Pediatric hematology and oncology fellowship

During the first year, comprehensive patient care is established through intensive hands-on patient-focused, well-mentored training. In addition, fellows supervise and teach pediatric residents and medical students in the inpatient wards and in clinics. The fellows are assigned as the primary physician to several newly diagnosed patients whom they will continue to follow throughout the three years of their fellowship. Under the supervision of the faculty, fellows care for patients with a variety of hematological and oncological disorders: hemoglobinopathies, thrombosis, coagulopathies, bone marrow failure syndromes, and all malignancies including, acute and chronic leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma and other solid tumors, brain tumors, rare pediatric malignancies, autoimmune, lymphoproliferative, and histiocytic disorders. The division actively participates in Children’s Oncology Group clinical trials, the Pediatric Blood, and Marrow Transplant Consortium, and federally funded comprehensive bleeding disorders program. In our cellular therapy program, fellows care for patients who undergo allogeneic (related, unrelated donor, umbilical cord blood, and haploidentical) or autologous transplants (both single and tandem transplants,) in addition to patients undergoing gene therapy or treatment with chimeric antigen T-cell receptor therapy (CART).

Our holistic approach to pediatric care combines integrated efforts of all pediatric professionals, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, nutritionists, social workers, child life specialists, psychologists, chaplains, and teachers.

First year 

• Inpatient wards
• Stem cell transplantation
• Outpatient
• Transfusion medicine
• Hematopathology, cytogenetics, molecular diagnostics and cancer genomics
• Radiation oncology
• Palliative care
• Neuro-oncology
• Administrative/Research

Our well-designed curriculum includes monthly tumor board, hematology board, journal club, standard of practice meetings, and faculty lecture series. There are weekly board review sessions and division rounds. All fellows complete a core lecture series of the GME and the Department of Pediatrics. Fellows are encouraged to present and attend national scientific meetings with Department funding available. They are also supported to complete a quality improvement project during their training.

In the first year of fellowship, each fellow is assigned a mentor from the faculty to aid in career development. Faculty mentors meet with fellows regularly to provide support and guidance during fellowship and beyond. In addition, during the first year the fellow has two weeks of administrative/research time in which they will have the opportunity to explore the labs and other potential projects for the coming years. During the second and third years of fellowship and once the research project is determined, the fellow will have an additional mentor within the lab or area that they choose. In addition to laboratory-based research through the Massey Cancer Center, VCU offers additional training with master’s tracks in clinical and translational research, public health, hospital administration and medical education. Degrees can be obtained in 2 years and with tuition waived.

Applications from individuals will be accepted for an additional one-year research fellowship with the intent to obtain a PhD encouraged. The successful applicant will be on track to have finished a three-year accredited GME program in pediatric hematology and oncology, demonstrated a record of accomplishment as a trainee as evidenced by presentation at a national meeting or publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and articulated a research focus. Laboratory-based or clinical trial research will be at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. The goal of this research fellowship is to train the next generation of pediatric hematology and oncology physician-scientists by enhancing the career development of promising individuals with resources, protected time, and mentorship. This additional support will enhance the individual’s ability to secure NIH K training award and academic appointment as assistant professor.