Education
The Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship is a world-renowned program with a long history of training leaders in the field. Our program offers a broad educational experience across the full spectrum of pediatric hematology, oncology and stem cell transplantation, with abundant opportunities for specialized focus. We’ve designed the program to be flexible and accommodate the goals and interests of each trainee, even as they change over the course of training.
About the Program
Our program consists of two tracks through the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital locations in San Francisco and Oakland. Prospective fellows can apply to one or both of the San Francisco or Oakland tracks and rank them according to their preference. The track determines the location of their continuity clinic, but fellows in both tracks will spend time working in both San Francisco and Oakland. All trainees have access to the strengths, resources and programs of both hospitals, providing exposure to the diversity of the Bay Area and UCSF’s patient population.
San Francisco has a strong history in training laboratory-based physician-scientists and clinicians with expertise in molecular oncology, stem cell transplantation and developmental therapeutics. Oakland features a rich variety of clinical exposure and a global reputation in hematology, particularly in hemoglobinopathies. Both tracks provide comprehensive training with expert faculty and access to unique opportunities rooted in the history, culture and expertise of each hospital.
Upon completion of the program, fellows are board-eligible and experienced at providing compassionate care to children with malignancies and diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs. As part of one of the world’s premier academic medical institutions, our program offers a solid foundation in hypothesis-based scholarly investigation and trains physician-scientists who strive for academic careers as clinical investigators or in basic or translational science.
How to Apply
Applications are processed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The application opens for fellowship positions in July.
In ERAS, the two tracks (San Francisco and Oakland) can be found by selecting “the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine” and then “University of California (San Francisco) Program”:
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For UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, select “Pediatric Hematology/Oncology-San Francisco”
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For UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, select “Pediatric Hematology/Oncology-Oakland”
Applicants are encouraged to apply to both tracks. Only one interview day will be required.
Requirements
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Completed 2-3 years of training in an accredited residency program.
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Board-eligible in pediatrics.
Instructions
To apply, please submit a completed ERAS online application along with the following documents via the ERA system:
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At least three letters of reference, including one from the residency program director.
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MSPE (Medical Student Performance Evaluation) from your medical school and a medical school transcript.
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Curriculum Vitae.
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A personal statement describing your career goals and reasons for pursuing training in pediatric hematology/oncology.
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Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the USMLE.
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If a graduate of a medical school outside the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico, a valid ECFMG certificate or one that does not expire prior to the start of the fellowship and evidence of previous training in the United States.
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If not a citizen of the United States or permanent resident, provide a copy of current, appropriate visa.
For questions regarding the application process or program, please e-mail Program Coordinator Karen Tan and Fellowship Director Arun Rangaswami.
Curriculum
The first year of fellowship is nearly all clinical work, with two weeks of protected time to meet with potential research mentors and solidify research plans for the upcoming two years. Years two and three consist of 80+% protected time for trainees to pursue their interests in clinical specialties, basic science, translational science, medical education or any other avenue within the field.
Clinical Schedule
The first year of fellowship is nearly 100% clinical, with fellows spending time at both UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital locations in San Francisco and Oakland. The track that the fellow is assigned to (San Francisco or Oakland) determines the location of their primary clinic and the specifics of their clinical rotation.
During the first year of fellowship, trainees complete their clinical rotations and acquire a large panel of primary patients that they stay with throughout their time at the continuation clinic. First-year fellows receive 4 weeks of vacation and spend 8 weeks at their non-primary Benioff Children’s Hospital.
San Francisco Schedule
Rotation | Weeks | Total Weeks |
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Hematology Inpatient/Consults | 8 | 32 |
Oncology Inpatient/Consults | 12 | |
BMT Inpatient | 8 | |
Hematology/Oncology Inpatient* | 2 | |
BMT Inpatient, High Acuity Oncology* | 2 | |
Hematology Outpatient* | 4 | 8 |
BMT Outpatient | 2 | |
Neuro-Oncology | 2 | |
Hematopathology/Blood Bank | 2 | 8 |
Palliative Care | 2 | |
Radiation Oncology | 2 | |
Research Planning | 2 | |
Vacation | 4 | 4 |
* Rotations occur at Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland
Oakland Schedule
Rotation | Weeks | Total Weeks |
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Oncology Inpatient/Consults* | 2 | 32 |
BMT Inpatient* | 2 | |
BMT Inpatient, High Acuity Oncology | 12 | |
Hematology/Oncology Inpatient/Consults | 16 | |
Outpatient Clinics; Lecture Series | 2 | 8 |
Hematology/BMT Outpatient Clinics | 4 | |
Neuro-Oncology | 2 | |
Hematopathology/Blood Bank* | 2 | 8 |
Palliative Care | 2 | |
Radiation Oncology* | 2 | |
Research Planning | 2 | |
Vacation | 4 | 4 |
* Rotations occur at Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco
Research Opportunities
All research opportunities are available to fellows in both tracks, reducing barriers between trainees and their interests. Trainees can leverage the history and expertise of both UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals to create an individualized experience based on their interests.
All fellows are expected to complete a quality improvement (QI) project and have opportunities to publish and present other clinical projects. The program provides robust support with identifying and securing funding and mentorship opportunities based on a fellow’s background and research interests, including an NCI-funded T32 program that supports four fellows a year in either basic or clinical research.
The Innovative Genomics Institute, led by Nobel-prize winner and UCSF faculty Dr. Jennifer Doudna, is located close to the Oakland campus and can provide mentorship and funding for genomic engineering projects. Cell and gene therapy projects can receive support via training grants from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine or the UCSF Alpha Clinic.
The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Physician-Scientist Fellowship Program is available to trainees without a PhD background that are interested in pursuing a career as a physician-scientist. It provides weekly seminars, collaboration opportunities, and funding of 50% of the recipient’s salary for 2-3 years.
Fellows in our program have a demonstrated extraordinary success at obtaining early career grant funding as a bridge to K-level awards in the years following completion of fellowship. Other commonly secured grants include St. Baldrick’s Foundation Fellowship Awards, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Young Investigator Grants, Hyundai Hope on Wheels Young Investigator Awards, American Society of Hematology Research Training Awards for Fellows, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Physician-Scientist Training Awards and the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program.
Educational Opportunities
Fellows have access to graduate courses at UCSF and the popular Training in Clinical Research (TICR) program. This program offers trainees further education in clinical research methods. Individual courses, summer workshops, certificate programs and a full master’s in clinical and epidemiological research are all available. We typically have one fellow per year who completes their master’s degree during fellowship.
The UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center also offers education resources, including retreats, K grant-writing workshops, the Women in Leadership Development (WILD) program, and weekly research seminars.
Program Leadership
Fellowship Director
Associate Fellowship Directors
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San Francisco: Christine Higham, MD
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Oakland: Robert Raphael, MD
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Research: Benjamin Braun, MD, PhD
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Clinical and Education: Anya Levinson, MD
Department of Pediatrics Division Chiefs
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Chief, Division of Oncology: Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, MD
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Chief, Division of Hematology: Mark Walters, MD
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Chief, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation: Christopher Dvorak, MD
Program Coordinators
- Karen Tan
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Email: [email protected]
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Karen Barca
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Email: [email protected]
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History of the Program
Formerly separate and independent, the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Programs at the two UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, Oakland and San Francisco, have been combined into a single, stronger program. Both fellowships have been in existence for over 35 years and have a strong history in training leaders in basic, translational, and clinical research, medical education, and patient care across the field of pediatric hematology, oncology, and stem cell transplantation.
Current Fellows
San Francisco
Robert Lindquist
Training period: 2020-2023
Medical School: UCSF
Residency: UCSF
Title of Research: Human Stem-Cell Derived Models of High-Risk Ependymomas
Post-Fellowship Plans: Non-ACGME Fellow, UCSF
Priya Parikh
Training period: 2020-2023
Medical School: St. Louis University School of Medicine
Residency: UCLA
Title of Research: Living with Sickle Cell Disease in the Context of COVID-19
Post-Fellowship Plans: Pediatric Hematologist
Amanda Marinoff
Training period: 2020-2023
Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Residency: Boston Children's Hospital
Title of Research: Linking Clinical and -Omic Data as a Path Toward Precision Oncology in Pediatric Sarcomas
Post-Fellowship Plans: Clinical Instructor in Pediatric Oncology, UCSF
Rohini Jain
Training period: 2021-2024
Medical School: UC Davis School of Medicine
Residency: Boston Children’s Hospital
Title of Research: “Assessing the Effectiveness of an Antiracism Clinical Curriculum for Medical Students: A Single Institution Mixed-Methods Study” and "Beyond the Pandemic: Examining the impact of COVID-19 and Telehealth on the ability of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Social Workers to Perform Psychosocial Assessments"
Geoff Cheng
Training period: 2021-2024
Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Residency: Montefiore
Title of Research: Predictors of pediatric transplant-associated diffuse alveolar hemorrhage
Phil Pauerstein
Training period: 2021-2024
Medical School: Stanford (MD/PhD)
Residency: UCSF
Title of Research: Cell Engineering to Modulate Immunity
Matthew Decker
Training period: 2022-2025
Medical School: UCSF (MD/PhD)
Residency: UCSF
Title of Research: TBD
Benjamin Lerman
Training period: 2022-2025
Medical School: Stanford University
Residency: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Title of Research: TBD
Russell Valle
Training period: 2022-2025
Medical School: Rutgers – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Residency: New York Presbyterian-Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital
Title of Research: TBD
Oakland
Stephen Smith
Training period: 2020-2023
Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: University of Nevada Las Vegas
Title of Research: Investigation of the First-in-class pan-Ras Inhibitor RMC-6236 (RM-028/RM-042) in Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia
Ayotola Ajayi
Training period: 2021-2024
Medical School: University of Lagos, College of Medicine, Lagos Nigeria
Residency: Sinai at Baltimore Hospital
Title of Research: Phenotypic assessment of erythroid cells produced following genome editing of hematopoietic stem cells
Dipti Kamath
Training period: 2021-2024
Medical School: Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore India
Residency: Ascension St. John Hospital
Title of Research: Application of a microfluidics-based assay to study the biomechanics of invitro differentiated RBCs and to assess the functional improvement of gene edited sickle cell HSPCs
Deborah Gho
Training period: 2022-2025
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences
Residency: Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center
Title of Research: TBD
Ophelia Tran
Training period: 2022-2025
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine
Residency: TTUHSC El Paso Paul Foster School of Medicine
Title of Research: TBD
Resources and Links