Randal S. Weber Education and Research Fellowship

The Randal S. Weber Education and Research Fellowship in Head and Neck Cancer Care Transformation and Discovery is a two- or three-year clinical and research post-residency subspecialty fellowship in advanced head and neck surgical oncology. The emphasis of this fellowship is research and clinical training focused on acquiring the skills to deliver the safest, highest quality, and highest value care and potentially to pursue a career as a surgeon–scientist.

The first year is dedicated to head and neck oncologic surgery clinical training. The final year(s) will be dedicated to research and graduate work; the fellowship covers both tuition and salary support. Fellows will have the opportunity to pursue a relevant Masters degree of their choosing and fellows who already have a Masters degree can pursue additional relevant training of their choosing in their area of research interest. In addition to graduate work, fellows will participate in research in their area of interest within the department of Head and Neck Surgery.

Research initiatives will be supervised by MD Anderson faculty involved in this exciting program. Fellows will choose from one or more areas of clinical research, including the following:

• Value improvement through quality and performance improvement
• Population-based research involving traditional descriptive and analytic epidemiology focused on disease etiology, disparities, and outcomes as well as more modern approaches (eg, molecular epidemiology)
• Patient-reported and functional outcomes
• Clinical trial design and analysis in healthcare transformation
• Basic/translational science laboratory experience

Selection Process

To be considered for a position, the candidate for the head and neck fellowship must have completed a residency program in Otolaryngology, General Surgery or Plastic Surgery. The time frame must be equivalent to the requirement to become, at minimum, chief resident; and preferable, should have attained board eligibility. Candidates must have completed at least PGY V level of surgical education. Candidates are selected through a process that involves the review of a written application, including letters of reference from past mentors and program directors, followed by a personal interview.

Final selections are made during the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) Match process, and in the following two to three months in order to fill all of the open positions. All interested U.S. and Canadian fellowship applicants must be registered with the Match Program of the Advanced Training Council for Approval of Training in Head and Neck Oncology Surgery (sponsored by the American Head and Neck Society) to be considered for a position.

MD Anderson does accept applications from foreign medical graduates who are not eligible for the Match Program. Applicants are required to undergo the same application process by submitting the AHNS application with the required references to the AHNS administrator. The AHNS administrator should forward all applications directly to the Department of Head & Neck Surgery at MD Anderson, c/o Kelley Mikeska. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

MD Anderson does not support the H1B visa for fellows.  The institutional preferred visa is the J1.