Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program

The Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program combines clinical training, scholarly research, and didactic instruction through core curriculum and conferences.  

There are two board certification paths for the fellowship program. Most program trainees enter the hematology/oncology combined path and make a three-year commitment resulting in American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) dual board certification in both Medical Oncology and Hematology. Some trainees may also elect to pursue single board certification in Medical Oncology, to allow additional time for lab-based research during training. 

There are three dedicated fellowship tracks available within the program including: academic clinician, academic clinical investigator, and lab-based physician scientist tracks. 

Hematology/Medical Oncology 

This fellowship program is designed to provide training for a career in academic medical oncology or academic hematology. It is a flexible program leading to dual board certification for most fellows.  

Program rotations include at least 18 months of clinical rotations over 36 months. This includes 12 months of rotations in oncology and malignant hematology with six months of nonmalignant hematology. The schedule also includes research time for scholarly activity, including opportunities for research involving clinical trials or bench research. The total minimal fellowship period is 36 months.   

Please note that applications are through the combined Vanderbilt Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program through ERAS. Additional special training opportunities are available leading to a Master's Degree in Clinical Investigation or for selected applicants.  

Medical Oncology 

This path is designed to provide preparatory training for careers in academic medical oncology. It entails a minimum of 12 months of clinical work and 24 months of scholarly activity (clinical trials design and execution of bench research). Although fellows will be board eligible with 24 months of training, the program encourages a 36-month commitment to prepare fellows for an academic research career.  

Please note that applications are through the combined Vanderbilt Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program track through ERAS. 

Before research training can begin, a trainee must develop fundamentals of comprehensive patient care. The program is designed to meet all subspecialty training requirements and to provide insight and perspective on the important problems and issues in cancer medicine. This is accomplished through a combination of inpatient and outpatient experiences. 

This training program uses the facilities of four affiliated sites:  

• Vanderbilt University Medical Center - An inpatient facility with over 550 beds, a designated Myelosuppressive Unit designed for Stem Cell Transplantation and Leukemia therapy and a designated Hematology-Oncology ward. Vanderbilt is an NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

• Nashville VA Medical Center- A 475 bed VA hospital, adjacent to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is a general hospital and referral center serving the region. Its medical staff hold full-time joint appointments in the Department of Medicine and are active in-patient care, research and teaching. An eight bed Stem Cell Transplantation unit is part of this facility.  

• Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Cool Springs ​​​​​​​

Fellows will spend up to 18 months in scholarly research in the dual board eligible path. They will select their preferred track during their first year of fellowship. Fellows will also choose a mentor during their first year of fellowship. Fellows can work on clinical research or laboratory projects. Fellows may work with any faculty member at Vanderbilt who is involved in research related to Hematology and Oncology. For a synopsis that reflects some of our past research accomplishments as well as current efforts, see our division’s research overview.  

Clinical Research 

Prior to initiation of clinical research training, fellows will have successfully completed at least 12 months of patient-focused clinical training which provides the trainee with experience in the management of cancer, standard and investigational treatment, and informed consent. 

During the research training period, the trainee will learn how to develop a focused clinical question and formulate the rationale and design of the clinical trial. Trainees work with the preceptors and mentors. Fellows have opportunities to participate in writing the clinical trial protocols, monitoring data with their preceptor, and presenting the results at both institutional and national conferences. 

The division sponsors over 150 IRB-approved clinical trials at any one time. These include primarily phase I, II and III studies, some of which are investigating new drugs and biological agents that were developed at Vanderbilt.

Laboratory Research 

Medical Oncology/Hematology fellows choosing to pursue laboratory research training are integrated into the larger educational community including all laboratories within the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC). 

The program offers an active calendar of lectures, seminars, and visits by distinguished scientists, promoting a vigorous scientific dialogue among the staff scientists and research trainees. The fellow participates as an active member in the mentor's laboratory and attends both laboratory and other applicable meetings. The mentor meets regularly with the trainee to provide supervision of ongoing work. 

 Fellowship conferences have been designed to comprehensively address the biology and natural history of cancer, patient management, and research ethics. Many conferences are available within the division, hospital and cancer center. Fellows are encouraged to take advantage of these conferences.  

Fellows are required to submit a research abstract, author a manuscript or write a protocol during their fellowship. Fellows will have the opportunity to attend at least one national meeting in hematology or oncology during their fellowship period.   

• Core Curriculum Conference: The fellows Core Curriculum Conferences are held weekly on Tuesday afternoons. This is a core lecture series that focuses on interactive faculty presentations covering multiple topics including all malignancies by organ site and hematologic malignancies. 

• Division Case Management Conference: This conference, held weekly on Friday mornings, aims to discuss the core elements of the practice of hematology and oncology. Fellows take turns presenting cases and focus on diagnosis, workup and management. Faculty are highly encouraged to attend for input and discussion at the conference. 

• Benign Hematology Conference: The Benign Hematology Conference meets weekly on Fridays and covers all topics related to benign hematology. Fellows and faculty rotate presenting core lectures and cases for discussion. 

• Journal Club: The Fellows Journal Club assigns one fellow per conference to review and present a journal article focusing on clinical trial design, statistical evaluation, and/or content fields. 

Our Hematology and Oncology Fellowship program is dedicated to training future academicians. Candidate selection is based upon evidence of both outstanding clinical ability and a strong interest in a research career. The program actively recruits candidates with a focus on diversity and inclusion. 

Eligibility and Application Process 

Applicants must be Board eligible or certified in Internal Medicine. 

The Vanderbilt Division of Hematology and Oncology participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Paper applications will not be accepted. We hope that you find our program as exciting and vibrant as we do, and we invite you to submit an application for fellowship through ERAS. 

If you have additional questions or wish to speak with someone about our program, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our faculty and fellows are proud of the Division and are always happy discuss the training program. We look forward to hearing from you and hope to see you soon! 

For details and to apply, please visit:  ERAS for Applicants

ERAS Applications must include the following: 

• Three letters of recommendation 
• Current CV and Personal Statement 
• Copies of Medical School Transcripts 
• ECFMG certificate, if applicable 

Our interview season begins late August and continues through October each year. Selected applicants will be invited through ERAS to interview with faculty members and meet with current fellows virtually. Our interview dates will be conducted virtually for all applicants, with no in-person interviews made available, consistent with the recommendations for fellowship interviews from the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and American Society of Hematology.