Hematology & Medical Oncology

At A Glance

Program Type: Military Medical Center

Location: Bethesda, MD

Accredited: Yes, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

Program Length: 3 years

Required Pre-Requisite Training: Graduation from Medical School and completion of an ACGME-accredited Internal Medicine Residency

Categorical Year in Specialty Required: N/A

Total Approved Complement: 12

Approved per Year (if applicable): N/A

Dedicated Research Year Offered: No

Medical Student Rotation Availability: MS4s

Additional Degree Concurrent with Training (e.g. MPH): No

Program Description

The NCC Hematology/Oncology fellowship program is co-located at the Murtha Cancer Center, the only Cancer Center of Excellence within the DOD. The program teaches fellows a state-of-the-art, comprehensive, and multi-disciplinary approach to a wide variety of hematologic and oncologic disorders in multiple health care settings and across a diverse range of patient demographics. Graduates are elite and distinguished hematologists/oncologists who in addition to being outstanding clinicians have had successful and flourishing careers, to include military command and congressional leaders, trailblazers at major academic centers, cancer center directors or chief medical officers at large medical centers, and leaders within National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Mission, Vision and Aims

Mission

To produce world-class hematologists/oncologists, leaders and life-long learners who uphold values of clinical excellence and discovery.

Vision

To be the DOD’s premier Hematology/Oncology training platform, embodying next-generation excellence in patient care, education and research.

Aims

To produce clinically competent, confident hematologists/oncologists capable of caring for military members and their families.
To create a learning environment that optimizes curiosity and scientific inquiry.
To create a culture of graduated autonomy, inclusiveness, and adherence to evidence- and guideline-based medical decision making and ethical principles.

Curriculum and Schedules

Didactics are held Monday through Thursday mornings and Friday afternoons.

First Year	Second Year	Third Year
Orientation to Program Hem/Onc Clinic Consult Service Inpatient Wards Allographic Stem Cell Transplant Hematology Consult Service	Hem/Onc Clinic Consult Services Inpatient Wards Palliative Care Benign Hematology Blood Bank Community Oncology	Heme/Onc Clinic Research

There is no in-house call for Hematology/Oncology fellows.

The NCC Hematology/Oncology fellowship program's Military Unique Curriculum is carried out jointly with Adult and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology core faculty and trainees from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) and Brooke Army Medical Center. During joint didactic sessions, trainees learn about caring for service members with hematologic/oncologic conditions to include adolescent and young adult Oncology, onco-fertility, and retention standards. Participants are taught principles of leadership, management of radiation injury, and operational transfusion medicine which includes hands-on exposure to massive transfusion protocols and whole blood administration.

Fellows are required to attend the American Society of Hematology Consultative Hematology Course.

Please refer to Military Unique Curriculum for details on our leadership curriculum.

Scholarly and Professional Development Opportunities

Fellows are required to participate in scholarly activity, which can include, but is not limited to:

Abstracts or posters at national meetings.
Podium presentations.
Participation in grand rounds.
Scholarship in medical education.
Publication of case reports.
Review articles, book chapters or textbooks.
Service on professional committees.

Fellows contribute to Quality Improvement initiatives and projects within the Walter Reed Hematology/Oncology clinic.

Trainees have access to a variety of premier professional development opportunities on campus through Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) or through outside Hematology/Oncology organizations within the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area.

Participating Sites

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the NIH.
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

Applicant Information, Rotation and Interview Opportunities

Residents and medical students who are interested in hematology/oncology are encouraged to rotate with the program. If the trainee is at WRNMMC or USUHS, he or she can contact their residency program leadership to schedule a rotation. If the trainee is at another hospital, he or she can contact the Heme/Onc program director at dha.ncr.walter-reed-med-ctr.list.ncc-hemeonc@health.mil.

If you would like to interview for a fellowship position within this program, please email the program director at dha.ncr.walter-reed-med-ctr.list.ncc-hemeonc@health.mil. We may also be contacted if you have general questions or wish to receive additional information.

Program graduates take the Hematology and Medical Oncology specialty board exams. These exams are offered annually. To become fully board certified, applicants are eligible to take one board certification exam during their third year of fellowship or one (or both) of their board certification exams following graduation. To be eligible to take specialty board exams, graduates must complete all pre-requisites required by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Teaching Opportunities

Our Fellows regularly teach Internal Medicine Residents during didactic sessions, inpatient wards, or consult rotations.

Fellows regularly teach USUHS medical students and therefore are eligible to apply for a faculty appointment as Assistant Professor of Medicine at USUHS.

Faculty and Mentorship

Core faculty are talented, compassionate professionals and role models who excel in teaching. Several core faculty have specialty training in bone marrow transplant and translational research.

Each fellow assigned to the program is assigned a mentor who also serves as a clinical coach and meets with the fellow on a regular basis.

Well-Being

Learning is tightly linked with well-being, and therefore fellow well-being is highly prioritized. Wellness topics pertaining to Hematology/Oncology are discussed regularly during didactic sessions and include discussions on end-of-life, coping with patient loss, and identifying and managing physician burn out.

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