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 has the following requirements:

• The Musculoskeletal Radiology Fellowship program is currently only supporting US citizens and permanent residents.   
• Trainees must have also completed an ACGME approved (or equivalent) residency training program in Diagnostic Radiology. All trainees must be able to obtain an appropriate permit or license issued by the Texas Medical Board.   

Each application is reviewed by the program director of musculoskeletal radiology with consultation of other faculty members in the department. Top applicants, chosen based on their credentials and letters of recommendation, are invited for a formal interview. 

Interviews will take place over half a day and include participation of staff. Applicants will have the opportunity to meet with faculty and current fellows. The final selection of fellows is made in a series of joint meetings with all staff members. 

A sample contract for prospective trainees may be viewed here.

Applications will be accepted for academic year 2026-2027 starting November 1, 2024 (subject to change) and interviews will begin January 2025 as per the SCARD guidelines.

Required application documents for preliminary review:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Medical school transcript
• USMLE and/or Complex transcript
• Three additional letters of recommendation (one
  from current residency program director)
• Personal statement
• Recent photograph
• Interviews will be required

Additional documents for foreign medical school graduates:

Note: Documents in a language other than English must be submitted with certified translation.

• ECFMG certificate

Additional documentation may be required before a candidate can be appointed.

The objectives of the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Radiology Fellowship are to combine the respective strengths of the core institutions to: 

• Educate fellows in the interpretation of radiography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Nuclear Medicine/PET and ultrasound examinations of the musculoskeletal system. 
• Educate fellows in the performance of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures using fluoroscopic, ultrasound, CT, and MRI guidance. 
• Educate fellows in the biology, treatment, and complications of neoplastic, and acquired musculoskeletal diseases. 
• Provide an opportunity for clinical education and academic research using the material and resources of the core institutions. 
  

The trainee will spend their time primarily at MD Anderson, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, Department of Musculoskeletal Radiology (6 months, including three months of elective), one Interventional Radiology, two at Hermann Memorial for musculoskeletal and emergency radiology rotations, and one at Houston Methodist for musculoskeletal.  

The clinical modalities of radiography, fluoroscopy, CT, MRI, Ultrasound, and Nuclear Medicine/PET and SPECT will be used as tools in the accomplishment of musculoskeletal radiology training by the appropriate faculty in the respective department within the Division of Diagnostic Imaging and its affiliated program. In CT and MRI, responsibilities will include protocol design for patient studies and occasional monitoring of studies for patient safety and diagnostic accuracy. The dictated reports will all be reviewed by a faculty member. Graded responsibility will be given over the year for the consultation service with clinicians.  

In addition, expectations for the number of cases prepared and interpreted will increase over the year. After sufficient training and demonstration of an acceptable level of proficiency, the fellow will perform modality- specific guided needle biopsies and procedures under the direct supervision of faculty. 

The trainee will have dedicated time off the clinical schedule for approved research and academic pursuits.  It is the responsibility of the trainee to identify a project early in the year and to complete a potentially publishable paper by the end of the year. Presentation of research material at a national meeting is encouraged. A musculoskeletal radiology mentor will be assigned. 

Didactics:

The trainee will spend time preparing for weekly clinical conferences, (i.e., reviewing images and clinical data with the faculty assigned to that conference as well as attending and/or presenting at the conference). The Orthopedic, Myeloma, Pediatrics, Radiology-Pathology, and Sarcoma conferences, as well as the weekly Bone Club, have been chosen as the fellows’ responsibility, and the trainees will rotate through all during the year. 

On-Call:

The trainee is responsible for “call” on a rotating basis, but no more frequently than every third or fourth weekend. This involves coverage of all Emergency CT, US exams, CT Head and Neck and MRI brain and spine, and other studies (as needed). All trainees in Diagnostic Radiology will participate in the on-call pool. 

Patient Care Responsibilities: 

Trainees must be able to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems requiring diagnostic musculoskeletal radiology. 

Trainees must demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care. 

Trainees must demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate their care of patients, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and life-long learning. 

Trainees must demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care. 

Trainees must demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities and an adherence to ethical principles. 

Trainees must demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals. 

Supervision:  

Trainees are under continuous direct supervision of the rotation faculty. Musculoskeletal Radiology faculty will provide supervision on all cases interpreted by a trainee. Procedures will first be closely supervised; however, less faculty involvement is expected as the year progresses.  

Scholarly activity (publications, posters, abstracts, etc.), that trainees are expected to produce during fellowship) Our trainees gain the skillsets they need to participate in clinical research and present their findings in an impactful way.

Scholarly Activity:

Aein, A.; Khanpara, S.; Samant, R.; Cai, Y.F.; Nunez, L.; Savitz, S.I.; Romero, J.M.; Riascos, R.F.; Neuroimaging Findings of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. American Society of Neuroradiology, Neurographics, Volume 12, Number 3, 1 July 2022, pp. 117-130(14) 

Sarraj A, Campbell BCV, Christensen S, Sitton CW, Khanpara S, Riascos RF, Pujara D, Shaker F, Sharma G, Lansberg MG, Albers GW; SELECT Investigators. Accuracy of CT Perfusion-Based Core Estimation of Follow-up Infarction: Effects of Time Since Last Known Well. Neurology. 2022 May 24;98(21):e2084-e2096. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200269. Epub 2022 Apr 21. PMID: 35450966; PMCID: PMC9169942. 

Cai Y, Khanpara S, Timaran D, Spence S, McCarty J, Aein A, Nunez L, Arevalo O, Riascos R. Traumatic spondylolisthesis of axis: clinical and imaging experience at a level one trauma center. Emerg Radiol. 2022 Aug;29(4):715-722. doi: 10.1007/s10140-022-02041-5. Epub 2022 May 11. PMID: 35543854. 

Other:  

Ernest Fonocho MD, Sintawat Wangsiricharon MD, Muqdad Kbah MD, Wei-Li Wang MD, Rajendra Kumar MD; Sarcomatous transformation of benign bone lesion, fibrous dysplasia; Poster Presentation, 2022  

Department of Musculoskeletal Radiology Faculty

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.