Clinical Training

The UVA Hematology-Oncology fellowship program trains fellows to provide high-quality patient care across all areas of hematology/oncology.

The first year of fellowship consists of a robust clinical experience with a combination of three hospital based rotations (malignant hematology inpatient, non-malignant hematology consults, and medical oncology consults) mixed with outpatient clinic based rotations.

The second and third years of fellowship are comprised primarily of a mix of outpatient clinical rotations and dedicated research time with only several months of inpatient rotation time spread over both years. This design allows significant flexibility for fellows to tailor training to their individual career goals.

Throughout all three years of fellowship, fellows work in a disease specific continuity clinic for either 6 months or 12 months duration (third year fellows only).

As a combined hematology/oncology fellowship program, our fellows complete a minimum of 18 months of full-time clinical training across malignant hematology, non-malignant hematology, and medical oncology.

Outpatient clinical electives

Fellows can participate in a wide variety of outpatient clinic electives throughout their fellowship. These electives are typically either 4 or 8 weeks in length.  The goal of these disease focused electives is to provide fellows an immersive and concentrated experience with expert clinical training in a given field. During an outpatient clinical elective, fellows typically attend four half day clinic sessions and the disease specific tumor board in addition to their continuity clinic and educational conferences.

• Breast Oncology
• Community Oncology
• GI Oncology
• GU Oncology
• Leukemia and marrow failure
• Malignant hematology potpourri (3rd years only)
• Medical oncology potpourri (3rd years only)
• Melanoma and HNSCC oncology
• Myeloma and lymphoma
• Classical (non-malignant) hematology
• Stem cell transplant (required of 1st year fellows)
• Thoracic oncology

Outpatient Continuity Clinic

The continuity clinic provides a major portion of a fellow’s education in the natural history and management of hematologic and oncologic diseases. Continuity clinic includes 1 half day per week in a disease-specific clinic. Continuity rotations occur at six or twelve month intervals (12 month clinics are available only to 3rd year fellows).

During continuity clinic, 1st year fellows are expected to learn appropriate diagnostic evaluation and treatment regimens for each disease state and expand treatment options for refractory disease by the 2nd and 3rd year of fellowship. Fellows are expected to participate in disease-specific tumor boards and other disease specific research meetings or didactic conferences.

Procedural Training

All our fellows are trained to perform bone marrow biopsies and aspirates. First year fellows participate in hands-on training in a simulation lab then perform their first bone marrow biopsies with close faculty or APP supervision prior to being signed off to independently perform bone marrow biopsies and aspirates.

Inpatient clinical rotations

Fellows work on the following inpatient rotations throughout fellowship, though the majority of their inpatient coverage time occurs during the 1st year. There are approximately six rotations during the first year (each rotation is typically 4 weeks) and four rotations spread over the remainder of fellowship.

Inpatient Malignant Hematology Teaching Service

On this rotation, the fellows manage a wide range of malignant hematology patients with internal medicine residents and a malignant hematology attending. The teaching service combines acute leukemia patients undergoing induction therapy, patients receiving cellular therapy such as CAR-T or allogeneic transplants, and patients receiving therapy for aggressive lymphomas or other serious hematologic diseases. In addition to the teaching service, there is a non-teaching service that manages routine chemotherapy admissions, autologous transplants, and additional allogeneic transplants.

Fellow responsibilities include overseeing the daily care of all patients on service by serving as a consultant to house officers and a liaison with faculty and staff. Fellows also work closely with pharmacy team members and the hematopathology team to coordinate treatment decisions. Second and third year fellows are expected to manage rounds with attending oversight. Consultations for patients malignant hematologic conditions on other hospital services are provided by the fellow and attending physician team.

Inpatient Oncology Consult Service

The oncology consult service involves evaluating and managing inpatient oncology consultations with a disease-specific faculty member. Fellows are principally responsible for reviewing data such as pathology results, imaging, and labs to develop plans for patients with newly diagnosed solid tumor malignancies. The fellow also helps to coordinate follow-up care plans with the appropriate outpatient oncology team.

Inpatient Classical (non-malignant) Hematology Consult Service

On the inpatient benign hematology consult service, fellows provide inpatient consultations for a variety of benign hematologic conditions such as bleeding or thrombotic disorders, cytopenias, hemolytic anemias and hemoglobinopathies. Fellows lead daily rounds with the supervision of a hematology attending and provide consulting teams with recommendations. Hematology consult fellows regularly interpret/discuss peripheral blood smears and perform bone marrow aspirations and biopsies when necessary. The hematology consult fellow supervises and teaches the residents and students rotating on the service.

“UVA has provided me the mentorship, guidance, and experience that I sought out in a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship. It was very easy to find a passionate mentor who was willing to involve me in several projects. We meet on a weekly basis to dive into my career development and research productivity which makes me feel like he is fully invested and is ensuring my success in becoming an academic malignant hematologist. My wife and I have thrived in Charlottesville and enjoy tasting the wine and enjoying the beautiful mountains. Finally, my co-fellows have created an environment of support and friendship that makes fellowship enjoyable and fun.”

– Daniel Reed, MD, 2020 graduate