Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program

The MedStar Health - Georgetown University Hospital Fellowship Program in Hematology and Oncology

MedStar Health - Georgetown University Partnership The mission of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program is to provide a comprehensive program of clinical and research training to develop the next generation of physicians to be leaders in advancing the field of hematology and oncology

MedStar Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center has clinical faculty members in Washington DC and the Baltimore region. Fellows will train at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC. MedStar Washington Hospital Center, a 900-bed safety hospital, is a level 1 trauma center, houses the regional burn center, is a cardiovascular center of excellence, and has a large cancer center. Fellows will have exposure to a wide breadth of socioeconomic, racial, and ethnically diverse populations with a robust training experience in “bread and butter” oncology and hematology (including sickle cell anemia). MedStar Georgetown University Hospital complements and expands the clinical experience; fellows will have exposure to cellular therapies (TILs for solid tumors, CAR-T for hematologic malignancy, allo/autotransplant), the hematologic malignancy service with leukemia and lymphoma care, a regional hemophilia center, Phase 1 clinical trials, and patients on a vast array of clinical trials. The research engine for Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center is housed at Georgetown University with translational scientists and investigators advancing research in survivorship, health equity, and health policy. Fellows will have the opportunity to interact and teach residents and medical students at both sites. Fellows will also have a short experience and the DC Veterans Memorial Hospital, rotating on the oncology service and in the oncology clinics.

Why train here

So many reasons!

Our fellows flourish in an atmosphere of excellence in both clinical care and cutting edge clinical and basic research. We envision fellowship as the beginning of the fellow’s specialty career and will help fellows explore the many areas of hematology/oncology and guide them to their desired career, whether it be a clinical investigator, physician leader in quality and safety, medical educator, health policy researcher, or a physician practicing in the community. We invite you to explore the links provided to explore the various research opportunities at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Our fellowship has had continuous accreditation as a three-year fellowship for certification in both hematology and oncology. The fellowship maintains an excellent standing with the ACGME.
We strive to provide excellence in clinical training with eighteen months of mandatory clinical training. As hematology/oncology is mostly an outpatient practice, a significant portion of the clinical experience is in the subspecialty clinics.

The fellowship has a robust research curriculum! Fellows are educated in research methodology and to broaden research opportunities, fellows are exposed to clinical and translational investigators conducting a wide array of research. Our success can be seen with annual representation of our fellows in the competitive VAIL workshop, multiple poster and podium presentation at national and international meetings, and faculty appointments at major academic centers. Graduates have also gone on to become leaders in cancer centers and industry.

The Georgetown University Hospital is nestled in the beautiful and historic Georgetown campus on the banks of the Potomac River. During your time off, you will be in a vibrant and unique city! DC is made of unique neighborhoods and is gaining a reputation as a foodie city. In addition, you can stroll through the nation’s capital while passing major historic landmarks and the various seats of government; drop into see an exhibit and one of the numerous free museums; and participate in the frequent festivals on the national mall. Sports fans can enjoy four national teams (Capitals, Wizards, Nationals, and the Commanders!) in addition to the Georgetown Hoyas.

Curriculum

The Clinical Training Program

Please see the sample fellow schedule.

Georgetown’s fellowship training program offers clinical training to prepare fellows for certification as follows:

The first year of clinical training for medical oncology and hematology fellows is focused on an in-depth clinical experience that integrates the fellows into the primary care of the division’s patients. At least 50% of the first year is spent on the inpatient side (consult oncology services at WHC, GUH, Consult hematology services at WHC (malignant/benign) and GUH (benign), primary inpatient hematology malignancy service, and the VA oncology consultation service). The outpatient clinics are a major focus for clinical teaching. Fellows will rotate through subspecialty clinic blocks in Heme, GI, GU/Melanoma/Genetics, Breast, Thoracic/Neuro-Onc During patient visits, faculty members and fellows review patient management, disease response, and treatment selection. An integrated approach to patient management is stressed, including coordination of care with research nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, and other disciplines, as indicated.

Fellows are assigned a faculty mentor during their first year. This mentor works with the fellow to narrow their career focus, guiding them through the fellowship to ensure the fellow is an expert in that focus by the end of the three years. Regardless of this focus, all fellows will be involved in a scholarly project (e.g., writing a review, protocol development) during their fellowship.

The second year of fellowship is divided between clinical (about 6 months) and research time. During their clinical time, fellows will complete any subspecialty blocks not done in the first year, will have a month rotation in cellular therapies, and have a short experience on the inpatient services. During the research time, fellows will do a minimum of three clinics and will otherwise have time to focus on projects that they have developed with their mentor and other faculty members.

The third-year schedule varies, depending upon the fellow’s future goals. Those intending to pursue an academic career use this year to focus on their research projects. Those intending to enter practice spend additional time in the various, disease-specific clinics.

All fellows will have a continuity clinic for all three years of fellowship and will work off the attendings clinic schedule (no primary fellow schedule). The clinic will change every 6 months (assigned the first year with more fellow input in the subsequent years).

Application information

We are pleased to inform you that the two Hematology/Oncology fellowship programs will be entering a quota of six (6) fellows per year.

Fellows rotate through two MedStar hospitals and both have large cancer centers with complementary experiences.

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital has phase 1 trials, a hematology malignancy group (caring for marrow failure, leukemia, lymphoma, MPN patients), a cellular therapy group (allo/auto/CARs), and subspecialty oncology care. Additionally, the relationship with Georgetown University School of Medicine allows fellows to participate in the clinical experiences of medical students. Combined research between Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and MedStar Health’s Research Institute offers a broad range of research opportunities from basic science labs, bench-top and clinical-translational research.

MedStar Washington Hospital Center is a large urban hospital with a Level 1 trauma center, the region’s burn center, and a heart and vascular hub. The large cancer center provides a full range of hematology and oncology services. Fellows have significant exposure to sickle cell disease and complex coagulation issues. The patient population is extremely diverse, thus allowing for clinical exposure and learning ranging from “bread and butter” oncology experiences to the most complex patients. Significant opportunities to engage in all levels of research, from the bench to the bedside, in addition to a focus on research in racial disparities.

How to Apply through ERAS

Applications for the Hematology/Medical Oncology Fellowship Program are only accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). ERAS is an internet-based applications process developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges to transmit fellowship applications, letters of recommendation, Program Director letters, medical transcripts and other supporting credentials from applicants, residency programs and medical schools to fellowship program directors using the Internet. For information about the process or to register for ERAS on the web, please go to www.aamc.org/eras.

Board eligibility in Internal Medicine is required prior to starting fellowship. This typically requires current enrollment or completion of a 3-year residency in Internal Medicine in the United States.

The following materials must be submitted through ERAS no later than August 6th:

ERAS application
Curriculum vitae (ERAS format is acceptable)
Personal statement
Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) or “Dean’s letter”
Three letters of recommendation, including one from Residency Program Director
Medical school transcript
USMLE Step 1 scores
USMLE Step 2 scores

Interview invitations will be granted on a rolling basis. Please note that all interviews will be done virtually. To maintain equity, we will not host in-person visits.

While we preferentially consider applications from those who signal our program, we also consider applicants who do not signal us.

We appreciate any communication you send us however, with exceptions for follow-up interview questions, we will likely not respond directly as encouraged by ERAS.

If you are interested in pursuing research with our translational scientists, please tell us so we can arrange an informational session with one of our scientists. Additionally, if you are interested in meeting a particular faculty member, please also let us know and we will try to accommodate this on or after your interview date

VISA POLICY: J1 visas are sponsored through MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. We currently do not have the ability to sponsor H1B visas.

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