Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Curriculum

The ABIM sets the acceptable duration of training. For combined Hematology and Medical Oncology, the duration is 36 months. At least 18 of the 36 months must be clinical training. For specific information regarding vacation, sick time and leaves of absence please refer to the Residencies and Fellowships page.

In the Wake Forest Baptist Hematology/Oncology fellowship, our clinical training is a diverse experience with a mix of inpatient and outpatient rotations covering myriad pathologies in both benign and malignant hematology as well as oncology. This provides a strong foundation for understanding the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of a wide variety of hematologic and oncologic issues. Further, our curriculum’s structure helps develop your skills as a consultant in preparation for your career as an independent practitioner.

Inpatient Rotations

Hematology and Oncology A

This is our resident-driven general hematology oncology inpatient service, where we care for our patients with various complications (e.g., infectious, disease-related, treatment-related). The fellow serves as a mentor for the residents and medical students and is afforded the opportunity to teach and engage with them on a daily basis. The fellow is expected to assist with medical decision-making as well. The fellow on this service also staffs solid tumor consults.

Hematology and Oncology B

This service is primarily reserved for patients of the Comprehensive Cancer Center who require inpatient admission for the administration of chemotherapy. This service also assists in taking overflow patients with complications as above. The fellow on this service is expected to assist in medical decision-making with our advanced practice providers, as well as staff benign hematology consults.

Bone Marrow Transplant

On our primary blood and marrow transplant rotation, the fellow, alongside a large multidisciplinary team, cares for and directly manages patients undergoing both allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplants. Fellows are able to take in the entirety of the transplant experience and will gain a strong foundation of knowledge on conditioning regimens, the transplant process itself, acute complications and graft versus host disease. The fellow on this service also staffs malignant hematology consults.

Leukemia

This service primarily treats acute leukemia patients with induction chemotherapy. It is another wonderful opportunity to teach and engage with residents and students, as they form the heart of the service. Further, the fellow serves as a primary liaison between the oncology and ICU services for those patients requiring critical care.

Outpatient Rotations

Fellow's Clinic

For the first two years of training, fellows will have the privilege of caring for their own unique panel of patients composed of our nation’s veterans at the Kernersville VA Medical Center. Fellows are exposed to a vast array of pathologies in both hematology (benign and malignant) and oncology. Fellows are given the opportunity to provide longitudinal care and granted the autonomy to assume continuing responsibility for both acute and chronically-ill patients. Responsibilities include writing chemotherapy orders, making decisions regarding dose adjustments, and surveillance. Fellows’ clinic is supervised by a small subset of attending physicians, allowing for ongoing feedback, mentorship and continuity.

Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center

Throughout their training, fellows rotate through the outpatient clinic located on the third floor of the Cancer Center. There are well-defined, monthly clinical rotations for first- and second-year fellows that allow for early and sufficient exposure to some of the most common hematologic and oncologic disorders. Within hematology, these clinics include benign hematology, lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma clinics. Within oncology, the required clinics include lung, breast, gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers.

Fellows are also expected to rotate in clinics that focus on geriatric oncology, bone marrow transplant, head and neck cancers, CNS malignancies, melanoma and sarcomas. Senior fellows will also have ample elective time to rotate in clinics of their own choice, including a continuity clinic of their own during their third year.

Salisbury Veterans Administration Medical Center

For one month each year, fellows rotate at the W.G. Hefner Salisbury VA Medical Center, which is affiliated with Wake Forest Baptist Health. Located in Salisbury, NC, and serving veterans from more than 20 surrounding counties, the Salisbury VA also boasts its own Hematology and Oncology clinic and infusion center. Clinics are held Monday through Friday, and fellows also provide consultation services for the hospital.

Kernersville Veterans Administration Medical Center

For two months out of your fellowship, fellows rotate at the Kernersville VA Medical Center in Kernersville, NC. Constructed in 2015, the Kernersville VA features a vast array of outpatient services including a hematology/oncology clinic. Aside from serving as the host site for fellows’ clinic, the KVA also hosts clinics Tuesday through Thursday, which allow for a diverse outpatient experience for the rotating fellow. This rotation also provides time for independent study and research training.

Didactics

You will notice right away that the entire section of Hematology and Oncology is dedicated to the education of fellows. Teaching is a top priority for all of our attending physicians, be it on the wards or in the clinic. The fellowship curriculum is set up to supplement this clinical teaching with a plethora of exciting and innovative didactics and conferences. Hematology and Oncology Grand Rounds are held on Monday afternoons, and noon conferences are held Monday through Friday. Several noon conference series have been developed to help gradually build a strong hematology and oncology fund of knowledge, including the Oncology Core Curriculum series and the Foundation Board Review Series.

There is also a weekly case-based hematology conference led by one of our faculty that exposes fellows to the rational and logical application of knowledge in benign hematology. Further, fellows participate in weekly tumor board conferences and frequent journal clubs to keep abreast of important advancements and review landmark trials in the field of hematology and oncology.

Research

As one of only 51 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States, the opportunities for research are plentiful here at Wake Forest Baptist Health. Fellows are encouraged to participate in research and scholarly activity during their time in fellowship, and research mentors are available at any time. During the second year of training, fellows are expected to dedicate time to their own research in a three-month contiguous block. As with didactics, all of our Hematology and Oncology faculty members strive to enhance the research component of our fellowship.

Conferences

The fellowship program pays for each fellow to attend one conference per year. In the first year of training, fellows attend the Charles L. Spurr Oncology Symposium (sponsored by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center). Second-year fellows attend American Society of Clinical Oncology, and third-year fellows attend American Society of Hematology. Additional conference attendance is encouraged and flexible based on individual preferences. The program highly encourages fellows to present their research at regional and national conferences, and fellows attempting to do so receive significant financial and academic support to attend these conferences.

Technology Transfer and Commercialization

Research Focus Areas

Translation to Care

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