Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation Fellowship
MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital's Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Fellowship Program offers specialized training for physicians interested offering this treatment option to pediatric, teen and young adult patients. This intensive one-year clinical fellowship is designed to prepare physicians for academic medicine careers. The Texas Medical Board certified the program in 2020. We accept one clinical fellow each year.
Fellows will develop the clinical skills and understanding necessary to become outstanding providers of care for patients with diseases requiring high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy. Fellows should additionally develop research skills that will allow them to perform independently in an academic, clinical or laboratory setting.
Core rotations for trainees will include inpatient and outpatient patient care, apheresis unit, core stem cell and Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Laboratory, radiation oncology and immunotherapy. Supervising stem cell transplantation specialists within the division will work with trainees as they learn to provide care:
1. Demonstrate competence in the pre-transplant outpatient evaluation of patients, including clinical staging and HLA typing, synthesis of an appropriate clinical plan and discussion of risks and benefits of treatment alternatives.
2. Write orders for administration of high-dose chemotherapy/radiotherapy and supportive care and coordinate the management of medications with clinical pharmacists.
3. Identify appropriateness of stem cell product therapy, growth factor therapy and transfusion medicine as is relevant to transplantation.
4. Identify, stage and manage acute and chronic GVHD.
5. Identify and manage infectious complications of transplantation including suspected and documented bacterial, viral and/or fungal infections.
6. Manage thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications of transplantation including bleeding, DIC, TTP and deep venous thromboses.
7. Diagnose and manage other complications of transplantation, including hemorrhagic cystitis, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, veno-occlusive disease and graft failure.
8. Discuss prognosis and options for supportive care of terminally ill patients.
9. Formulate a follow-up plan and educate patients at discharge.
10. Understand principles of apheresis and photopheresis as relevant to stem cell collection and for the treatment of TTP and GVHD. Understand contraindications to and complications of apheresis.
11. Manage autologous and allogeneic transplant patients in the outpatient setting and assist in the transition of care to referring physicians when appropriate.
12. Identify indications and contraindications for marrow harvest, evaluate patient for marrow harvest and learn to perform and manage complications of harvest.
13. Identify a problem in clinical transplantation or basic science relevant to transplantation and execute a research project that is likely to lead to publication in a high-quality peer-reviewed journal.
14. Derive a thorough understanding of the standards of care in clinical transplantation and the role of experimental therapies for high-risk diseases.
15. Understand the indications of cellular therapy including immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor cell therapy and management of the unique complications associated with this therapy.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates will be selected based on clinical experience, references, performance on examinations and prior achievements; i.e., presentations and/or publications. Applicants should:
- Be board-certified or eligible in pediatric hematology/oncology or immunology.
- Have completed a residency in pediatrics or combined pediatrics / internal medicine and demonstrate a high level of clinical competence
References should be provided to demonstrate proficiency during prior clinical training. All available standardized tests (e.g., USMLE/ABP exams) will be reviewed.
How to Apply
Required documents for all applicants:
- Submit an original application
- Curricula vitae
- Personal statement
- USMLE 1 & 2 (and step 3 if available) or COMLEX transcript and scores
- Three Letters of recommendation
Timeline: Application process lasts from August through October. Accepted applicant will start July 1 of the following year.
Additional Information
Compensation: GME Stipend Levels
Benefits: Graduate Medical Education Trainee Manual
Vacation: 3 weeks
Living in Houston
MD Anderson Cancer Center is within the Texas Medical Center in Houston. The city boasts:
- The finest in medical education and treatment
- Numerous parks, including Hermann Park which has an outdoor theater and large zoo
- An academic and cultural arena that includes Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University and St. Thomas University, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Arts
- Proximity to Houston's noted symphony orchestra, opera, theater and ballet.
Other sites of various activities available within a few minutes' drive include Moody Gardens, Sam Houston Race Park, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, SplashTown Waterpark, Downtown Aquarium, Space Center Houston, Lone Star Flight Museum, San Jacinto Battlefield, NRG Stadium, Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center and the George R. Brown Convention Center. The cost of living is moderate and housing is very reasonable. For more information, visit our About Houston page.
Contact Information
We encourage open communication with the program director and program manager throughout the application process.
Demetrios Petropoulos, M.D., is the program director (left), Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program. You may reach him via email at dpetro@mdanderson.org.
Irtiza Sheikh, D.O., is the associate program director (right), of the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program.
He can be reached at the following email: isheikh1@mdanderson.org.