Structure
The Fellowship Program offers clinical and research training in hematology and oncology and is administered jointly by the Divisions of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine. The training faculty for the Divisions includes over 130 full-time academic investigators.
The program provides trainees with comprehensive exposure to the various disciplines of hematology and oncology while offering flexibility to accommodate their specific interests. Trainees will have the opportunity to work in a variety of clinical settings including the main academic hospital, the VA, and satellite hospitals within the St. Louis area which are all within 20 minutes drive of the Medical School campus. The program seeks to provide a balance between establishing a sound clinical understanding of hematologic and malignant diseases through clinical work while maintaining an environment that fosters creative clinical or laboratory-based research into fundamental problems.
Curriculum
The fellowship curriculum is designed to provide fellows with the clinical training and protected research time they need to achieve their individual career goals. Incoming fellows have the opportunity to choose between three tracks:
- Clinical Investigator Track
- Clinical Provider Track
- Laboratory Investigator Track
This track is designed for fellows with an interest in clinical research. The Clinical Investigator Track is similar to the Clinical Provider Track in structure and will provide the requirements necessary for double-or single-boarding in hematology and/or oncology, but offers more non-clinical time dedicated to pursuing research/scholarly activity in years 2 and 3.
Fellows on this track follow a curriculum that requires 2 half-day disease-specific outpatient clinics per week, 50% of which are in elective specialties. The remaining time is protected for engaging in scholarly activities such as clinical and translational research protocol development/implementation/data analysis and preparing articles for publication.
Fellows on this track are expected to complete additional didactics and coursework focused on clinical investigation and apply for research awards during their second and third year. This track is often chosen by fellows intending to enter a career in academic clinical research.
This track is designed for fellows with an interest in clinical care and clinical education. The second and third years of the Clinical Provider Track are designed to allow fellows to complete requirements necessary for double-or single-boarding in hematology and/or oncology as well as obtain the clinical experience necessary for independent clinical practice.
Fellows follow a curriculum that requires 5 half-day outpatient disease-specific clinics per week, 20% of which are in elective specialties. During their non-clinical time, fellows are encouraged to pursue scholarly activities, including clinical and translational research protocol development/implementation/data analysis and preparing articles for publication. This track is often chosen by fellows intending to enter community practice.
This track is designed for fellows focused on a career in academic laboratory based research. For fellows on the Laboratory Research Track, the second and third years are designated as protected research time. Laboratory fellows will have one half-day per week of continuity clinic, but are otherwise not required to do any further clinical rotations (unless seeking to double-board).
Fellows that are on an ABIM-approved Research Pathway complete one additional year of laboratory training. This track if often chosen by fellows who were residents in the Physician Scientist Training Pathway program.