment in OCTRI Responsible Conduct of Research course
    • Consider attending the OCTRI Research Forum, a monthly seminar to discuss updates in clinical and translational research 
    • Consider serving on the Clinical Research Review Committee, Institutional Review Board, or Data Safety Monitoring Committee

    Research goals

    • Meet with primary mentor during the first year to design a clinical research project relevant to fellow’s interests and career goals
    • Consider incorporation of laboratory or translational research component to complement clinical research project (i.e., to collect and process patient samples in lab)
    • Conduct a literature search on existing data in the field to gain knowledge and guide project design
    • Consider drafting a review article on clinical research interest
    • Complete relevant CITI training courses in the Responsible Conduct of Research and Human Subjects Research 
    • Plan for IRB submission by the beginning of second year 
    • Focus on protocol concept development and protocol writing if relevant to the research project
    • Devise plan for patient enrollment and/or retrospective chart review depending on clinical research project
    • Collect data and meet with research statistician for data analysis support
    • Prepare and submit research abstract at major conference
    • Focus on manuscript writing and submission to relevant peer-reviewed journal

    Who: Fellows interested in a career focusing primarily on clinical practice 

    Faculty mentor: Derek Galligan, M.D.

    General requirements

    Clinical

    • Outpatient rotation schedule clearly delineated at the start of second year focusing on the breadth of subspecialties within hematology and oncology
    • Minimum requirement: three full day rotating clinics per week during second/third years to incorporate the following core clinics: 
      • Thoracic
      • Head & Neck
      • Genitourinary: prostate, kidney, urothelial 
      • Breast 
      • Gastrointestinal: colorectal, anal, esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, hepatobiliary, HCC, neuroendocrine
      • Melanoma
      • Sarcoma
      • Gynecologic oncology
      • Hematologic malignancy: ALL, AML, MDS, lymphoma, myeloma
      • Classical hematology
    • Additional suggested rotations:
      • 3- to 6-month rotation at CHO 
      • Additional ½ day of VA continuity clinic to start during second-half of second year and continuing through third year
      • Phase I and Experimental Therapeutics 
      • Neuro-oncology
      • Palliative care/supportive oncology

    Research

    • Must design and lead a scholarly research project: 
      • Scope of projects include quality improvement, health policy, health equity, health services research, systems-based research, medical education and curriculum development
    • Attend and/or present research abstract at one major conference per year
    • Publication: minimum of 1 paper (research paper, review article, or case series/case report) or book chapter 

    Education

    • Fellows are required to prepare and present two lectures per month at fellow didactics or special interest talk (i.e., M&M conference, FDA talk, Fellows Research presentation, etc.) 
    • Application to a skills building/leadership workshop is required: ASH Medical Educators Institute, ASH Trainee Council, ASCO Education Scholars Program, ASCO Quality Training Program, ASCO Resilience Skills Training Program, etc. 
    • Consider joining ASCO Community of interest: Women in Oncology, Oncology Trainee Community, Medical Education Community of Practice, Clinician Wellbeing in Oncology, Artificial Intelligence in Oncology, Integrative Oncology, Global Oncology, Geriatric Oncology
    • Consider contributing cases or commentary to e-newsletter Hematopoiesis and the ASCO Daily News
    • Consider additional involvement in teaching through the medical school, physician assistant program, or internal medicine residency

    Educational goals

    The following goals are adapted from the ACGME Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Hematology and Medical Oncology.

    Medical Knowledge

    • Demonstrate knowledge of the basic molecular and pathophysiologic mechanisms, diagnosis, and therapy of disease of the blood
    • Demonstrate knowledge of genetics and developmental biology including molecular genetics, the nature of oncogenes and their products, and cytogenetics
    • Demonstrate knowledge of the physiology and pathophysiology of cell and molecular biology, hematopoiesis, principles of oncogenesis, tumor immunology, and the patterns of tumor metastases
    • Demonstrate knowledge of basic and clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity
    • Demonstrate knowledge of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, including clinical study and experimental protocol design, data collection, and analysis
    • Demonstrate knowledge of principles, indications for, and complications of autologous and allogeneic cell transplantation 
    • Understand the diagnosis and management of complications of neoplastic conditions and systemic therapies, including: 
      • Neutropenic fever
      • Tumor lysis syndrome
      • Cord compression 
      • Superior vena cava syndrome
      • Paraneoplastic disorders 
      • Cancer-related pain and anxiety

    Patient care

    • Demonstrate clinical skills of medical history and physical examination, with specific attention to complications related to patients with oncologic conditions
    • Demonstrate competence in the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, and management of patients with hematologic and neoplastic disorders specified above
    • Demonstrate competence in the assessment of tumor burden and response as measured by physical and radiologic exam and tumor markers
    • Demonstrate clinical skill in medical management of patients receiving chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted agents
    • Demonstrate competence in the care of geriatric patients with neoplastic and hematologic disorders
    • Demonstrate competence in specific cancer prevention and screening, including genetic testing in high-risk individuals
    • Demonstrate competency in performing the following procedures: 
      • Peripheral blood smear interpretation 
      • Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy

    Interpersonal and communication skills

    • Develop and demonstrate competence in effective and efficient communication with patients and their families.
    • Develop and demonstrate competence in effective and efficient communication with physicians from other services, including palliative care, APPs, nursing, and support staff. 

    Practice-based learning and improvement

    • Demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate care of patients, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and lifelong learning
    • Formulate and research clinical questions through clinical databases pertinent to patient care as they arise.   
    • Demonstrate the ability to teach medical information as an educator of patients, families, and other health care members of the team
    • Select Cases for in depth research discussion and presentation at the weekly fellow’s tumor board

    Systems-based Practice

    • Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of healthcare, including social determinants of health, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources to provide optimal health care
    • Actively participate in the multidisciplinary approach to caring for cancer patients including appropriate recognition of other health professional’s roles and demonstrate competence in team interactions, including nutritionist, pharmacist, APP, social worker, nurse coordinator.

    Professionalism

    • Demonstrate respect and compassionate use of medical skills for patients with cancer. This includes the treatment of patients and families dealing with life-threatening illnesses undergoing toxic therapies.
    • Demonstrate respect and compassionate use of medical skills for cancer patients receiving comfort care.

    Who: Fellows interested in laboratory-based career (“wet” or “dry” lab) with focus on developing skills needed for an independent lab career 

    Faculty mentor: Jennifer Saultz, D.O.

    General requirements

    Clinical

    • ½ day clinic in mentor’s clinic for duration of second/third year
    • If the primary mentor is non-clinical (PhD), the scholarship oversight committee will be expected to identify a clinical mentor (MD) within subspecialty of interest 

    Research

    • Design a mentored-research project to comply with the goals detailed below
    • Application for an early career development award is required: 
      • ASH Research Training Award for Fellows, ASH Minority Hematology Fellow Award, ASCO Young Investigator, AACR, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Career Development Program, Medical Research Foundation Early Clinical Investigator award, etc.  
    • Application to additional training program is encouraged: 
      • AACR Molecular Biology in Clinical Oncology Workshop, EHA-ASH Translational Research Training in Hematology, etc.
    • Attend and present research at one major conference per year
    • Publications: minimum of 1 paper (research paper, review, or case series/case report) per year

    Education

    • OHSU Vollum Writing Program enrollment is required
    • Consider enrollment in the Human Investigations Program (HIP) and the HIP Scientific Writing Course
    • Consider enrollment in OCTRI Responsible Conduct of Research course
    • If awarded career development grant, enrollment in OCTRI Scholars Program will be required and will help support the transition to independence
    • Consider enrollment in the AACR Professional Advancement Series Sessions (grant writing workshop, navigating the path to a successful career in cancer research, etc.)

    Research goals

    • Research training will occur in a carefully supervised apprentice/tutorial system in which the trainee works on a project of her/his own within the laboratory area of the mentor
    • Identify a research mentor during the first-year and work with the mentor to design a project with specific and accomplishable aims to begin at the start of second year 
    • Complete relevant CITI training courses including the Responsible Conduct of Research, Human Subjects Research, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, etc.
    • Work closely with PhD candidate, post doc, or research lab technician to learn laboratory-based research techniques relevant to the project within the first 2-3 months of second year
    • Generate preliminary data to present at the Fellows Research presentation at least once per year
    • Attendance at weekly lab meeting and journal club is required
    • Collect data and meet with research statistician for data analysis support
    • Prepare and submit research abstract at major conference
    • Focus on manuscript writing and submission to relevant peer-reviewed journal

    How to apply for the OHSU Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship Program

    To apply for a fellowship position, you must submit an application through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).  All positions will be filled through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Our NRMP code number is 1599155F0. 

    Thank you for your interest in the OHSU Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship Program.

    Required ERAS components

    • ERAS application
    • Curriculum vitae (CV)
    • Personal statement
    • Medical school transcripts
    • MSPE (Medical School Performance Evaluation)/Dean’s letter
    • 3 Letters of recommendation (including residency Program Director's letter)
    • USMLE transcript
    • ECFMG status report
    • Scores

    Interviews

    Following the initial review of the completed application, we will be inviting qualified applicants starting in mid-September. Applicants who are invited to interview at OHSU will be asked to provide the following by email:

    • Two faculty members and/or programs that you are interested
    • Updated curriculum vitae (PDF)
    • Reprints of publications (PDFs, if available)

    International applicants

    Graduates of international medical schools who are applying for medical internships, residencies, or fellowships must have a valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must be legally able to work in the U.S. or eligible to obtain authorization to work. The most common visa types are J-1 and H-1B.

    For further information, contact the OHSU Graduate Medical Education office at 503-494-8652.

    If you need basic information about the ECFMG or the NRMP, you may call or write to the offices below.

    Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates

    3624 Market Street
    Philadelphia, PA 19104-2685
    Phone: 215-662-1445
    ECFMG

    National Residency Matching Program

    2450 N Street N.W., Suite 201
    Washington, DC 20037-1141
    Phone: 202-826-0566
    NRMP

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    Diversity news and events

    OHSU provides equal opportunities to all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. It does not discriminate on any status protected by law. This policy applies to all employment, education, volunteer, and patient care related activities or in any other aspect of OHSU's operation. Retaliation for reporting discrimination is prohibited. To make an inquiry or report an incident of discrimination, contact OHSU's Office of Civil Rights Investigations and Compliance at 503-494-5148 or ocic@ohsu.edu.

    Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 ("Title IX") protects individuals from discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex or gender in any educational program or activity operated by recipients of federal aid. OHSU, as a recipient of federal funds, complies with Title IX and 34 CFR Part 106 by prohibiting sex and gender discrimination and harassment, which includes sexual misconduct and sexual violence, in education programs, activities, employment, and admissions. Inquiries about Title IX compliance or sex/gender discrimination and harassment may be directed to the OHSU Title IX Coordinator: Angela Fleischer.

    Contact Angela Fleischer at 503-494-5148 or titleix@ohsu.edu.

    Inquiries may also be directed to the U.S. Department of Education, Western Region Office for Civil Rights, at 206-607-1600ocr.seattle@ed.gov.

    Questions?

    Please contact our Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Coordinator at any time:

    Liz Schultz
    3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Mailcode: OC14HO
    Portland, OR 97239
    Phone: 503-494-4335
    Fax: 503-494-3257
    Email: schulliz@ohsu.edu

    Questions?

    Email Liz Schultz, program coordinator, at any time. 

    Meet our program leader

      • Appointments and titles

        • Assistant Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine
      • Expertise

        • Cancer
        • Bladder Cancer
        • Genitourinary Cancers
        • Kidney Cancer
        • Lung Cancer
        • Prostate Cancer
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    A sense of OHSU

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