Fellowship Program Description

The ACGME-accredited Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship training program at Stanford University selects academically oriented physicians who possess the passion, intellectual curiosity, and professionalism necessary to become leaders in the fields of basic science, translational, and clinical research. Supported by the state of the art research programs available at Stanford University and the exceptional clinical services at an NCI-designated cancer center, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford Health Care, and Stanford Children's Health | Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, this comprehensive training program affords opportunities for fellows to work alongside renowned clinical faculty and physician-scientists to gain a valuable in-depth clinical and scholarly activity experience. The high volume and diversity of new diagnoses seen at LPCH ensure a uniquely robust training experience in pediatric hematology, oncology, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and neuro-oncology.

A carefully organized didactic curriculum supports the clinical experience with an emphasis on both fundamental concepts as well as cutting-edge developments in this ever-evolving discipline. The structure of this three-year training program emphasizes clinical training in the first year and scholarly research in the second and third year. Trainees embark on a wide range of research interests that includes both a basic science/translational research track, and a clinical investigator research track. Situated on the Stanford campus and in Silicon Valley, our trainees have a wealth of resources and opportunities to draw upon for their training. The fellowship training program encourages trainees to take a strong cross-disciplinary approach to research and utilize the world-class schools available at Stanford including the Graduate School of Education, School of Engineering, Graduate School of Business, Stanford Law School, and the Institute of Design at Stanford (dschool). Trainees who choose the clinical investigator research track can pursue a Masters in Epidemiology and Clinical Research offered at the School of Medicine. Trainees also have the opportunity to pursue the Advanced Residency Training at Stanford (ARTS) Program to obtain a Ph.D. during fellowship that involves rigorous scientific training for physician-scientists. This program is designed to prepare trainees for an academic career that combines basic science/translational research with clinical fellowship training.

Fellowship Program Mission Statement

The mission of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship training program at Stanford University is to select and prepare physicians from outstanding pediatric training programs who demonstrate the potential to become productive and successful thought leaders in academic pediatric hematology/oncology. This leadership is defined by trainees and graduates making substantive contributions at a national/international level in the areas of laboratory-based, translational, clinical, epidemiological, and medical education research. Towards this end, the faculty and program leadership individualizes the training experience to ensure that each fellow identifies areas of scholarly effort that overlap their clinical and academic interests. The program has many opportunities available for trainees to pursue their research interests including an NIH Training Grant in Pediatric Nonmalignant Hematology and Stem Cell Biology, a developing Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) program, personalized genomics, developmental therapeutics, and other cutting-edge research. Additionally, motivated trainees with specific interests in the areas of neuro-oncology and stem cell transplantation have the opportunity to continue their training in these areas. At the end of fellowship training, it is expected that all graduates will have gained the skills necessary to be outstanding, compassionate clinicians caring for children with a wide variety of childhood blood and malignant diseases. In addition, we strive to ensure their continued contributions to our field through encouraging their engagement in innovative thinking and hypothesis-driven investigation. The program is committed to successfully preparing trainees for career transitions through career development opportunities including grant writing workshops, a leadership and management series, and formal mentoring program.

The fellowship is a three-year program.  After acceptance into our program, all fellows are guaranteed funding for the entire three years of fellowship.  However, seeking other funding opportunities is encouraged. We recognize that two years of intensive research is usually not enough to prepare fellows for a successful academic career. We encourage our fellows stay on in the lab for an additional 1-3 years in order to fully develop their projects and become competitive for research careers. Numerous intra-mural and extra-mural funding opportunities are available to fund this additional research time. We work closely with our fellows to help them identify suitable funding opportunities to ensure that they will continue to have dedicated research time beyond the end of the fellowship training program.