The fellowship program is committed to the training of academic leaders in Pediatric Hematology & Oncology. This may involve training in basic research, clinical investigation, or education. It is expected that the first year fellow will be exposed to a variety of clinical, translational, and basic research during that year. The fellow will become acquainted with the broad opportunities in fundamental and translational research available on the university campus as well as the unique environment in which to become a master teacher.
Fellows interested in obtaining advanced degrees may apply to the UCLA STAR program to obtain either a PhD or Masters in Clinical Research, Masters in Clinical Science, or Masters in Public Health. Fellows may also participate in the core curriculum of the UCLA Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (Track 2) program.
UCLA provides a wide spectrum of research opportunities including Howard Hughes Institute, the Molecular Biology Institute, the California NanoSystems Institute, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences among other examples of the infrastructure of basic research at the University available to our fellows. Fellows also have the option of doing research at California Institute of Technology. For trainees more inclined toward translational and clinical investigation, the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, RAND, and the Fielding School of Public Health provide a milieu in which clinical investigators will flourish. The School of Public Health now offers a Masters Degree in Clinical Investigation. For those trainees dedicated to the development of innovative educational approaches to our field, the School of Education provides an environment in which novel tools and ideas can be developed, adapted, and evaluated.
The Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology has an NIH funded training grant in Developmental Hematology (T32). First year fellows interested in basic, translational and clinical research will be expected to apply. The training grant supports fellows for two years. (UCLA Training Program in Developmental Hematology).
During the second and third years of training the fellow is expected to focus on and develop an area of creative interest. By November of the first year, the fellow is expected to choose a research/career mentor for guidance in the pursuit of basic, translational research, or clinical investigation. The fellow under the guidance of the Fellowship Director and Division Chief will select a Committee of three or more faculty to oversee the progress of his/her efforts throughout fellowship.
Fellows are encouraged to submit abstracts to national meetings, including ASPHO, ASH, AACR, and ASCO. Third year fellows are expected to present their research to the departmental fellows noon seminar as "work in progress" and on Science Day in June of their third year. Second year fellows present posters on Science Day.
