First-year fellows spend the majority of their time in clinical rotations. Second- and third-year fellows primarily spend their time in various research and educational activities. Each fellow maintains a continuity clinic one day a week for the entire three years. The Aflac Cancer Center also guarantees a fourth year of fellowship to continue to hone research skills.
Below, is a snapshot of our fellowship program:
Clinical rotations—first year
- Inpatient hematology/oncology (three months)
- Blood and marrow transplant—inpatient/outpatient (two months)
- Clinic/consult (two months)
- Outpatient hematology (two months)
- Neuro-oncology—inpatient/outpatient (one month)
- Laboratory rotation: radiation oncology, hematopathology, flow cytometry, cytogenetics, blood banking and special coagulation (one month total, divided into two-week blocks)
- Research exploration (one month total, divided into two-week blocks)
Research—second/third year
Second- and third-year fellows are offered a variety of opportunities in clinical, translational and basic research. These opportunities are available at the Aflac Cancer Center and within specific divisions of the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.
We are devoted to training physician-scientists seeking careers in laboratory-based academic pediatric hematology/oncology. Research opportunities are performed in collaboration with faculty at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, the Emory School of Public Health, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In additional to the laboratory-based research track, we offer a clinical research track for fellows interested in careers as clinical investigators. Formal training in clinical research can be obtained through early involvement in several ongoing clinical trials within the institution. Fellows interested in clinical research are encouraged to apply for Emory's Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) program. We are in a unique position to offer special resources for laboratory and clinical training, such as the MSCR program, for the entire fellowship period and for extended periods of research time, if required.
We have an individualized scholarship oversight/mentoring committee to guide fellows through their fellowship research experience.
Research—optional fourth year
An additional year of training is strongly encouraged, and is available with funding to all fellows. The typical fourth year is approximately 90 percent devoted to expanding on a fellow’s research and allows the fellow to increase competitiveness in garnering future K-type grants or other grants for young investigators. Approximately 10 percent of time is allotted for clinical exposure in the fellow’s area of interest as instructor-level faculty. Separate subspecialty fourth year fellowships are also available in bone marrow transplantation, neuro-oncology and transfusion medicine.
On-call schedule
Night call takes place from home. Fellows occasionally return to the hospital to evaluate extremely ill or newly diagnosed patients.
- First year: 53 weekday nights and 12 weekends (one/month)
- Second year: 46 weekday nights and 8 weekends
- Third year: 4 weekday nights and 6 weekends
Didactic schedule
A variety of educational meetings are offered in addition to structured teaching, ethics and research overview courses throughout the year.
Additional benefits of the program
Fellows receive three weeks of vacation per year. Each fellow has an educational stipend, which may be used for meetings, journals or other educational expenses. Senior fellows attend additional scientific meetings, based upon research presentations.
