Fellowship Details & Requirements

Our GME Office has preliminary eligibility requirements that all prospective trainees must meet before applying for a training program at our institution. In addition to these criteria, our program also the following requirements:

Applicants should have completed or be in the process of training in an ACGME-accredited pathology residency or medical genetics residency. At the start of MGP fellowship, applicants are required to be board eligible in anatomic pathology and/or clinical pathology (American Board of Pathology), or medical genetics (American Board of Medical Genetics), as applicable.

Fourth-year residents also may apply and use part of the fellowship to satisfy ABP requirements. Candidates with research backgrounds and/or some prior hands-on experience in laboratory diagnostics are preferred.

Please check complete GME Eligibility Requirements prior to applying.

Required application materials:
How to Apply

Now accepting applications for academic year 2026-27.
 

• Application
• A statement of intent
• Current curriculum vitae (with home address, mobile phone, e-mail and visa status). All undergrad and postgraduate training must include start and end dates (mm/dd/yyyy) and PGY level, where applicable.
• Three letters of recommendation
• Letter of good standing from residency/fellowship program
• ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
• ALL steps of the USMLE must be passed at the first 3 attempts.
• All application documents should be sent as attachments in one email to ybanuelos@mdanderson.org
  

Follow this step-by-step guide: https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Registering_for_SMS_Match-App.pdf

Timeline for NRMP Match 2026-2027:

Fall 2024: Applicants can submit applications due January 1, 2025

January 1, 2025: Applicant interviews begin

February 5, 2025 12:00PM EST: Applicants can begin registering for the Match and sign the legally binding Match Participation Agreement

March 12, 2025 12:00PM EST: Ranking Opens

April 16, 2025 at noon, EST: Rank Order List Certification Deadline

April 30, 2025 at noon, EST: Match day!

July 2026: New Fellows start!

By the end training, fellows will be able to:

• Actively participate in laboratory quality assurance and quality management and be able to lead the activity (Patient Care 1: Quality Assurance and Quality Management)
• Effectively and independently interpret the results of molecular and genetic testing (Patient Care 2: Interpretation of Molecular and Genetic Testing)
• Develop the skill for interdisciplinary molecular/genomic testing consultations and effectively manage the consultations (Patient Care 3: Interdisciplinary Consultation)
• Demonstrate knowledge of various molecular genetic test methods for diagnosis and guiding management of diseases (Medical Knowledge 1: Molecular Testing with Various Platforms [Diagnosis, Management, Prognostication])
• Demonstrate knowledge (indications, workflows and bioinformatic analysis) of and interpret test results for genomic testing (Medical Knowledge 2: Genomic Testing)
• Demonstrate the interpretation of results through the incorporation of ancillary data (Medical Knowledge 3: Patient-Centered Interpretation)
• Verify and validate new assays as medical director of a laboratory, understanding all components that are a part of comprehensive and systemic verification or validation process, and to apply the most current best practices (Medical Knowledge 4: Assay Design and Verification/Validation)
• Engage in the analysis and management of patient safety events, including relevant communication with patients, families, and health care professionals; to conduct a QI project (Systems-Based Practice 1: Patient Safety and Quality Improvement [QI])
• Effectively navigate the health care system, including the interdisciplinary team and other care providers, to adapt care to a specific patient population to ensure high-quality patient outcomes (Systems-Based Practice 2: Systems Navigation for Patient-Centered Care)
• Effectively navigate the health care system, including the interdisciplinary team and other care providers, to adapt care to a specific patient population to ensure high-quality patient outcomes (Systems-Based Practice 3: Community Health)
• Understand the physician’s role in the complex health care system and how to optimize the system to improve patient care and the health system’s performance (Systems-Based Practice 4: Physician Role in Health Care System)
• Gain in-depth knowledge of the components of laboratory accreditation, regulatory compliance, and quality management (Systems-Based Practice 5: Accreditation, Compliance, and Quality)
• Promote efficient use of laboratory resources to improve patient outcomes via behavioral changes within the laboratory and the health care system (Systems-Based Practice 6: Utilization)
• Incorporate evidence into clinical practice (Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 1: Evidence-Based Practice)
• Involve themselves in contributing to the body of knowledge in pathology while adhering to regulatory principles pertinent to genetic analyses (Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 2: Scholarly Activity)
• Seek clinical performance information with the intent to improve care; reflect on all domains of practice, personal interactions, and behaviors, and their impact on technologists, colleagues and patients (if applicable) (reflective mindfulness); develop clear objectives and goals for improvement in some form of a learning plan (Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 3: Reflective Practice and Commitment to Personal Growth)
• Recognize and address lapses in ethical and professional behavior, demonstrate ethical and professional behaviors, and use appropriate resources for managing ethical and professional dilemmas (Professionalism 1: Professional Behavior and Ethical Principles)
• Take responsibility for one’s own actions and the impact on patients and other members of the health care team (Professionalism 2: Accountability and Conscientiousness)
• Identify, use, manage, improve, and seek help for personal and professional well-being for self and others (Professionalism 3: Self-Awareness and Help-Seeking)
• Deliberately use language in reports and communication with patients and their caretakers, identify communication barriers including self reflection on personal biases and minimize them in the doctor-patient relationships; organize and lead communication around shared decision making (Interpersonal and Communication Skills 1: Patient- and Family-Centered Communication)
• Effectively communicate with the health care team (e.g., laboratory team, resident/fellow team, faculty/resident team, interdisciplinary care team, or any other functioning team in the program), including both inter- and intra-departmental and consultants, in both straightforward and complex situations (Interpersonal and Communication Skills 2: Interprofessional and Team Communication)
• Effectively communicate using a variety of methods (Interpersonal and Communication Skills 3: Communication within Health Care Systems)
  

This program will be centered in the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at MD Anderson, with joint participation by Baylor Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital, and the Medical Genetics Division at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

During the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory rotations and under the supervision of faculty, the MGP fellows will be directly involved in the clinical interpretation and troubleshooting of a wide array of molecular pathology technologies for both single-gene assays and NGS-based multigene assays, including DNA and RNA analytes, tumor-only and paired tumor-normal approaches, and tissue-based and liquid-based.

The external rotations will provide intensive training in disease categories and molecular testing of patients not frequently seen at MD Anderson, particularly for genetic disorders and infectious disease; as well as a dedicated rotation in cytogenetics at MD Anderson. A structured curriculum covering range of technical, clinical, informatics, regulatory and research topics is followed to allow comprehensive coverage of knowledge areas required for professional success.  The structured curriculum is complemented by numerous opportunities for hands-on involvement in learning opportunities following the adage, “Tell me and I forget; teach me and I may remember; involve me and I learn.”

The program boasts of 100% successful program completion rate by the fellows for past 19 years with a high first-time board pass rate. Fellows routinely deliver platform and poster presentations at premier national and international conferences. Some fellows have been invited to join national committees. Others have obtained laboratory leadership positions and have succeeded in these roles. 

Publications from Keyur P. Patel, M.D., Ph.D., Program Director

1. Outcome of Patients With Relapsed Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia.
   Sasaki K, Ravandi F, Kadia T, DiNardo CD, Yilmaz M, Short N, Jabbour E, Patel KP, Loghavi S, Pierce S, Borthakur G, Kantarjian H.
   Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2024 Jun;24(6):375-381.
   doi: 10.1016/j.clml.2024.01.015. Epub 2024 Feb 3.
   PMID: 38431521
2. A phase 1/2 study of azacitidine, venetoclax and pevonedistat in newly diagnosed secondary AML and in MDS or CMML after failure of hypomethylating agents.
   Short NJ, Muftuoglu M, Ong F, Nasr L, Macaron W, Montalban-Bravo G, Alvarado Y, Basyal M, Daver N, Dinardo CD, Borthakur G, Jain N, Ohanian M, Jabbour E, Issa GC, Qiao W, Huang X, Kanagal-Shamanna R, Patel KP, Bose P, Ravandi F, Delumpa R, Abramova R, Garcia-Manero G, Andreeff M, Cortes J, Kantarjian H.
   J Hematol Oncol. 2023 Jul 8;16(1):73. doi: 10.1186/s13045-023-01476-8.
   PMID: 37422688 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial. 
3. Ultrasensitive NGS MRD assessment in Ph+ ALL: Prognostic impact and correlation with RT-PCR for BCR::ABL1.
   Short NJ, Jabbour E, Macaron W, Ravandi F, Jain N, Kanagal-Shamanna R, Patel KP, Loghavi S, Haddad FG, Yilmaz M, Issa GC, Kebriaei P, Kornblau SM, Pelletier S, Flores W, Matthews J, Garris R, Kantarjian H.
   Am J Hematol. 2023 Aug;98(8):1196-1203. doi: 10.1002/ajh.26949. Epub 2023 May 15.
   PMID: 37183966 
4. Clinicopathologic Features of Therapy-Related Myeloid Neoplasms in Patients with Myeloma in the Era of Novel Therapies.
   Jelloul FZ, Quesada AE, Yang RK, Li S, Wang W, Xu J, Tang G, Yin CC, Fang H, El Hussein S, Khoury J, Bassett RL, Garcia-Manero G, Manasanch EE, Orlowski RZ, Qazilbash MH, Patel KP, Medeiros LJ, Lin P.
   Mod Pathol. 2023 Jun;36(6):100166. doi: 10.1016/j.modpat.2023.100166. Epub 2023 Mar 27.
   PMID: 36990279 Review. 
5. Immunophenotypic and genomic landscape of Richter transformation diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
   El Hussein S, Medeiros LJ, Lyapichev KA, Fang H, Jelloul FZ, Fiskus W, Chen J, Wei P, Schlette E, Xu J, Li S, Kanagal-Shamanna R, Yang H, Tang Z, Thakral B, Loghavi S, Jain N, Thompson PA, Ferrajoli A, Wierda WG, Jabbour E, Patel KP, Dabaja BS, Bhalla KN, Khoury JD.
   Pathology. 2023 Jun;55(4):514-524. doi: 10.1016/j.pathol.2022.12.354. Epub 2023 Feb 25.
   PMID: 36933995
6. Impact of SF3B1 mutation in myelofibrosis.
   Senapati J, Verstovsek S, Masarova L, Pemmaraju N, Patel KP, Montalban-Bravo G, Pierce SA, Zhou L, Garcia-Manero G, Kantarjian HM, Bose P. Leuk Lymphoma. 2022 Nov;63(11):2701-2705. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2022.2095629. Epub 2022 Jul 5.
   PMID: 35787095 No abstract available.
7. Landscape of NOTCH1 mutations and co-occurring biomarker alterations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
   Jelloul FZ, Yang R, Garces S, Kanagal-Shamanna R, Ok CY, Loghavi S, Routbort MJ, Zuo Z, Yin CC, Floyd K, Bassett RL, Wierda W, Jain N, Thompson P, Luthra R, Medeiros LJ, Patel KP.
   Leuk Res. 2022 May;116:106827. doi: 10.1016/j.leukres.2022.106827. Epub 2022 Mar 21.
   PMID: 35430388 Free PMC article.
8. Non-coding NOTCH1 mutations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia negatively impact prognosis.
   Jelloul FZ, Yang RK, Wang P, Garces S, Kanagal-Shamanna R, Ok CY, Loghavi S, Routbort MJ, Zuo Z, Yin CC, Floyd K, Bassett RL Jr, Wierda WG, Jain N, Thompson PA, Luthra R, Medeiros LJ, Patel KP.
   Am J Hematol. 2022 Mar 1;97(3):E100-E102. doi: 10.1002/ajh.26457. Epub 2022 Jan 21.
   PMID: 34989420 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
9. Mutational landscape of myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm-unclassifiable.
   Bose P, Nazha A, Komrokji RS, Patel KP, Pierce SA, Al-Ali N, Sochacki A, Shaver A, Ma W, Su X, Daver NG, DiNardo CD, Garcia-Manero G, Loghavi S, Bueso-Ramos C, Kantarjian HM, Sekeres MA, Savona MR, Maciejewski JP, Verstovsek S.
   Blood. 2018 Nov 8;132(19):2100-2103. doi: 10.1182/blood-2018-05-848473. Epub 2018 Sep 21.
   PMID: 30242087 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Publications from Richard Yang, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Program Director:

1. Ibrahim E, Yang RK, Curry JL, Cho WC. BCR::ZNF711 and BCR::CYLC2 Fusions: Novel BCR Fusions Expanding the Molecular Spectrum of Gene Fusions in Melanoma.Am J Dermatopathol. 2024 Nov 1;46(11):797-799. doi: 10.1097/DAD.0000000000002796. Epub 2024 Jul 12. PMID: 39008495
2. Cho WC, Prieto VG, Yang RK. Spitz Melanoma With SLC20A1::ALK Fusion: A Novel Fusion Previously Undescribed in Spitz Melanocytic Neoplasm.Am J Dermatopathol. 2024 Oct 1;46(10):700-703. doi: 10.1097/DAD.0000000000002778. Epub 2024 Jun 28.PMID: 38941542
3. Bowen MB, Melendez B, Zhang Q, Yang RK, Fellman BM, Lawson BC, Adjei NN, Celestino J, Wani KM, Singh B, Urbauer DL, Lazar AJ, Lu KH, Wargo JA, Westin SN, Yates MS. Long-term follow-up of levonorgestrel intrauterine device for atypical hyperplasia and early endometrial cancer reveals relapse characterized by immune exhaustion.Clin Cancer Res. 2024 Jun 26. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-24-0362. Online ahead of print.PMID: 38922360
4. Denu RA, Joseph CP, Urquiola ES, Byrd PS, Yang RK, Ratan R, Zarzour MA, Conley AP, Araujo DM, Ravi V, Nassif Haddad EF, Nakazawa MS, Patel S, Wang WL, Lazar AJ, Somaiah N. Utility of Clinical Next Generation Sequencing Tests in KIT/PDGFRA/SDH Wild-Type Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors.Cancers (Basel). 2024 Apr 27;16(9):1707. doi: 10.3390/cancers16091707.PMID: 38730662
5. Son J, Zhang Y, Lin H, Mirallas O, Alvarez Ballesteros P, Nardo M, Clark N, Hillman RT, Campbell E, Holla V, Johnson AM, Biter AB, Yuan Y, Cobb LP, Gershenson DM, Jazaeri AA, Lu KH, Soliman PT, Westin SN, Euscher ED, Lawson BC, Yang RK, Meric-Bernstam F, Hong DS. Clinical and Genomic Landscape of RAS Mutations in Gynecologic Cancers. Clin Cancer Res. 2024 Jul 15;30(14):2986-2995. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-23-2819. PMID: 38687597
6. Lenskaya V, Yang RK, Cho WC. Primary cutaneous apocrine carcinoma with RARA::NPEPPS fusion.J Cutan Pathol. 2024 Jun;51(6):419-423. doi: 10.1111/cup.14607. Epub 2024 Mar 12. PMID: 38468567
7. Salah HT, Yang RK, Roy-Chowdhuri S, Ross MI, Aung PP, Rothrock AT, Torres-Cabala CA, Curry JL, Prieto VG, Nagarajan P, Cho WC. Spitz melanocytic neoplasms with MLPH::ALK fusions: Report of two cases with previously unreported features and literature review. J Cutan Pathol. 2024 Jun;51(6):407-414. doi: 10.1111/cup.14605. Epub 2024 Mar 5. PMID: 38444194
8. Zheng L, Luthra R, Alvarez HA, San Lucas FA, Duose DY, Wistuba II, Fuller GN, Ballester LY, Roy-Chowdhuri S, Sweeney KJ, Rashid A, Yang RK, Chen W, Liu A, Wu Y, Albarracin C, Patel KP, Routbort MJ, Sahin AA, Ding Q, Chen H. Intragenic EGFR::EGFR.E1E8 Fusion (EGFRvIII) in 4331 Solid Tumors. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Dec 19;16(1):6. doi: 10.3390/cancers16010006. PMID: 38201434
9. Esplen HP, Yang RK, Kalia A, Tang Z, Tang G, Medeiros LJ, Toruner GA. Recurrent Somatic Copy Number Alterations and Their Association with Oncogene Expression Levels in High-Grade Ovarian Serous Carcinoma. Life (Basel). 2023 Nov 10;13(11):2192. doi: 10.3390/life13112192. PMID: 38004332
10. Iorgulescu JB, Shaw LK, Rashid A, Rao P, Mandayam S, Patel KP, Schmeler KM, Yang RK, Msaouel P. Müllerian-Type Clear Cell Carcinoma of Donor Origin in a Male Patient with a Kidney Transplant: Ascertained by Molecular Testing. Curr Oncol. 2023 Oct 5;30(10):9019-9027. doi: 10.3390/curroncol30100651. PMID: 37887551
11. Denu RA, Yang RK, Lazar AJ, Patel SS, Lewis VO, Roszik J, Livingston JA, Wang WL, Shaw KR, Ratan R, Zarzour MA, Bird J, Raza S, Akdemir KC, Rodon Ahnert J, Subbiah V, Patel S, Conley AP. Clinico-Genomic Profiling of Conventional and Dedifferentiated Chondrosarcomas Reveals TP53 Mutation to Be Associated with Worse Outcomes. Clin Cancer Res. 2023 Dec 1;29(23):4844-4852. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-23-1703. PMID: 37747813
12. Diks J, Tang Z, Altan M, Anderson S, Chen H, Rashid A, Yang RK, Routbort MJ, Patel KP, Toruner GA, Medeiros LJ, Tang G, Luthra R, Roy-Chowdhuri S. Detection of clinically actionable gene fusions by next-generation sequencing-based RNA sequencing of non-small cell lung cancer cytology specimens: A single-center experience with comparison to fluorescence in situ hybridization. Cancer Cytopathol. 2024 Jan;132(1):41-49. doi: 10.1002/cncy.22766. Epub 2023 Sep 25. PMID: 37747438

Recent Past Fellows:

1. Qiu L, Nwogbo OV, Medeiros LJ, Thakral B, Li S, Xu J, You MJ, Wang W, Quesada AE, Ramos CB, McDonnell TJ, Thomas SK, Lin P. Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma with IgG or IgA paraprotein: a study of 29 cases including cases that can mimic plasma cell neoplasms. Hum Pathol. 2022 Dec;130:47-57. doi: 10.1016/j.humpath.2022.10.005. Epub 2022 Oct 13. PMID: 36244464.
2. Zhou T, Cheng J, Karrs J, Davies-Hill T, Pack SD, Xi L, Tyagi M, Kim J, Jaffe ES, Raffeld M, Pittaluga S. Clinicopathologic and Molecular Characterization of Epstein-Barr Virus-positive Plasmacytoma. Am J Surg Pathol. 2022 Oct 1;46(10):1364-1379. doi: 10.1097/PAS.0000000000001923. Epub 2022 Jun 1. PMID: 35650679; PMCID: PMC9481705.
3. Zhou T, Yuan CM, Lurain K, Rous C, Weaver L, Raffeld M, Stetler-Stevenson M, Uldrick TS, Filie AC, Pittaluga S, Jaffe ES, Marshall V, Moore K, Whitby D, Ramaswami R, Yarchoan R, Wang HW. A novel approach for characterization of KSHV-associated multicentric Castleman disease from effusions. Br J Haematol. 2023 Feb;200(4):462-475. doi: 10.1111/bjh.18518. Epub 2022 Oct 20. PMID: 36264007; PMCID: PMC10165722.
4. Vijayanarayanan A, Wang SA, Garces S, Saluja K, Medeiros LJ, Thakral B. Non-V600E BRAF mutation in hairy cell leukemia variant. EJHaem. 2023 Dec 18;5(1):266-268. doi: 10.1002/jha2.836. PMID: 38406543; PMCID: PMC10887325.
5. Gutierrez C, Ogino S, Meyerhardt JA, Iorgulescu JB. The Prevalence and Prognosis of Microsatellite Instability-High/Mismatch Repair-Deficient Colorectal Adenocarcinomas in the United States. JCO Precis Oncol. 2023 Jan;7:e2200179. doi: 10.1200/PO.22.00179. PMID: 36716414; PMCID: PMC9928756.
6. Iorgulescu JB. Reporting of Immunotherapy and Biologic Therapy in the National Cancer Database. JAMA Oncol. 2023 Jul 1;9(7):1003. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.0781. PMID: 37140935.
7. Evans MG, Shestakova A, Haghighi N, Zhao X, Nardi V, Pinter-Brown LC, Rezk SA. Rare case of leptomeningeal small lymphocytic lymphoma with TP53 mutation detected by deep next-generation sequencing. Leuk Lymphoma. 2022 Oct;63(10):2479-2483. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2022.2070911. Epub 2022 May 3. PMID: 35503707.

In addition to gaining unparalleled education and training experience, MD Anderson trainees have access to exceptional resources and benefits to help them build meaningful careers and lead fulfilling lives.

Institutional benefits and support

GME trainees’ salary stipends are updated every year based on the ACGME’s recommendations, and because our trainees are considered workforce members, they also enjoy MD Anderson’s employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement planning, disability insurance and six weeks of parental leave.

Our GME House Staff Senate offers trainees the opportunity to experience a leadership role in a medical field career, and the institution’s Academic Mentoring Council provides avenues to secure tailored academic mentoring from faculty. Our GME trainees benefit from the extensive support offered to our research trainees, too; they are invited to participate in grant application workshops, apply for pilot grants to support their research ideas and receive monetary awards for securing extramural grant funding.

Trainee wellness is also of utmost importance at MD Anderson.

Our trainees have access to MD Anderson’s employee networks, fitness center and other wellness resources provided by the institution. Additionally, our Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC), which provides oversight of our accredited programs, regularly assess our trainees’ needs and implements various initiatives, such as providing free call meals and discounted parking to GME House Staff, to address those gaps. The committee even has a subcommittee entirely dedicated to supporting the wellness of our trainees.

Our efforts to ensure a welcoming and supportive education and training experience have been commended nationally. In 2023, the Office of Graduate Medical Education received the DeWitt C. Baldwin, Jr. Award, a prestigious national award that recognizes our institution for its respectful and supportive environment for delivering medical education and patient care.

Beyond MD Anderson

MD Anderson’s location has many benefits, too. Our main campus is nestled inside the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical center which boasts about 10 million patient encounters each year. Many of our faculty are involved in interorganizational research collaborations, both within the TMC and across the nation, exposing trainees to groundbreaking advancements in medical care in real time.

Most importantly, the city of Houston is a great place to call home and raise a family. We are one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation. More than 145 different languages are spoken across the city, placing us behind only New York and Los Angeles. In fact, about 30% of the city’s population speaks a language other than English at home. And, paychecks here stretch farther than most U.S. metro areas, thanks to our low cost of living.

Visit our Why Houston page to learn more about our city’s affordable housing, fine dining, entertainment scene, nationally renowned museums and other great attributes.