Onco-Critical Care Fellowship Program

About the program

St. Jude is a pioneer in the emerging subfield of pediatric onco-critical care. Disease processes and interventions of critical illness in the hematology/oncology/transplant population are distinctive and require specialized care. Fellows in the program have the unique opportunity to train with clinicians who have formal dual expertise in pediatric hematology/oncology/transplant and critical care. Onco-Critical Care fellows also work with other pediatric critical care medicine fellows at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Fellows in the program are exposed to a wide range of critical care pathology cases and provide direct patient care through diagnosing and managing life-threatening conditions and morbidities in pediatric hematology/oncology and hematopoietic cell transplant patients. Trainees enhance their abilities to identify and manage critical care conditions in patients, including those with newly diagnosed leukemia, brain tumors and mediastinal masses. They also treat hematopoietic cell transplant patients and those with disease states unique to the immunocompromised host. Additionally, fellows gain exposure to hematopoietic emergencies.

Eligibility

Applicants must have completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)–accredited pediatric critical care medicine fellowship. International applicants must be ECFMG certified.

Curriculum overview

The fellowship consists of a two-week orientation and two-week elective, followed by 12 four-week blocks:

• Four blocks of ICU days
• One block of ICU nights
• One block of St. Jude cardiology/pulmonology
• One block of St. Jude Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy
• Five blocks of electives

Fellowship curriculum may be adapted to fit individual areas of interest, including:

• Clinical research or quality improvement
• Quality of life
• Blood bank
• Nephrology
• Solid tumor
• Neuro-oncology
• Leukemia
• Infectious diseases
• Histiocytic disorders
• Global pediatric medicine
• Pain service/anesthesia
• High-risk pretransplant evaluations and consults

Onco-Critical Care fellows can also participate in the Hematology/Oncology educational opportunities and are expected to participate in the annual St. Jude Clinical Fellows Research Symposium. Fellows in the program will also attend the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigator (PALISI) semiannual meetings, including the fellow course.