Fellowship Program Director
The Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program at Michigan Medicine is designed to train the next generation of leaders in academic and clinical hematology, and medical oncology. As a comprehensive program, we offer dual certification in both Hematology and Medical Oncology as defined by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), as well as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Our program is three years in length. The first year focuses on clinical training. In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) guidelines, fellows will complete 18 months of clinical experience in hematology and medical oncology. This incorporates both inpatient and outpatient experiences at the University Hospital as well as the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS). The majority of time in the second and third years are spent in independent research, under either the basic science research track or the clinical investigators track.
In addition, our fellows contribute to an active board review course and the maintenance of two University of Michigan-authored board review books. They also collaborate with our faculty to attain credit towards ABIM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) on an on-going basis through completion of self-assessment and quality improvement modules in a group setting.
Program Leadership
Qing Li, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Associate Professor, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
Program Director, Fellowship Training Program
Gregory P. Kalemkerian, MD
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Associate Program Director, Fellowship Training Program
Suman Sood, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery
Associate Program Director, Fellowship Training Program
Michelle Reinhold
Program Administrator
Clinical Training
The first year of the program focuses on clinical training. Fellows will complete the remaining six months of clinical effort over the second and third years. Your clinical experience will also be guided by the University of Michigan Graduate Medical Education (GME) program, which oversees all house officers at the University of Michigan.
During the clinical portion of training, fellows divide their time between University Hospital, the Michigan Medicine Rogel Cancer Center, and the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS). The combined institutions have more than 1,200 beds. The UMCCC sees more than 55,000 clinical visits each year.
Fellows will work on both inpatient and outpatient services, providing care and consultative services in hematology and medical oncology to a varied population of patients.
During the clinical time, fellows will also choose and participate in a series of 6-month continuity clinics under the supervision of a faculty member.
Trainees attend a wide variety of teaching conferences, including an orientation ‘boot-camp’ lecture series operated by the senior fellows, weekly hematology/medical oncology Cancer Center Grand Rounds, a weekly fellow-run divisional clinical case conference, as well as weekly disease-oriented teaching sessions. Fellows also have the opportunity to participate in more than a dozen different multidisciplinary tumor boards.
Fellows will only take call during their first twelve months of training, much of which is accomplished from home during the week. Weekend call is shared equally among the first-year fellows, equating to weekend coverage occurring approximately one in seven weekends.
Research Tracks
After the first year of intensive clinical training, the second and third years offer 75% protected research time. During the second and third years, fellows will also complete the remaining six months of their clinical training requirement. All on-call time will be completed during the first year, leaving ample protected time for the fellow’s research efforts. Our fellowship training program offers two possible research tracks: a clinical investigator track and a basic science research track.
Research opportunities in hematology and medical oncology at Michigan span the full spectrum, including basic science, translational studies, and clinical investigation.
Fellows are supported via a NIH training grant, in its 35th year of continuous funding. Fellows are encouraged to submit a K30, K08, ASCO YIA, or other similar grant proposals during their second and third years to gain experience in extramural grant applications. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents to be appointed to the training grant.
Individuals accepted to the Michigan Medicine Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) will complete two years of Internal Medicine residency, followed by four years of fellowship training. Those PSTP residents who choose hematology and medical oncology for their fellowship will be assigned to the basic science research track.
Clinical Investigator Track (Pathway)
The clinical investigator track is a program geared for applicants who wish to become skilled clinical hematologists and/or medical oncologists with the intention of developing the skill set necessary to develop and manage the operation of clinical trials. The program will allow fellows to personally observe the regulatory operations of clinical trials, with the expectation of the development of a project under the supervision of a faculty mentor. The research program will be overseen by a research committee developed by the fellow with his/her mentor. The committee will meet at a minimum of two times each year to review and provide feedback for the fellow’s research project(s).
Basic Science Research Track (Pathway)
The basic science research track is a program geared for applicants who wish to become skilled clinical hematologists and/or medical oncologists with the intention of developing the skill set necessary to develop and to manage the operation of independent research laboratories. The program will allow fellows to function in cutting edge laboratory research, under the supervision of a faculty mentor, ranging from cancer genetics, drug discovery, pharmacogenomics, and health policy, just to name a few. The research program will be overseen by a research committee developed by the fellow with his/her mentor. The committee will meet at a minimum of two times each year to review and provide feedback for the fellow’s research project(s).
Program Accomplishments
The Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Training Program at Michigan Medicine prides itself on having an interactive, responsive program that incorporates fellow’s comments and concerns into the training program. We also include trainees in the decision-making processes that govern the operations of our training program.
Below is a list of recent programs that have had direct trainee involvement.
Quality Improvement Projects
Our fellows work on an annual quality improvement project as part of a guided curriculum with a faculty member. Prior projects have included:
- Improving the referral process for patients with Cancer of Unknown Primary
- Improving the transition from inpatient to outpatient care for hospitalized patients who are diagnosed with malignancy
- Streamlining hematology referrals at the VA
- Working to standardize oral chemotherapy administration for hospitalized patients
Monthly Journal Club
The focus of the journal club is to review the medical literature with a specific didactic emphasis on trial design, biostatistics, screening studies, and biomarkers in oncology. We encourage the utilization of the McMaster criteria to critically assess the literature together with the assistance of biostatisticians that attend this conference. Fellows and faculty alike find these sessions interactive and helpful for developing the skills needed to critically review medical literature.
Board Review Books
To date, we have published two board review books as a fellowship program.
Comprehensive Review of Pharmacology of Hematology and Oncology Therapeutic Agents
Together with our clinical pharmacists, we have developed a comprehensive review course of the current drugs and agents used to treat hematologic and oncologic disorders. This course is presented annually by our pharmacists. We are in the process of writing a Comprehensive Pharmacology Manual that will cover all agents discussed.
Contact Us
For more information about our Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Training Program, please contact:
Michelle Reinhold
Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program Coordinator
1500 E. Medical Center Drive
C369 Med Inn Building, SPC 5848
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (734) 615-1623
Fax: (734) 615-2109
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