Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program Structure

A Range of Clinical and Research Experiences

The BIDMC Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program offers a range of clinical and research experiences helping fellows to become excellent physician-investigators in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. The hallmark of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Hematology-Oncology Fellowship has been its immersive first year clinical experience that makes first year fellows the primary physicians for patients with a longitudinal relationship while simultaneously having a consistent longitudinal attending preceptor for the patient.

Traditional Hematology/Oncology Track

Here is the basic structure of the fellowship's three-year Traditional Hematology/Oncology Track.

Year 1

The first year of the fellowship is focused on providing fellows with a solid foundation of clinical knowledge and experience through multiple clinical conferences, formal teaching sessions, and continuity care of a diverse panel of patients.

Weekly ambulatory half-day clinical sessions (Monday-Friday, year-long)
- Organized by disease group
- Fellows are assigned longitudinally to work with a disease-specific faculty member over the course of the year
- Fellows assume primary responsibility of the patients for whom they care, in conjunction with their faculty mentor
- Provision of care across the spectrum of cancer and survivorship, including active participation in our clinical trials program
Inpatient Hematology/Oncology Consult Service (4-5 weeks/year)
- 2nd half of the year
- Fellows rotate on the consultative service, providing inpatient consultations for specialty services on the BIDMC East and West Campuses
- Provides rich exposure to hematologic/oncologic emergencies and consultative issues
Vacation (3 weeks)

Years 2 & 3

Following the comprehensive clinical experiences in the first year of fellowship, trainees spend the majority of the second and third years of fellowship deepening their understanding of hematologic/oncologic malignancies and pursuing scholarly work. During the third year of the program, fellows are also supported as they secure positions of their choice beyond graduation.

Longitudinal ambulatory clinics (Years 2 and 3)
- Each Fellow will determine which of their patients they intend to keep, often choosing to focus in a specific disease area(s) and in continued longitudinal mentorship by their faculty mentor(s)
- A minimum of one half-day session/week is required
Inpatient Hematologic Malignancies Service (8-9 weeks/year, Year 2)
- Intensive exposure to diagnosis, evaluation, and management of patients with hematologic malignancies and complications thereof, including autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and adoptive cellular therapies
- Fellows are supervised by expert faculty mentors
Inpatient Hematology/Oncology Consult Service (4-5 weeks/year, Year 3)
- 1st half of the year
- Fellows rotate on the consultative service, providing inpatient consultations for specialty services on the BIDMC East and West Campuses
- Provides rich exposure to hematologic/oncologic emergencies and consultative issues
Clinical Electives (1-4 week blocks)
- Radiation Oncology
- Laboratory Medicine
  - Hematopathology
  - Pathology
  - Cytogenetics
  - Coagulation
- Transfusion Medicine
- Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine
- Community Hematology/Oncology
Additional elective experiences as outlined in the Hematology Track may also be arranged
Independent Investigation and Learning (Years 2 and 3)
- During years 2 and 3 of fellowship, multiple training pathways are offered, including:
  - Physician-Scientist: Mentored research projects with application for mentored awards (K, ASH, AHA), presentation at ASH/ISTH, and Seminars in Grant & Manuscript writing. Scholarship didactics include: Harvard Catalyst Models of Disease Boot Camp; Harvard Catalyst Clinical and Translational Research Academy; Harvard-wide Vascular Biology Seminar Series; Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Seminar Series; Analytical & Quantitative Light Microscopy, MBL, Woods Hole, MA; and the Frank Epstein Research Society (“K” club).
  - Clinical Investigation: Mentored experiences include developing a clinical trial protocol and initiating a clinical study, big data outcomes research, application for mentored research award, and presentation at ASH/ISTH. Scholarship didactics include: Program in Clinical Effectiveness at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Harvard Catalyst Clinical and Translational Research Academy; supplementary courses through Harvard Catalyst based on interest.
  - Clinician-Educator: Mentored experiences include: serving as Small Group Leader for the Harvard Medical School Hematology Course, Clinical Skills Preceptor for HMS, and Teaching Attending for Medicine Residency; contributing learning modules to “The Blood Project;” developing educational podcast; and teaching Comparative Physiology to Medical Residents at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory. Scholarship didactics include the Clinician Educator Track for Subspecialty Fellows, the BIDMC Academy of Medical Educators, the HMS Academy of Medical Educators, and the BIDMC Innovations in Media and Educational Delivery (iMED) Initiative.
  - Systems-Based Hematology and Safety/QI: Mentored experiences include: serving on hospital committees (e.g. Transfusion Medicine, Anticoagulation Committee, etc.); serving on multidisciplinary response teams (PE, ECMO); planning Morbidity, Mortality and Improvement (MM&I) Conferences; and engaging in mentored QI projects within the hospital or larger network. Scholarship didactics include the Harvard Medical School Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement.

These pathways are not mutually exclusive and can be mixed and matched (major focus/minor focus) based upon a particular career interest. Additional elective experiences can be selected that support the career pathway.

Vacation (3 weeks, Years 2 and 3)

Hematology Track

Here is the basic structure of the three-year Hematology Track:

Year 1

Weekly ambulatory half-day clinical sessions (Monday-Friday, 35 weeks)
- Organized by Classical and Malignant Hematology
- Fellows are assigned longitudinally to work with multiple Classical and Malignant Hematology faculty members over the course of the year, each with different clinical foci within Hematology, providing a comprehensive exposure to hematologic disease
- Fellows assume primary responsibility of the patients for whom they care, in conjunction with their faculty mentor
- Provision of care across the spectrum of hematologic disease and survivorship, including active participation in our clinical trials program
Inpatient Hematology Consult Service (6 weeks/year)
- Fellows rotate on the consultative service, providing inpatient consultations for specialty services on the BIDMC East and West Campuses
- Provides rich exposure to hematologic emergencies and consultative issues
Inpatient Hematologic Malignancies Service (4 weeks/year)
- Intensive exposure to diagnosis, evaluation, and management of patients with hematologic malignancies and complications thereof, including bone marrow transplantation and adoptive cellular therapies
- Fellows are supervised by expert faculty mentors
Clinical Electives or Longitudinal Experiences (6 weeks)
- Boston Hemophilia Center, Boston Children’s Hospital (optional elective or longitudinal experience)
- Boston Children’s Sickle Cell Disease Center, Boston Children’s Hospital (optional elective or longitudinal experience)
- Global Hematology Rotation, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand (optional 1 month elective)
- Vascular Medicine Clinic, BIDMC, Division of Cardiology, Section of Vascular Medicine (optional elective or longitudinal experience)
- Massive and Submassive Clot On-Call Team (MASCOT) and ECMO Team, BIDMC multidisciplinary collaboration with Hematology, Cardiology, Critical Care, and Interventional Radiology (option to be part of on-call team for any duration (supervised by Attending Hematologist)
- Mesenteric Thrombosis Multidisciplinary Clinic, joint clinic held with BIDMC Transplant Hepatology, Interventional Radiology, and Hematology (longitudinal weekly experience)
- High-Risk Pregnancy Multidisciplinary Clinic, collaboration of BIDMC Divisions of Maternal-Fetal-Medicine and Hematology (longitudinal weekly experience)
- Apheresis and Cellular Therapies, BIDMC Apheresis Unit (operated under Hematology) (core rotation)
- Blood Bank/Transfusion Medicine, BIDMC Department of Pathology (Core rotation; option to do an additional blood bank/transfusion medicine fellowship afterwards for those with strong interest)
- Hematopathology/Laboratory Medicine/Coagulation, BIDMC Department of Pathology (core rotation)
Vacation (3 weeks)

Years 2 & 3

Following the comprehensive clinical experiences in the first year of fellowship, trainees spend the majority of the second and third years of fellowship pursuing independent investigation and learning. During the third year of the program, fellows are also supported as they secure positions of their choice beyond graduation.

Longitudinal ambulatory clinics (Years 2 and 3)
- Each Fellow will determine which of their patients they intend to keep, often choosing to focus in a specific disease area(s) and in continued longitudinal mentorship by their faculty mentor(s)
- A minimum of one half-day session/week is required
Independent Investigation and Learning (Years 2 and 3)
- During years 2 and 3 of fellowship, multiple training pathways are offered, including:
  - Physician-Scientist: Mentored research projects with application for mentored awards (K, ASH, AHA), presentation at ASH/ISTH, and Seminars in Grant & Manuscript writing. Scholarship didactics include: Harvard Catalyst Models of Disease Boot Camp; Harvard Catalyst Clinical and Translational Research Academy; Harvard-wide Vascular Biology Seminar Series; Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Seminar Series; Analytical & Quantitative Light Microscopy, MBL, Woods Hole, MA; and the Frank Epstein Research Society (“K” club).
  - Clinical Investigation: Mentored experiences include developing a clinical trial protocol and initiating a clinical study, big data outcomes research, application for mentored research award, and presentation at ASH/ISTH. Scholarship didactics include: Program in Clinical Effectiveness at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Harvard Catalyst Clinical and Translational Research Academy; supplementary courses through Harvard Catalyst based on interest.
  - Clinician-Educator: Mentored experiences include: serving as Small Group Leader for the Harvard Medical School Hematology Course, Clinical Skills Preceptor for HMS, and Teaching Attending for Medicine Residency; contributing learning modules to “The Blood Project;” developing educational podcast; and teaching Comparative Physiology to Medical Residents at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory. Scholarship didactics include the Clinician Educator Track for Subspecialty Fellows, the BIDMC Academy of Medical Educators, the HMS Academy of Medical Educators, and the BIDMC Innovations in Media and Educational Delivery (iMED) Initiative.
  - Systems-Based Hematology and Safety/QI: Mentored experiences include: serving on hospital committees (e.g. Transfusion Medicine, Anticoagulation Committee, etc.); serving on multidisciplinary response teams (PE, ECMO); planning Morbidity, Mortality and Improvement (MM&I) Conferences; and engaging in mentored QI projects within the hospital or larger network. Scholarship didactics include the Harvard Medical School Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement.

Vacation (3 weeks)