Education

Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program

Medical Oncology Fellowship Program
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program
Therapeutic Radiology Residency Training Program

Medical Oncology Fellowship Program

The purpose of the Medical Oncology fellowship program is to provide comprehensive clinical training in the diagnosis and management of neoplastic disorders and a meaningful research experience that prepares trainees for an academic career. Although the requirements for board eligibility and certification in Medical Oncology require only two years of training, the majority of fellows in the Yale program opt for a three-year program to broaden their clinical exposure, enhance their research training, and/or complete the requirements for board-eligibility in Hematology.

In recognition of the increasing complexity of cancer therapy, particularly with respect to the interface between laboratory discovery and clinical care, the fellowship training has been organized to provide experience in the multidisciplinary care of patients with cancer, supplemented by an intensive program of didactic lectures, inter-disciplinary tumor boards, and research seminar lectures. Thus, the outpatient clinic is structured according to specific neoplastic diseases (e.g., breast cancer, GI cancers, lymphoma, lung cancer, brain tumors, etc). Each disease-specific unit is supported by a weekly inter-disciplinary tumor board attended by specialized faculty members from other departments, where patients are discussed in depth with review of pathologic and radiologic data. The disease-specific units facilitate the clinical and translation research programs at Yale and improve patient care by consolidating complex and inter-disciplinary management.

The first year of fellowship is designed to provide comprehensive clinical training in Medical Oncology. The first year fellows rotate through four clinical blocks: (1) Yale-New Haven Hospital's adult in-patient oncology unit, where the fellows participate in the acute care of patients with cancer and provide consultation, support, and teaching to the team of residents on the unit; (2) the West Haven Veterans Administration Hospital (WHVAH), where fellows actively participate in the Hematology and Oncology out-patient clinics and consult on the in-patient service; (3) the Hospital of St. Raphael's, where fellows see in-patient consults, participate in the out-patient clinic, and work with the staff on the dedicated in-patient oncology unit; (4) an ambulatory clinic block, rotating through the Radiation Therapy, Gynecologic Oncology, and Medical Oncology Disease-Specific clinics.

The second and third years of training are focused on research and scholarly activities. The structure during these years is individualized to accommodate the fellow's research interests and career goals. During these years, the fellow spends most of his/her time engaged in research, under the mentorship of a faculty advisor, while continuing a longitudinal outpatient clinic experience in disease-specific units at Yale. Concurrent course work through the University is desirable and designed to augment the fellow's research goals. There are diverse opportunities for cancer-related clinical, translational, or basic research within the Section of Medical Oncology and throughout the Yale School of Medicine. A brief summary of the research interests and programs of faculty members in the Section of Medical Oncology are described. Importantly, fellows may pursue cancer-related research in other departments or sections within the School of Medicine, and thus have access to a broad array of research projects in clinical, basic, or translational arenas.

The clinical and research training is enhanced by several weekly lectures, seminars, and interdisciplinary tumor boards which include:

Cancer Center Grand Rounds – provides a forum for guest speakers and Yale faculty to provide state-of-the-art updates on a broad array of cancer-related topics. This conference also features regular presentations from the leaders of the Yale Oncology disease-specific Units.

Journal Club – important articles relevant to oncology are presented and discussed by the fellows, with input from appropriate faculty members, twice monthly.

Tumor Boards - weekly meetings to present new patients, review pathology and radiographic studies and discuss management and protocol; held for each multidisciplinary unit. Oncology Research – bimonthly conferences for faculty and fellows conducted by selected faculty to present updates in clinical and basic cancer research.

Medical Oncology Review Course – bimonthly formal lectures providing a comprehensive review of all aspects of medical oncology including specific neoplastic diseases, oncologic emergencies and complications, pharmacology, supportive care, palliative care, biostatistics and clinical trial design, cancer epidemiology, and cancer genetics.

Weekly New Patient Conference – in a “morning report” format, new patients that have been seen in the outpatient clinic are briefly presented to attending physicians for discussion.

Although hematology and oncology are separate programs, an agreement between the two sections permits fellows who have been accepted in one program to migrate to the other for 6 months in the second or third year of fellowship to complete the requirements for dual certification in both Medical Oncology and Hematology. Applicants to Medical Oncology are not required to formally apply to Hematology in order to fulfill the requirements for dual certification.

Fellows are supported by a variety of funding sources, including Yale-New Haven Hospital, the Veteran's Administration, and affiliated hospital funds.

Physicians wishing to apply for a position within our program must have completed three years of training in Internal Medicine by the time they enter our program.

Fellowship Application
Oncology fellows at Yale are introduced to a very rich experience in traditional cancer chemotherapy, and can choose to participate actively in research endeavors of many laboratories and clinical research programs. The Oncology Fellowship Training is under the direction of Dr. Jill Lacy (jill.lacy@yale.edu). For additional information on the program, please contact Savannah Woods (savannah.woods@yale.edu), Fellowship Coordinator, at (203) 785-5196.

The program accepts five trainees per year for a minimum of three years. All applications for the 2011 Training Program in Medical Oncology will be electronically processed through the ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) website. Interviews are granted by invitation in the spring. Selection for the program is made through the NRMP (National Resident Matching Program), you can read more about this program at their website. The Section of Medical Oncology actively supports the Yale University policies and programs for affirmative action. The Fellowship Program is fully committed to recruitment and development of minority group members and women for careers in medical oncology.

The deadline for submission to the 2011 Medical Oncology fellowship through ERAS is January 15, 2010.  Please refer to the ERAS web site for their opening date for filing application materials.  Required application materials for our program are as follows:  Common Application Form (CAF), Statement of Personal Goals, minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation (at least one must be from either the Residency Program Director or Internal Medicine Department Chair), ECFMG certification (applicable to graduates of Foreign Medical schools), and a Color Photo.  Additional items such as Medical School and USMLE Transcripts are optional.

The Hematology Section is administratively separate from the Oncology Section and has its own independent fellowship-training program. Interested applicants should submit separate applications to the Hematology Section (c/o Bernard Forget, M.D.) in order to be considered independently for acceptance in the Hematology program. Both Sections participate in the care of patients with acute leukemia and other hematologic malignancies such as lymphomas and multiple myeloma. The fellowship programs of both Sections are configured to allow crossover rotations and the opportunity, in a three-year program, to qualify for taking the ABIM subspecialty examinations in both Oncology and Hematology.

Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program 
The Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at Yale University prepares physicians to become leaders in improving the nation's health and health care. Through course work, practical experiences, interaction with health care leaders and research, the Program provides opportunities to work across disciplines and think creatively and rigorously about health care issues.

Investigative Medicine Program
In 1999, Yale University School of Medicine established the Investigative Medicine Program, a unique graduate training program for highly selected physicians in clinical departments who are interested in academic careers in clinical research. The overall goal of the program is to provide the training required to create a cadre of talented, highly skilled physician scientists who will be uniquely prepared to meet the challenges of academic careers in biomedical research and who will advance the frontiers of medical practice.