Pediatric Cancer Predisposition Fellowship Program

 

Fellows are actively engaged in patient care, primarily in the outpatient setting, with progressive responsibility and autonomy.

Patient Care & Clinical Leadership

• Provide direct patient care under faculty supervision until achieving competency (Milestone Level 4)
• Progress to leading clinical decision-making and patient/family discussions
• Develop independence while maintaining faculty support
• A Pediatric Hematology/Oncology faculty member remains the physician of record at all times

Clinical Structure

Cancer Predisposition Clinic:

Two full days per week throughout the program

• Fellows evaluate and manage primary patients
• Care delivered under direct faculty supervision

Clinical Conferences:

Approximately 7 hours per week of structured educational sessions.

Research is a central component of the fellowship, with dedicated time built into the schedule.

Research Focus

Fellows engage in:

• Retrospective clinical research using existing data
• Collaborative participation in prospective studies
• Projects aligned with cancer predisposition and germline genomics

Research Training & Support

• Close mentorship from the Program Director and faculty
• Training in clinical research methodology, including:
  • Protocol and grant development
  • Data collection and interpretation
  • Statistical analysis

Scholarly Output

• Final presentation of research findings
• Written report including objectives, methods, results, and discussion

Integration of findings within the broader scientific literature.

Division-Level Conferences

Cancer Predisposition Case Conference (Weekly)

• Case-based discussions led by fellows, genetic counselors, and faculty

Cancer Predisposition Didactic Series

• Small-group faculty-led sessions covering core topics such as:
  • Clinical evaluation and genetic testing
  • Germline variant interpretation
  • Ethics of genetic testing
  • Tumor surveillance strategies
  • Board-relevant topics

Institutional Learning

Fellows participate in a broad range of interdisciplinary conferences:

• Leukemia/Lymphoma/Hematology & BMTCT Conference (Weekly)
• Solid Tumor Conference (Weekly)
• Neuro-Oncology Conference (Weekly)
• Bone Marrow Failure Case Conference (Weekly)
• Grand Rounds (Weekly)
• Systems-Based Practice Seminars (Monthly)
• Clinical Fellow Research Symposium (Annually)

Fellows actively contribute by presenting cases and delivering lectures throughout the program.