Yale Medical Oncology-Hematology Program

Our fellowship program offers unparalleled, personalized attention to each of our fellows, with exceptionally strong mentorship for individualized career development.

Yale Medical Oncology-Hematology fellows receive clinical training in all areas of medical oncology, malignant hematology, and classical hematology and have unlimited access to an incomparable breadth of research opportunities in basic, translational, and clinical and population science, throughout Yale Cancer Center, Smilow Cancer Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, and Yale School of Public Health.

Our institution provides numerous opportunities for advanced training, including innovative Master of Health Science and Master of Public Health degree programs for trainees and health professionals and an Investigative Medicine PhD program for physicians. We are also one of nine institutions nationwide selected for the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) prestigious Hematology-Focused Fellowship Training Program, designed for fellows interested in hematology-focused training.

Bolstered by a supportive, collaborative culture, the vast majority of graduates from our fellowship program pursue positions in academic medicine.

Our fellowship program embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as core principles in every facet of medicine and science. We have a highly diverse fellowship class, reflecting the diversity of the patients we serve. All of our fellows participate in a yearlong DEI curriculum, designed and led by our Chief Fellows, providing a forum for discussing challenging topics with the goal of bolstering DEI in the daily practice of medicine. Our institution is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming culture that celebrates diversity.

Fellows in our program who train in both medical oncology and hematology complete 18 months of clinical training with another 18 months dedicated to research. Clinical training is divided evenly among medical oncology, malignant hematology, and classical hematology, with inpatient and ambulatory experiences, numerous educational conferences and tumor boards, and rich exposure to the diverse patient population at Yale Cancer Center, Yale New Haven Hospital, and the West Haven VA Hospital.

Fellows who elect to train only in medical oncology or hematology complete 12 months of clinical training in their dedicated subspecialty followed by 24 months of research. One fellow per year will be accepted into the ASH Hematology-Focused Fellowship Training program.

Upon starting fellowship, each fellow is assigned a mentorship committee, consisting of core faculty who are committed to training and helping our fellows navigate their individual career trajectories.

The landscape of research opportunities at Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Medicine is unparalleled. Our fellowship program has created a unique infrastructure designed to provide trainees with unfettered access to the vast breadth of investigators at Yale.

Fellows may explore any number of fellowship-specific research tracks in basic/translational investigation, clinical/translational research, cancer epidemiology/outcomes, and classical hematology. These research tracks are overseen by research faculty who facilitate connections with specific mentors and provide oversight and accountability, with the goal of fostering a productive mentorship experience for each of our fellows.

Our fellowship program also offers a grant-writing course tailored to our fellows individually, with mock study sections and faculty feedback.

A number of opportunities for advanced training are available for interested fellows, including:

• Master of Health Science program
• Executive Master of Public Health program
• Investigative Medicine PhD program
• ASH Hematology-Focused Fellowship Training program
• Fellows As Medical Educators

Our fellowship program leadership is entirely devoted to the professional development of every one of our fellows. The members of the leadership team are:

• Program Director: Alfred Ian Lee, MD, PhD
• Associate Program Director, Medical Oncology: Sarah B. Goldberg, MD, MPH
• Associate Program Director, Hematology: Nikolai A. Podoltsev, MD, PhD
• Associate Program Director, Research: David Braun, MD, PhD
• Assistant Program Director, Thejal Srikumar, MD, MPH
• Assistant Program Director (HFFTP), Layla Van Doren, MD
• Program Administrator and Coordinator: Lucilina Gilkes & Brenda Sandoval

The program accepts 10 trainees per year, including one fellow for the ASH Hematology-Focused Fellowship Training program. All applications for the 2024 year will be electronically processed through the ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) website. Interviews are granted by invitation in September and October. Selection for the program is made through the NRMP (National Resident Matching Program). The Sections of Medical Oncology and Hematology actively support Yale University policies and programs for affirmative action. The Fellowship Program is fully committed to recruitment and development of minority group members and women.

Submission to the Medical Oncology-Hematology fellowship through ERAS begins in July with an application deadline at the end of August. Questions regarding the application process can be directed to Lucilina Gilkes (lucilina.gilkes@yale.edu).