Drs. Kenneth Cohen, Alan Wayne, and James Casella
Entry Id: TP-70

Information for Applicants

Thank you for your interest in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and the Pediatric Oncology Branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The fellowship programs at the two institutions were merged in July of 2000. This has resulted in combined clinical training during the first year of fellowship at both Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health, with an unparalleled exposure to clinical issues in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. Patients seen at both institutions are largely non-overlapping, giving trainees a unique exposure to the gamut of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology diagnoses and management strategies. Fellowship trainees have access to the wide range of basic science and translational research opportunities available at both campuses during the subsequent years of fellowship. In addition, select fellows may continue to pursue clinical research training with the expectation of receiving an advanced degree (PhD) at the JHU School of Public Health. All fellows may also apply for an Advanced Fellowship Award during their 3rd year of training. If successful, this award provides funding including salary and travel for an additional 1-3 years of training (years 4-6). Selected fellows (based on financial need) are eligible to apply for loan repayment from the NIH. Detailed information regarding the fellowship is available on our Fellowship Program Overview and Information for Applicants Web pages.

Beginning with the group starting in July 2006, seven fellows per years are selected via the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) to train each year in the program. The fellowship is designed to provide clinical and research exposure that allows for the development of subspecialist academicians adept in laboratory and/or clinical research, coupled with superior patient management skills. Training in Pediatric Oncology at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) is under the supervision of Dr. Kenneth J. Cohen, Director of Fellowship Training and Clinical Director of Pediatric Oncology.  Training in Pediatric Hematology is under the direction of Dr. James F. Casella, Chief of Pediatric Hematology and Co-Director of Fellowship Training at JHU. Training in Pediatric Oncology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) is under the direction of Dr. Alan S. Wayne, Co-Director of Fellowship Training and Clinical Director of the Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB) and Dr. Crystal Mackall, Chief, Pediatric Oncology Branch. The first year of the fellowship is largely clinical with inpatient and outpatient exposure at JHU and the NIH. The second and third years are focused research years allowing for training in laboratory and/or clinical research. Detailed information regarding the fellowship is available here.

Clinical Training

The first year fellowship will include:

• JHU Hematology Inpatient Service 
• JHU Hematology Outpatient Service 
• JHU Hematology Laboratory Training 
• JHU Oncology Service 
• JHU BMT Service 
• NIH Inpatient Oncology 
• NIH Outpatient Oncology 
• Continuity Clinic (weekly during selected rotations) 
• Vacation

JHU Hematology Inpatient Service: This rotation is designed to educate fellows in the treatment of a wide range of hematologic conditions including patients with hemoglobinopathies, coagulopathies, ITP, anemias, and patients requiring chronic transfusions. Fellows are responsible for supervising the care of all inpatients on the hematology service. Additional exposures include teaching in the preparation and interpretation of blood smears and bone marrows.

JHU Hematology Outpatient Service: Exposures during this rotation in hematology includes the evaluation of outside referrals for a wide range of hematologic conditions, and participation in the longitudinal management of children with defined hematologic disorders. Fellows will also have specific responsibilities for the management of patients undergoing erythrocytopheresis.

JHU Hematology Laboratory Training: Rotations are spent in hematology laboratories exposure to Coagulation Lab, Hemoglobinopathies/Routine Hematology, and Blood Bank. The purpose of these laboratory exposures are designed to familiarize the fellow with the gamut of laboratory studies required for hematologic interpretation and diagnoses. Fellows participate in supporting conferences (e.g. coagulation conference).

JHU Oncology Service: Fellows work on the inpatient service at JHU supervising the care of newly diagnosed patients, patients with therapy-associated complications, and patients receiving inpatient chemotherapy. Exposure to the broad range of oncologic diagnoses is anticipated. Outpatient exposures during this time include the evaluation of outpatient referrals, assessment of neuro-oncology patients, and evaluation of patients with late-effects related to prior cancer treatment. Fellows have responsibility for the supervision of house officers who rotate on the service each month. Newly diagnosed patients are assigned to the fellow for ongoing continuity in the outpatient setting.

JHU Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Service: During this rotation, fellows will be responsible for the oversight of patients undergoing BMT, as well as patients admitted for complications related to prior transplantation. Outpatient exposures will include the evaluation of patients being considered for BMT as well as some participation in the ongoing management of established BMT patients.

NIH Inpatient Oncology: Inpatient oncology at the NIH allow fellows to care for patients who are hospitalized for specific therapy or complications of treatment. Patients admitted are on treated on NCI clinical trials. Fellows are directly supervised by the attending physician and have extensive interactions with research protocol principal investigators. This interaction emphasizes the important connection between research, education and patient care.

NIH Outpatient Oncology: Fellows are responsible for clinical care of POB outpatients. They evaluate new referrals and provide comprehensive care for patients undergoing treatment or evaluation. POB patients are entered on clinical research protocols. The POB offers a second-opinion service and fellows are responsible for the initial evaluation of these patients. In many instances, the fellow provides continuity of patient care from the inpatient to the outpatient setting.

Continuity Clinic: Fellows are required by the subspecialty board to maintain a continuity exposure during their fellowship. All fellows will have continuity clinic at JHU, which will be composed of patients acquired during their inpatient and outpatient rotations at JHU. During the first year of fellowship, continuity clinic will take place during selected months. In subsequent years of training, the fellow will individually tailor their continuity experience which will occur at JHU regardless of research locale.

Vacation: Approximately four weeks of vacation are provided per year.

Training in the Second and Third Years
The second and third years of fellowship are designed to be focused research years. To ensure maximum productivity, clinical responsibilities are limited to one-half day of continuity clinic each week and periodic weekend call on the hematology service. The remainder of this protected time is spent pursuing a research initiative tailored to the specific interests of the fellow. Decisions regarding the appropriate locale for research training are made in concert with faculty advisors and fellowship directors. Many fellows focus on basic science research, either in the laboratories of faculty members in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at either institution or in other appropriate laboratory settings. Fellows are free to choose among the many laboratories at JHU and throughout the intramural NIH community. Selected fellows who have chosen to focus on clinical research may apply to the clinical research program at the JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health where formal training and a clinical research experience is provided in the expectation of fellows obtaining a PhD in Clinical Investigation. Fellows may also apply for advanced studies in clinical research through an NIH/POB program providing up to three years of additional research training following the completion initial three years of fellowship training.

Among the many advantages of the merger is the wide range of research opportunities available to each fellow. Laboratory and clinical research at both institutions are unparalleled and the merger allows the fellow to choose among almost unlimited research options.

• Robert J. Arceci, MD, Ph.D. (JHU)
   Development of novel targets and immunotherapies for leukemias and histiocytic disorders.
• Kristin Baird, MD (NIH)
   Biology and treatment of chronic graft-vs.-host disease
• Frank M. Balis, MD (NIH)
  Clinical pharmacology and drug development
• Patrick Brown, MD (JHU)
  Molecularly targeted therapies for leukemia
• Emily Barron-Casella, PhD (JHU)
  Study of platelet surface glycoproteins involved in NAIT
• James Casella, MD (JHU)
  Regulation of actin polymerization and the role of platelet glycoproteins in alloimmune thrombocytopenia
• Stephen J. Chanock, MD (NIH)
  Immunocompromised host defenses and genetic risk factors for infection
• Allen R. Chen, MD, PhD (JHU)
  Translational studies in BMT
• Curt I. Civin, MD (JHU)
  Normal and malignant hematopoiesis, stem cell biology
• Kenneth J. Cohen, MD (JHU)
  Clinical and translational neuro-oncology research
• Jason Farrar, MD (JHU)
  Bone marrow failure and epigenetic changes in leukemia
• Elizabeth Fox, MD (NIH)
  Clinical Pharmacology and drug development
• Alan D. Friedman, MD (JHU)
  Transcriptional regulation of myeloid differentiation and action of myeloid oncoproteins 
• Lee J. Helman, MD (NIH)
  Molecular pathogenesis and immunotherapy of sarcomas
• Meghan Higman, MD, PhD (JHU)
  EBV associated malignancies and the immune response to viral antigens
• Gregory Kato, MD (NIH)
  Translational studies in sickle cell disease
• Jeffrey Keefer, MD, PhD (JHU)
  Regulation of fetal hemoglobin
• Javed Khan, MD (NIH)
  Pediatric cancer genomics
• Chand Khanna, DVM, PhD (NIH)
  Tumor metastasis biology, comparative oncology
• Jason Levine, MD (NIH)
  Bioinformatic systems for translational research
• David M. Loeb, MD, PhD (JHU)
  Molecular biology of AML
• Crystal Mackall, MD (NIH)
  Immune reconstitution, immunotherapy
• D. William Parsons, MD, PhD (JHU)
  Genomic analyses of brain tumors
• Ido Paz-Priel, MD (JHU)
  Transcriptional Regulation in Leukemia
• Donald Small, MD, PhD (JHU)
  Molecular biology of normal hematopoiesis and leukemia
• J.J. Strouse, MD (JHU)
  Complications and clinical trials in sickle cell disease and hemophilia, and epidemiology of pediatric melanoma
• Heather Symons, MD (JHU)
  Translational studies in BMT; research in palliative care
• Carol J. Thiele, PhD (NIH)
  Molecular biology of neuroectodermal tumors, regulation of cellular differentiation pathways
• Clifford Takemoto, MD (JHU)
  Transcription factors and growth factor signaling in hematopoietic development
• Kathy Warren, MD (NIH)
  Neuro-oncology, neuro-imaging, and neurotoxicity research
• Alan S. Wayne, MD (NIH)
  Clinical trials in hematopoietic malignancies
• Thomas J. Walsh, MD (NIH)
  Diagnosis and treatment of infections in immunocompromised hosts, antifungal pharmacology
• Brigitte Widemann, M.D. (NIH)
  Clinical pharmacology and new drug development for children with cancers and neurofibromatosis type 1
• Lori Wiener, PhD (NIH)
  Pediatric psychosocial research
• Elias Zambidis, MD, PhD (JHU)
  Human developmental hematopoiesis and embryonic stem cell biology

Applicants who wish to apply to the combined fellowship will need to provide/complete:

• Online Application
• Curriculum vita (e-mail submission as a Word or WordPerfect document)
• Personal Statement (e-mail submission as a Word or Word Perfect document). Please note, the purpose of the personal statement is to provide additional insight into your applicancy not otherwise reflected in your curriculum vita. Topics, by no means inclusive, that might be relevant include: prior basic science or clinical research training; a personal experience with cancer; skills you would bring to the fellowship; and areas of research you might be interested in pursuing during your fellowship. Please limit the personal statement to no more than one page.
• A minimum of 3 letters of recommendation sent directly to the address below

If you are not a citizen of the USA, you must submit the following additional information:

• Medical School Transcript
• ECFMG Certificate

Interviews
Upon receipt of all application material (online application, CV and personal statement) and letters of recommendations, selected candidates will be contacted to arrange interviews. Applicants will be required to interview at both JHU and the NIH on subsequent days. No candidate will be offered a position without an interview. In general, interviews will be scheduled between December and March. All applicants will be accepted via the National Residency Matching Program.

Correspondences/Letters of Recommendation

All correspondence should be sent to:
Kenneth J. Cohen, MD
Director, Fellowship Training
CMSC-800
600 N. Wolfe St.
Baltimore, MD 21287-5001
E-mail: pedshemeoncfellowship@jhmi.edu

Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can provide further information.

Kenneth J. Cohen, MD
Director, Fellowship Training JHU
Assistant Professor, Oncology and Pediatrics
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Alan S.Wayne, MD
Director, Fellowship Training NIH
Clinical Director, Pediatric Oncology Branch
National Cancer Institute
National Institutes of Health

James F. Casella, MD
Co-Director, Fellowship Training JHU
Chief, Pediatric Hematology Division
Professor, Pediatrics and Oncology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

The NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community in its training and employment programs.