Hematology & Medical Oncology Fellowship

The Hematology & Medical Oncology Fellowship offers comprehensive training in all areas of the field, preparing fellows for careers in academic medicine. Fellows gain hands-on experience through rotations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, guided by Feinberg School of Medicine faculty mentors. The program also provides a variety of educational activities.

Hematopathology Conference

This weekly, CME-accredited conference features a fellow presenting interesting malignant or benign hematology cases. Faculty participate and board review questions relevant to the cases are discussed.

New Patient Conference

Held biweekly, this conference covers solid tumor oncology cases. Fellows present cases with disease-specific faculty, focusing on standard evaluations and treatments.

Didactics

Faculty deliver three to four lectures per month on key disease topics and active research areas in hematology and oncology.

Journal Club

Every other week, a fellow critically reviews two recent high-impact publications, joined by a faculty discussant.

Tumor Boards

Fellows can attend or present at more than 10 tumor boards, including a molecular tumor board, held weekly or biweekly at Northwestern.

Hematology/Oncology Grand Rounds

The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University hosts expert speakers from Northwestern and other academic institutions. Fellows present 30-minute Grand Rounds during their second or third year to showcase their research.

Board Review

Before ASCO and ASH exams and fellowship graduation, fellows practice board review questions or watch review videos in formal and informal sessions.

Morbidity & Mortality (M&M)/Adverse Event Analysis

Fellows lead quarterly M&M conferences to analyze adverse events in hematology and oncology cases.

Each trainee will have an annual stipend and design a research curriculum with the guidance of a mentor and a faculty advisory committee. In the first year of the Hematology & Medical Oncology Fellowship program, trainees will be exposed to various faculty mentors in the fields of clinical research, health outcomes research and basic cancer research and will select a mentor. Trainees can choose from two research tracks: Clinical Research and Basic Research.

Clinical Research focuses primarily on guiding the trainee in identifying the critical clinical questions affecting patients, advising the trainee on the logistical issues involved in trial design, drug procurement and procedures and policies of the institutional review board and other regulatory agencies needed to actualize a clinical trial. Research focuses on basic cancer research and requires the completion of a laboratory research project and the publishing and presentation of results.

During the 18 to 24 months of clinical training, Hematology & Medical Oncology fellows rotate through seven major clinical services.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Malignant Hematology Service (Inpatient)

Fellows spend two to three months in their first year managing acute leukemia, aggressive lymphomas and other malignant hematologic diseases. They round with attendings, coordinate with outpatient leukemia and lymphoma faculty, perform bone marrow biopsies and write chemotherapy orders. Internal medicine residents manage notes and basic orders.

Benign Hematology Consult Service (Inpatient)

Over three years, fellows rotate for three to four months on this service, working with attendings to manage cases including thrombocytopenia, thrombosis, coagulopathies and hemophilias. Internal medicine residents often join this rotation.

Oncology Consult Service (Inpatient)

Fellows spend two to three months across the fellowship on this service, managing new cancer diagnoses, transfers of care, second opinions and complications of cancer or treatment with an inpatient oncology attending.

Inpatient Stem Cell Transplant Service (Inpatient)

During their first year, fellows complete a one-month rotation, often following malignant hematology to maintain continuity of care. They manage four patients, writing notes and placing orders, with support from attendings and nurse practitioners. Fellows gain experience with both allogeneic and autologous transplants. Northwestern performs over 350 transplants annually.

Solid Tumor Oncology Rotation (Outpatient)

In this one-month rotation, fellows attend five outpatient clinics weekly in core areas such as GI oncology, breast cancer, thoracic oncology and GU oncology, along with their two continuity clinics.

Palliative Care Service (Inpatient)

First-year fellows rotate for one month, focusing on symptom management, pain control and practicing communication strategies, such as breaking bad news and discussing goals of care with guidance from palliative medicine faculty.

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center

Inpatient Hematology & Oncology Consult Service

First-year fellows rotate two to three months on this consult service, collaborating with fellows from the University of Illinois Chicago. They manage new cancer diagnoses, chemotherapy admissions and benign hematologic cases and attend outpatient clinics twice weekly for consults.

Continuity Clinics & Electives

Fellows maintain two outpatient continuity clinics at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. In their second or third year, they may add a VA continuity clinic for increased autonomy. Electives include rotations in Hematopathology, Transfusion Medicine, Radiation Oncology or additional time in Stem Cell Transplant.

Comprehensive Clinical Preparation

This structured clinical training exposes fellows to a wide range of hematologic and oncologic diseases, preparing them for in-depth, mentored research experiences in clinical or basic/translational investigation.

Eligibility

Only residents who are in an ACGME-accredited residency program in a U.S. hospital are considered.  If not a permanent U.S. resident, individuals must already have an appropriate VISA that will permit a three-year stay for training (usually a "J" VISA).  Appointment is contingent on receipt of a valid Illinois Permanent License. 

How to Apply

Applications to the Northwestern Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship are accepted exclusively through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). To apply, please visit the ERAS website and follow the directions for Fellowship Applicants. Applications and related documents submitted without the use of ERAS will not be considered.  

Applications must have the following information:

1. Completed application form
2. Three letters of recommendation and one dean's letter
3. Curriculum vitae
4. Personal statement about your interest in the Hematology & Medical Oncology Fellowship as well as your future plans
5. Transcript from medical school and USMLE scores (ECFMG if foreign)
6. Illinois license, if applicable
7. Copy of J visa, if applicable

Application Deadlines

Completed applications are due in ERAS no later than Aug. 1

Invitations to interview will be sent mid to late August. 

Interviews are tentatively scheduled to take place on the following dates: 

• Sept. 9
• Sept. 16
• Sept. 23
• Oct. 4
• Oct. 7
• Oct. 11
• Oct. 14
• Oct. 21

Moiez Ali, MD, PhD, MS
MD/PhD: Duke University School of Medicine
Residency: University of Pennsylvania

Pranavi Sanka Bavishi, MD
MD: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Residency: The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Nadeem Bilani, MD
MD: American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine, Lebanon
Residency: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Morningside-West

Jeffrey Fuchs, MD
MD: Northwestern University
Residency: Northwestern University

Joseph Fuchs, MD
MD: University of Colorado School of Medicine
Residency: Northwestern University

Max Kelsten, MD
MD: Northwestern University
Residency: Northwestern University

Kyle Miyazaki, MD
MD: University of Hawaii
Residency: University of Hawaii

Juan Alban, MD
MD: University of Illinois
Residency: Washington University

Peter Doukas, MD
MD: Northwestern University
Residency: Northwestern University

Chelsea Lau, MD
MD: University of Virginia
Residency: University of Virginia

Coyin Oh, MD
MD: Harvard Medical School
Residency: University of California San Francisco

Timothy Oh, MD
MD: Wake Forest University
Residency: Northwestern University

Bhamini Patel, MD
MD: Northeast Ohio Medical University
Residency: Emory University
Fellowship: Emory University - Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Neha Reddy, MD
MD: Northwestern University
Residency: The University of Texas at Austi

Marie Dreyer, MD
MD: Medical College of Wisconsin
Residency: University of Chicago

Alejandra Marinelarena, MD, PhD
MD/PhD: University of Illinois Chicago
Residency: Northwestern University
Physician Scientist Training Program

Nikita Patel, MD
MD: University of Florida College of Medicine
Residency: Northwestern University

Wafik Sedhom, MD
MD: University of Colorado School of Medicine
Residency: Northwestern University

Surbhi Warrior, MD, MPH
MD: Rush Medical College of Rush University
Residency: Rush University

Alok Swaroop, MD, PhD
MD: Northwestern University
Residency: Northwestern University
Physician-Scientist Training Program