Hematology-Oncology/Palliative Medicine Fellowship Training Program

Program Directors:
 

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Jessica Bauman, MD

 

 

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Dylan Sherry, MD 

Creating Leaders at the Intersection of Hematology-Oncology and Palliative Medicine

A Unique Opportunity

Each year, one fellow will train alongside six hematology/oncology fellows and one hospice/palliative medicine fellow in a fellowship that combines all three fields. Usually, this training would require 3 years of hem-onc and 1 year of palliative medicine for a total of 4 years, however, this unique opportunity allows us to combine these fellowships into a combined 3-year program. The combined hematology/oncology and hospice palliative medicine fellowship delivers exceptional training in both fields by offering an integrated model across all three years. A primary palliative care skill set is critical for a career in hematology/oncology. Benefiting from both robust training in hematology/oncology and hospice and palliative medicine, fellows will be experts in supportive oncology and values-based oncologic care.

An Integrated Model, Individualized Program

The combined fellowship offers clinical training in both specialties throughout each of the three years with an increased focus on palliative medicine in the third year. We provide a schedule for each year of the program. Training in both fields simultaneously enhances each. Hematology/oncology care is improved with additional training in symptom management and the practice of palliative medicine. Palliative medicine is enhanced by a greater understanding of disease mechanism and treatment options. The fellow will have an opportunity to customize their own training within both fields by determining a focus for their training in clinical care and clinical research, and by selecting electives within each field.

World-Class Training

Both hematology/oncology and palliative medicine at Fox Chase Cancer Center focus primarily on outpatient training. In both specialties, the fellow will take primary ownership of their patients with disease-specific continuity clinics in hematology-oncology and clinics within the Supportive Oncology and Palliative Care Program. This apprenticeship model allows fellows to collaborate with experts in both fields to better support patients.

Research and Leadership Opportunities

The fellow within the combined program will be ideally positioned to participate in research in both hematology-oncology and supportive care. Within the hematology-oncology department, there are a myriad of clinical or translational research opportunities as well as other opportunities in supportive care work or quality improvement projects. Within the Supportive Oncology and Palliative Care Program, current research foci include introducing palliative care earlier into the care of patients with advanced cancer, chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy, and the use of buprenorphine for safer and more effective pain management. In addition to research, the fellow has an opportunity to be involved with the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Center’s Improving Goal Concordant Care initiative, which prioritizes building care environments where patient values and goals are reliably elicited and honored.

About Fox Chase Cancer Center

Fox Chase Cancer Center is an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Center includes a 100-bed hospital devoted entirely to cancer patients, an outpatient center which includes a facility for clinical cancer prevention and research, one of the oldest and most nationally recognized high risk programs in the country, and the Institute for Cancer Research.  The Center has a residency in radiation oncology, as well as fellowship programs in a variety of areas, including medical oncology and urologic oncology. The Center is also home to an SSO-approved General Surgical Oncology Fellowship. Residents from Temple University's Lewis Katz School of Medicine and other regional institutions also rotate at the Center.

About Temple University Health System

Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $1.6 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research.   The Health System consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH); TUH – Jeanes Campus; TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; Fox Chase Cancer Center, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center;  Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; and Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices. 

TUHS is affiliated with the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM), established in 1901, is one of the nation’s leading medical schools.  Each year, the School of Medicine educates approximately 840 medical students and 140 graduate students. Based on its level of funding from the National Institutes of Health, Temple University School of Medicine is the second-highest ranked medical school in Philadelphia and the third-highest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple University Health System (TUHS) and by the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.  TUHS neither provides nor controls the provision of health care. All health care is provided by its member organizations or independent health care providers affiliated with TUHS member organizations. Each TUHS member organization is owned and operated pursuant to its governing documents.