Hematology/Oncology 2019-2020 Fellowship Season

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
That information can be found on the r3 system: NRMP

I don't have access to the R3 system. Would some be able to kindly post the unfilled programs here or PM me? Thank you in advance.

Members don't see this ad.
 
I don't have access to the R3 system. Would some be able to kindly post the unfilled programs here or PM me? Thank you in advance.

From scanning the NRMP Match Outcome for All Institutions by State document that was released yesterday by the NRMP, it looks like every program filled in the match, except for Ochsner, who filled only 2/3 spots.
 
From scanning the NRMP Match Outcome for All Institutions by State document that was released yesterday by the NRMP, it looks like every program filled in the match, except for Ochsner, who filled only 2/3 spots.

Where is that? I only saw the 2019 one (2019 appointment year, so last year's)
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Ochsner didn’t fill last year either. Had 2 open spots after match, if I remember correctly. Any particular reason why? Just curious
 
Last edited:
To the incoming Baylor fellows, congrats! Recent messages about the program's workload may seen scary, but first year is tough in all places. Don't be afraid, you were selected for a reason. And kudos to you for being brave and stating where you matched.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Congrats its a decent program.

I know residents and fellows at Baylor. It is insanely busy, continuity clinic twice a week with up to I heard 10 Or 13 patients that run till the evening. Very busy inpatient services, 3 - 4 months of BMT and the fellows are primary and not even a month for research the first 2 years or a guarantee of a research year.

I felt like they rode on the name of the college of medicine and basic research going on there and no real opportunities for fellows to build an academic career.

But everyone was nice and hard working and the training is great and diverse
Dude...c'mon. Was this really necessary? Pretty sure they know what they're in for. No need to be a douche about it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 8 users
At the risk of having to GTFO, I'll say I matched at my number 1. It was great to meet some of you all on the trail. Congrats to everyone who is happy and to those who aren't, I hope things work out for the best.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Dude...c'mon. Was this really necessary? Pretty sure they know what they're in for. No need to be a douche about it.

Wasn’t trying to be a douche. Apologies for coming off that way.


Baylor has some of the best trained fellows in the country, their clinical exposure is bar none, VA, county, BMT, private hospital but that comes at the price of research and academics.

I’m from houston, did medical school there, know a lot of people in the baylor system and that’s why I didn’t rank it last year
 
Wasn’t trying to be a douche. Apologies for coming off that way.


Baylor has some of the best trained fellows in the country, their clinical exposure is bar none, VA, county, BMT, private hospital but that comes at the price of research and academics.

I’m from houston, did medical school there, know a lot of people in the baylor system and that’s why I didn’t rank it last year

1575605264601.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Wasn’t trying to be a douche. Apologies for coming off that way.


Baylor has some of the best trained fellows in the country, their clinical exposure is bar none, VA, county, BMT, private hospital but that comes at the price of research and academics.

I’m from houston, did medical school there, know a lot of people in the baylor system and that’s why I didn’t rank it last year

FYI this is why you sound like a douche. If you weren’t trying to be one...congrats as it seems to come effortlessly for you.

You won’t have much luck trying to sell that Baylor doesn’t produce any academic oncologists
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Wasn’t trying to be a douche. Apologies for coming off that way.


Baylor has some of the best trained fellows in the country, their clinical exposure is bar none, VA, county, BMT, private hospital but that comes at the price of research and academics.

I’m from houston, did medical school there, know a lot of people in the baylor system and that’s why I didn’t rank it last year
Just...stop.

You may not have been trying to be a douche, but you nailed it, so good job.

Go post in the GI forum or something.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
US IMG doing chief resident year at a medium sized community/university affiliate program. Matched at my #1 program, NSUH/LIJ! Thank you to everyone in this forum for the help and support!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
IMG, Chief year in a community program, currently a hospitalist.. Matched in Univ of Colorado..
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Members don't see this ad :)
IMG, Chief year in a community program, currently a hospitalist.. Matched in Univ of Colorado..
How many years have you been hospitalist? 3 or less?
I did not match and contemplating this route, and wondering how many years of hospitalist work, that will not be be considered, too long out of main stream of training.
 
Curious what programs didn’t fill ? Any one have this data?
 
How many years have you been hospitalist? 3 or less?
I did not match and contemplating this route, and wondering how many years of hospitalist work, that will not be be considered, too long out of main stream of training.
I did 2 years. In my opinion if you can do a hospitalist job focusing on Oncology patients that will be best. I did not do that but I stayed in academic setting which was my residency place.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Congrats all! We matched an excellent class and based on their quals I think this was a very competitive year.

Would strongly recommend if you remember specifics about different programs to write a 1-2 sentence summary of what you liked/disliked/most memorable about each program. Literally you have your match in hand now and it doesn't matter anymore.

When I applied last year I found snippets like those to be the most helpful. I didn't feel comfortable exactly disclosing where I matched here on SDN but I tried to write as much as I could remember about all the programs I interviewed at (this includes the program I am at now!). I think it's fine to not disclose where you matched, but at least help pay it forward with interview impressions!

Enjoy the (almost) 7 months of freedom left before you need to debug chemo order sets! ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
For those that matched, have you heard from the program where you matched? Is it normal not to hear from them for almost 1 week after the match? Just curious
 
For those that matched, have you heard from the program where you matched? Is it normal not to hear from them for almost 1 week after the match? Just curious
It depends on the program; some already called their new fellows( my friend program), some sent emails; if you have not heard from your program, maybe they are just very busy with holiday season?
When is the new NRMP stat data coming out?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
For those that matched, have you heard from the program where you matched? Is it normal not to hear from them for almost 1 week after the match? Just curious
Just a week?

If you don't have a contract by March, shoot somebody an email.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Wanted to give back to SDN and appreciate everyone's help

Top 20 US medical school, top 20 residency, not chief, did a lot of research even outside of heme/onc (nothing high impact but wrote reviews, case reports, small projects whatever came along and got 8+ pubs including first authors, and 12+ abstracts), steps were 250s/250s/240s. Did a 1 year onc and medicine hospitalist year to line up with significant other. Had strong letters of rec and PD (several interviewers commented on my letter writers)

Applied to 29 programs, got 18 invites, went on 14 interviews. Matched to my #2 (but honestly #1=#2 for me and was just a toss up, and I would have been happy with top 8). I ended up changing my rank list in the last day in the last hours because I honestly couldn't decide.

Where I interviewed - no particular order but my feedback. Honestly all the programs seemed pretty good to me

#Fred Hutch - felt solid training all around esp malig heme, high COL, have family in West coast. They heavily emphasized multiple times "if you want to do private practice don't come here, we will only prepare you for an academic career". Fellows seemed very happy.
#UPenn - felt solid training all around, you can get a Masters within the fellowship
#Sloan Kettering - high COL, spouse hates NYC unfortunately so could not rank high. Faculty were incredibly friendly and down to earth and fellows looked happy. Huge number of fellows (16)
#Colorado - Faculty were incredibly friendly, seemed less strong in heme but growing quickly in this area. Tough call schedule but gaining a fellow which will help
#U of Michigan - liked interview day a lot, favorite PD who was very involved (interview dinner held at his house), some of the happiest fellows. Very impressed after the interview. Lower COL. Tight knit fellow classes
#Duke - liked interview day a lot, seemed like a flexible program with happy fellows. Lower COL
#Mayo - liked interview day a lot, great research and low COL, don't love middle of nowhere location or insane cold. They have a ton of $$$ for research (a lot of SPORE grants). Everyone wearing suits was interesting. Tight knit fellow classes
#Beth Isreal - high COL, had a strong clinical education focus. 11 months if outpatient first year which was very different from other places
#Hopkins - not a fan of the forced single boarding, didnt like one of the interviewers who told me my research topic was not important
#Yale - interview day seemed a bit disorganized, no one came to lead the tour so we sat for 1.5 hours in the middle of the day.
#UNC- very involved PD, excellent for outcomes research
#Jefferson - laid back, seemed like a lighter fellowship
#Vanderbilt - people loved the city, PD was very laid back and also hosted interview dinner at her house, fellows were happy
#UCSD - does a lot of biotech and basic science. didnt like one of the interviewers who "forgot" (apparently she forgot last year too) and missed a few interviews then wanted us to "group interview together" to save her time (which the wonderful program coordinator nixed that idea immediately) so we had a rushed 15 min interview

Where I matched, the PD emailed a congrats/welcome email the same day where I could see my co-fellows, and the coordinator and the chief fellows also emailed a welcome email the same day.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
Okay I'll go next. I share some of the sentiments above (@eilatan)

I applied to 24 places, got 19 interviews invitations and went to 14. I left my impressions for 12 of them here, don't remember much about the last two. Tried to leave some info about call schedules if I remember them, which I realize is superficial but it always came up as a question on every interview day. Thanks for everyone's help and advice this year!


EAST COAST:
# Yale - Really nice faculty (especially APD) and fellows, slightly different from the usual East Coast vibe, seemed more laid back. People looked really happy. New Haven seemed to be developing a lot, but still a small city, can be sketchy in certain areas. COL surprisingly higher than expected for the size of the city but not as bad as NYC. Strong in immunotherapy and has some really prominent immunology labs in the med school. More of a traditional call and clinical schedule. 8 fellows split up call in 1st year, does cover attending calls overnight and on weekends, but they hired a RN on one of the weekend days to help with morning calls in response to fellow feedback.

# MSKCC - huge program (15-16 fellows per year), expected people to be more serious in NY but overall everyone seemed nice. Fellows seemed happy, and they did not feel that the unionizing of ancillary staff affected their experience much here. Probably the strongest in translational and physician-scientist training out of everywhere that I applied, in addition to abundance of clinical trials. Fellows can get pretty much any research opportunity they want. You do get some teaching opportunities with rotating students and residents despite being an independent cancer center. Upper East Side is quite expensive to live in even for NYC, but is also quite nice.

# Columbia - better COL than MSKCC but still expensive, nice PD and fellows, really strong mentoring and very high number of ASCO YIAs considering the size of their program, though this does increase the pressure on the remaining fellows to get it. Fellows get a lot of grant writing support. A lot of emphasis on translational research. Does not do as many malignant stem cell transplants compared to other NY centers, but has great focus on non-malignant transplants. Has recruited many MSKCC faculty in recent years, including the current PD. Seems to be a rapidly growing program with a great reputation. Usual call schedule split among 8 fellows, which includes attending pagers and infusion clinic so may have to stay in-house until 8-9pm on weekdays.

# Johns Hopkins - has an emphasis on single-boarding but you can double board if you want, especially if you're interested in malignant heme. That said, the norm is to single board there and the vast majority do. Really strong translational opportunities for fellows. One fellow gave a research presentation that talked about how he took one of his lab findings and retrospective clinical data as the foundation to start his own clinical trial (with a different PI/mentor), resulted in an ASCO YIA, overall best fellow research presentation I saw on the trail. Strong in pretty much every onc specialty. High level of responsibility on the inpatient services, both fellows and residents work hard, that's just the culture there. I recall a higher # of fellows (maybe 12?). Baltimore is a bit sketchy but low COL.

# NIH - really interesting program, has its own inpatient units which are led by an inpatient attending as well as a research PI, the latter makes most of the decisions as pretty much all patients are on trials there. You get good at reading trial protocols since everyone is on one. Relatively more laid back clinical training, focus is on research. Not as much bread and butter so you have to rotate through Hopkins, Georgetown, etc., not sure how I felt about being an external rotator but fellows seemed cool with it. Research availability and clinical exposure depends on what faculty are interested in (rather than any other hospital that caters to the most common diseases) - so for example you will barely see any AML as only 1 faculty does AML research there (no inpatient leukemia service) but you will see a lot more hairy cell leukemia than you would have otherwise. You have option to single board here as well, but they're not as stringent about it as Hopkins and some do choose to double board. Bethesda/DC can be expensive but really nice to live in. Not as many teaching opportunities.


SOUTH:
# MD Anderson - a heaven for clinical trialists, they pump out trials like a well-oiled machine. Similar # of fellows to MSKCC (~14). Fellows have their pick of research opportunities, a lot of huge names here in heme. Not quite as much basic science compared to MSKCC. No attending pager coverage, but fellows carry code pagers and run codes for hospital since no residents (which is interesting). Role of fellows seemed somewhat superfluous, which is both good and bad - mainly there to learn as all services can run independently of fellows, not as much responsibility but also means not as stressful of a clinical training environment, which gives you time to focus on research. Interestingly, almost half will go into private practice, probably because Texas pays so well. Not as many teaching opportunities as a stand-alone cancer center.

# Duke - PDs, faculty, and fellows were all super nice. Fellows all seemed happy. Seemed like a collegial working environment. Area has low COL but Durham is a fairly small city, so depends on your living preferences. Decent research options, collaborates with biotech in research triangle. Very flexible clinical training schedule, most of it happens in first year. Some fellows choose to rotate through rural clinics, which was interesting. Has a VA within walking distance. For call, no attending pager coverage at all. Downside is that there are no senior residents on the inpatient heme and onc services (only interns), so fellows have to serve that role as senior as well as cover intern patients as primary when they're off, in addition to usual fellow responsibilities.

# UNC - Nice faculty, strong in benign heme. They build their own unique CAR-Ts which is cool and provides a rather unique research experience if you're interested in that. The opportunity to write CAR-T protocols as a fellow supposedly makes you more in-demand during job search. Chapel Hill is more expensive than Durham but also a bit nicer - good area if raising a family. UNC often tries to keep its own fellows. Usual call schedule, split among 7 fellows, with 2 covering over the weekend, does cover attending pagers as well.

# Vanderbilt - really outgoing PD and faculty, nice looking facilities, great heme research especially translational, Nashville is a nice place to live but getting more expensive these days. Overall, the clinical training seemed strong but also more laid-back, which was the vibe I got. Has a VA experience that is close by. A lot of traffic jams as city infrastructure can't seem to handle the rapid expansion of its population. Rotations include Meharry which has a traditionally more underserved population. Offers overnight hemepath assistance so no need to review own slides for acute leuks. Smaller # of fellows (~6) so more calls, does cover attending pager calls as well including weekends.


MIDWEST:
# University of Chicago - more research focused compared to Northwestern, has more translational and basic science opportunities, no fellow clinic. Average # of fellows (~7) so calls are split among them, but only serve as backup call for attending pagers (phone line will try to reach attendings first and only page fellow on call if no response within 30 minutes). Really strong leukemia group here, as well as solid onc. Good place to train if you're interested in working with AYA population, especially in leukemia. No VA rotation, but you do get to rotate through a hybrid semi-PP practice at Northshore in Evanston (a bit of a drive, ~1 hour from University of Chicago). COL in Hyde Park is better than downtown Chicago but most fellows chose to live elsewhere. South side of Chicago can be dangerous but Hyde Park itself is fairly nice.

# Northwestern - Really nice PD/APD, faculty, and fellows. Fellows seemed pretty happy. Strong in breast cancer and lymphoma programs, not as much translational/basic science as a lot of that happens on the Evanston campus (Northwestern medical campus is downtown). Traditional call schedule but split among fellows in all 3 years so it's not just first years, helps lessen the load since only ~4 fellows per year but does mean you'll still be doing a few weeks of call as a senior fellow. Fellows do cover attending pagers but only on weekends (not weekday nights). Strong clinical training, great benign heme training. Has a fellow clinic at the VA starting in 2nd year, with high autonomy but schedule can be very busy (one patient every 10-12 minutes). VA is ~25 min away by shuttle from the main campus. Beautiful hospital reminiscent of Mayo Clinic, has 10+ restaurants that looked like a higher end mall.

# Michigan - Really nice and involved PD, had a nice dinner at his house where he met individually with every single applicant. 1st year is fairly clinical heavy and overall training tends to be front-loaded. Has an interesting Cancer of Unknown Primary clinic run by the PD, and you can do your continuity clinic here. Otherwise no fellow clinic and no other continuity experience. Good balance of clinical training and research, about 75% of fellows end up in academia. Faculty seemed really collegial and fellows were all very happy. Ann Arbor was a nice college town, surprisingly plenty to do despite its size, relatively low COL and overall seemed like a good place to live. Housestaff are unionized here.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Will post my views and experience in the programs I went. I think most programs I interviewed are mid tier programs.

1. OHSU: Great clinical training. I think their fellows clinic is the biggest strength. PD was nice and seems committed. Program size is reasonable. I really like the Fellows tumor boards. They prob have less clinical exposure to breast. Strong benign heme. Funding for research is good from what I can see. Portland is beautiful and good place to live. I really loved the place.

2. University of Michigan: PD and APD are very involved in Fellows education. Great mentors. A good place if you want to be in the Academia. Fellows are happy. Good sized program with 7 fellows. Front loaded first year and ample time for research in 2nd and 3rd year which I prefer. Ann Arbor is also a great place to live. COL very reasonable.

3. NIH: I loved the program and the PD is committed to the success of the fellows. The program is very unique. I feel that if Academia is really your target this is a program you should highly consider. Mentors are top notch. Fellows are happy. Limited exposure to standard of care except for outside rotation. If you like to be involved in clinical trials in the future this is the place to be. To me the learning curve in the program makes it more steep than your typical heme onc program. There are a lot of opportunities. I just felt that if there is a chance that private practice is in your future this is probably not the best place for you.

4. Colorado: Good place to live in. Well rounded clinical training. Good research opportunities. PD is committed to success of fellows be it in the academia or private practice. Strong Lung cancer training. Malignant heme is growing. Adding a fellow for next academic year. Only first years do call so 2nd and 3rd year is much lighter which I prefer. I feel that overall it has everything that a fellow needs to be successful wherever they want in the future.

5. University of Minnesota: Well rounded program. PD is relatively new. Minneapolis is a good place to live except for brutal winter. Malignant heme is very strong. I liked the faculty I met. Met with only a few fellows but they seem very happy. I also loved the program.

6. UCSD: San Diego is great. The interview day was not very ideal. Met with PD for 15 min and was just taking notes that really interacting to know you. COL is high. I felt the program trains you to be a good hematologist oncologist for community that academia but if you want academia it is very possible. The fellows that I talked to cannot really explain the call schedule which was weird to me.

7. Moffitt: Great training. You will be a good hematologist and oncologist at the end of your training here. Among all the programs I went, I felt that the most but not all of the faculty felt very proud that you have to prove that you belong than them trying to recruit you. Almost all of them were not really smiling and was very serious. I am not sure if it was part of the process of the interview. PD was relatively new but seems nice. The interview day also had behavioral questions which some people like and some people hate. I was just a little turned off by the program but that is very subjective to who you are. I guess I was really looking forward interviewing there and the experience didn't deliver.

8. University of Iowa: Great program to train. Faculty and PD are great. Probably the nicest people/faculty and fellows I met during the trail. The big downside was I felt there is not a lot of things to do in Iowa outside of work. I guess it is a good place if you have a family as COL is not that high.

9. Indiana Univ: I liked the program. The PD and faculty I interviewed are nice and committed to fellows. Well balanced place to train regardless of your goals. Indianapolis is also a good place depending on your personality. The community hospital where fellows work was also very good, at least the facility. The fellows I met seems happy. Some people told me the place is very busy but I did not get that feel when I interviewed there.

10. Univ of Nebraska: COL is low. Used to be very busy but adding 2 fellows next year for a total of 4 will prob make a difference. Their new cancer center is very nice. Strong in Lymphoma.

11. City of Hope: Great mentors. High COL. Traffic can be bad. I think if your priority is mentorship this is a great place. To me the downside is that it it the first time, the fellowship is having their full time fellows. They used to share fellows with UCLA Harbor. They want their fellows to be double boarded but I think their Benign heme experience is up in the air. PD even told me that she feels they can just do lectures and have speakers for their benign heme. Obviously if you want to be an oncologist or be in malignant heme this shouldn't matter a lot except for boards or the possibility that you will do community practice that you will need benign heme. It remains to be seen how the different rotation experience will be. No fellows clinic

12. CCF: I really liked the PD. He was very chill. Faculty I met were great. Fellows seems happy. No fellows clinic which was a downer to me. Given it is a big center my concern was most patients will be referral patients and not standard of care. Per fellows they feel they have enough exposure to standard of care. If you learn by shadowing this is a good place to train given all the opportunities are available. Cleveland was not that bad to me.

13. Henry Ford: Good sized fellowship. If you want to be a clinician, this is a great place to train. It is busy but you will be exposed to all pathology. They are also building a new cancer center. Only program that provided housing for the applicants which was great.. Interview day was not really organized as other programs I went to.

14. NYU: Program is growing. They have hired a lot of new faculty. Fellows have all the opportunities to be in academia if they choose to do so. High COL. Great facility.

I hope this helps.. Good Luck
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Appreciate all the info and advice from this forum, some summary and feedback after my h/o application this year
Background: IMG with YOG>5( spent 5 yrs full time in research), first authorship publications> 6; 2 first authorship pub have IF >10; wrote a small grant during PGY-1, score 230/250/220+
1) AMG>>> IMG, programs prefer AMG in general; I did a rotation in a program, received very good feedback from the fellows, but was told that PD ranks AMGs first/mostly.
2) Interview selection, AMG> program name> scores> YOG> others (I was told research/pubs matters in h/o, however, my experience doesn't support that statement), as IMG, you have to show everything on your CV with decent scores; don't waste time sending/calling programs for ivs. I sent an email to a program with my strong interest, the PD replies please don't send me anything outside ERAS, later my mentor told me my application has been filtered by them.
3) h/o is competitive now, apply broadly, it will be very stressful if you have a geographic limit like me.
4) Practice your interview, interpersonal skills matter; One guy in my program has one itw and he matched wo any connection. LOR with big names help you get itw but you are the final call for the program to rank you high.
5) Interview process: I had a very awful experience at one program, otherwise, the interview process gained me a lot of life experience/memory.
6) Post-itw communication: neutral feeling, send ''thank you letter'' if you have a good time there. Love letter before the ranking was suggested by my seniors, but I did not send any.
7) Fellowship match is a journey that you may have a very different experience from others, you learn after going through it.
 
I ended up applying to heme onc last minute over cardiology but had some overlapping research. I am an AMG.
Wanted to give my opinion on the socal programs as they are the only ones I applied to.

#UCLA Olive View: Loved this program.Great clinical training in a very supportive environment which is what I was looking for. Everyone was super friendly. Biggest gripe is the EMR and not being able to place chemo orders directly. Diverse population. Continuity clinic.

#UC Irvine: Had a really good interview experience here. I think they are really improving overall and is an up and coming program. Their recent batch of fellows seem to come from stronger residency programs. Didn't match here but think would this would be a good program for people interested in research with a chill environment. Focus on solid cancers with new BMT program. Benign heme training is lacking however. Continuity clinic in VA.

#UCLA Harbor: Felt a little like olive view but less friendly. Was turned off by one of the interviewers as well as the loss of the City of Hope relationship (although fellows would still rotate there for now). Still probably a great place for clinical training however. Continuity clinic.

#USC: Probably has a stronger name then any of the programs I interviewed at but I couldn't get over the fact that their fellows seemed overworked and burnt out. As a fellow, you have to cover many different hospitals. No doubt you would get really good training here with a superb benign heme faculty. Big on research but don't seem to give you much time to do it. Also strange schedule where you do heme one year and solid onc the next year. Continuity clinic but not 100% your patients.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
I interviewed mostly on West Coast

Scripps: Great if you are looking for a clinically strong program / more interested working in community. The fellows seem really happy. I think the opportunities are there for research but I'm not sure - the fellows didn't seem interested in research so it's hard to say from talking to them. They get funding to go to both ASH and ASCO every year.

City of Hope: Loved this program! Interview day is insanely long, but the people are so nice and laidback that it didn't feel bad. Faculty seemed so invested in you and had truly read your application front to back. A strong research center where it seems like whatever you want, you can do. Really strong mal heme, especially BMT. Because it's a cancer center, benign heme exposure seemed lacking, consisting of inpatient consults on mostly surgery pts. Not ideal if you have any inclination to do community medicine. Clinic experience was confusing - I'm not sure if it's continuity or if you are shadowing attending pts.

USC: Disliked the split Heme and Onc years (you do only Heme for a year, then only Onc with no overlap). I don't think this will change soon due to the recent scandal there, since they're prevented from making changes to program for certain amount of time. Seemed busy. Very interesting benign heme cases on their inpatient consult service.

UCSD: Really liked this program. The faculty and fellows are all really nice and seemed happy. Broad clinical exposure. Their continuity is at the VA if that matters to people. Location is obviously beautiful. Program is supportive of whatever you go into (academia, community, etc). Lots of people at the interview day, made it feel a bit chaotic.

UCLA Harbor: The PD was SO nice, probably one of the best on the interview trail. Had one extremely off-putting interviewer to the point that the program dropped on my list since I didn't understand why they would let this person interact with applicants. It seems like you still have access to CoH for research, if you are proactive about it. You also still rotate at CoH for BMT.

Stanford: I liked it overall, most people were really nice, though I also had one off-putting interviewer here. I think they are strong in mal heme especially, and seemed to pride themselves especially in lymphoma. No continuity clinic. Bay Area is expensive.

Sloan Kettering: Was expecting intimidating people, but everyone was so nice and down to earth. You can probably do anything you want here. Research is heavily emphasized as expected, they teach you how to write grants (and I want to say everyone is required to apply for a grant also, though not sure if I'm remembering that right). Very large class of fellows. No continuity clinic. In the middle of Manhattan which is a pro to some, con to others.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
I interviewed mostly on West Coast exclusively in California and then at Sloan-Kettering because my grandma told me to.
Fixed that for you.

Snark aside, nice review. The USC split years is why I didn't bother applying in the first place. NYU does/did the same thing and I almost walked out of that interview because of it.

MSKCC was one of the few programs I interviewed at that was honest about the fact that not everyone goes into academics.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hey guys,
Long time lurker, first time posting. Thank you everyone for all the advice and help during this fellowship application season.

I matched to my #1

AMG from upper tier residency.

Here are some tidbits from a few of the programs I interviewed at that might not have been mentioned previously (from what I remember anyways)

Georgetown- New PD, seems very caring and invested in fellows and program. Seems esp strong in GI oncology and benign heme. Looks like some fellows do research at NIH, seems accessible.

Columbia- Loved the program. Hands down the most well balanced program in NYC in terms of both comprehensive clinical training and research opportunities. They are building a new cancer center. Seems like they have a LOT of clinical trials going on, esp in malignant hematology. Fellows seemed very happy

MD Anderson- Place to be if you want to do clinical trials. Very research focused. Unsure what their clinical exposure is like, they were very vague about this during interview day. I do know they rotate at the county hospitals LBJ and do heme rotation at Ben Taub. I think they have continuity clinic at LBJ. Huge class and PD seemed really nice

UTSW- Definitely an up and coming program, the PD is great and making some amazing changes. Will now be 18 months clinical/18 months research. They have hired many new faculty and NPs, and the workload has significantly improved! (I believe they used to be viewed as a very clinically heavy/malignant type of program). Lots of clinical and translational research opportunities available.

Emory- Very well balanced program. PD is very nice and invested in program. Fellows seemed very happy. Atlanta is beautiful!

Utah- This program is flush with cash. Their cancer center and hospital looks like a five star hotel, very nice facilities. Strong hemophilia research. However, one of the interviews was very offputting, essentially like a test. They give you two scenarios: one is onc related and the other seemed more logic based. Anyways, super weird, the interviewer was constantly writing notes during the entire interview, no eye contact. Due to this alone, I got a bad vibe from the program and ranked it dead last. FWIW, the PD is nice and fellows seemed happy

Those are some tidbits from a few of the programs I interviewed at. Congrats again to all who matched!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Future heme/onc applicant question: For an AMG at a mid-tier IM program in the south with a great supporting PD, will I need more research and publications in order to get good fellowship interview invites, including midwest, west coast and northeast? (Trying to break the southern program bias, if there is one) Or is a chief year enough?
 
Future heme/onc applicant question: For an AMG at a mid-tier IM program in the south with a great supporting PD, will I need more research and publications in order to get good fellowship interview invites, including midwest, west coast and northeast? (Trying to break the southern program bias, if there is one) Or is a chief year enough?

Chief year is great. You need research though for a good academic program. How much research is a good question but I’d say 1 major project with at least a first author abstract or two and or publication. Often times “academic” activity is usually a yes or no type deal but the more the better
 
Chief year will definitely help! But I think the most important things would be research and quality of LORs. Do as much research as you can and be able to convey passion about it in your PS and during interviews. Dont worry too much about having "big name" letter writers (I dont think any of my mine were), just make sure they can write you a good, indepth and personalized letter.
 
Future heme/onc applicant question: For an AMG at a mid-tier IM program in the south with a great supporting PD, will I need more research and publications in order to get good fellowship interview invites, including midwest, west coast and northeast? (Trying to break the southern program bias, if there is one) Or is a chief year enough?
Please don't waste time on a chief year...unless you really want to. Get some research. A couple of posters will be enough. Get some good LORs. Move on with your career and life.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Please don't waste time on a chief year...unless you really want to. Get some research. A couple of posters will be enough. Get some good LORs. Move on with your career and life.
I've heard this sometimes. Doesn't chief year show leadership? And it gives you a bit of time to do more research and have some research papers come out from what you did as a PGY3? Understand chief year has a lot of annoying secretary work, but it's still easier than residency is what I've heard from current chiefs.
 
I agree with Gutonc. Do chief year if you are really passionate about it, but dont do it only if you think itll help you for fellowship, not worth it. Like stated here many times before, the most important things are research and LORs
 
I agree with Gutonc. Do chief year if you are really passionate about it, but dont do it only if you think itll help you for fellowship, not worth it. Like stated here many times before, the most important things are research and LORs

In fairness chief year also gives you all of 3rd year to do more research so it can actually be even more helpful on the research front.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Good point! My chief actually was able to finish up his project while applying this past cycle. Chief year can be useful if you continue to do research. But still, I dont it will make or break an application if you already have good research and LORs
 
Last edited:
Agree with all of the above. I was in contention for chief (didn't get it) but ended up working as a hospitalist (I had to take a gap year anyway due to personal reasons). I wrapped up a bunch of research that year (mostly 3rd year projects) in time for applications, had so much time off to travel/relax/sleep, paid off a ton of my loans with the $$$ hospitalist salary, and I felt I lost nothing by not being chief (wouldn't have done it if they offered it to me, in retrospect -- I think it helps a lot if you want to stay at your home institution for fellowship and later attending, but I wanted to get the heck out of there, lol).
 
Future heme/onc applicant question: For an AMG at a mid-tier IM program in the south with a great supporting PD, will I need more research and publications in order to get good fellowship interview invites, including midwest, west coast and northeast? (Trying to break the southern program bias, if there is one) Or is a chief year enough?
My opinion is supporting PD for AMG is more than enough.
 
What can the supporting PD do, which research and LORs cannot?
Research is important for your application. If you can get it done it's helpful and for many of the competitive programs it's more important than a chief year. But without knowing what you've done and what your CV looks like it's tough to say anything beyond that. Good luck!
 
Anyone have comments on how issues with Step 2 CS failure or poor Step 3 will affect the fellowship match?

Seems like Step 2 CS is a joke now that people can't take it anymore.
 
Everything matters for fellowship match, Med School and Residency more than anything else. A failure on CS is an easy way for alot of programs to filter applicants BUT if an application is otherwise strong, a failure on CS and poor step 3 wont be the end all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hello! Please do yourself a favor and stay away from OSU program, especially if you are interested in academic. The program is still struggling and almost falling apart.
 
Hello! Please do yourself a favor and stay away from OSU program, especially if you are interested in academic. The program is still struggling and almost falling apart.
Lmao wow you really convinced us with all those facts and examples!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: 1 user
Lmao wow you really convinced us with all those facts and examples!
For those who are considering the place and would like more details, please message me and I can elaborate. You better take my warning seriously if you are serious about your career.
 
  • Dislike
Reactions: 1 user
For those who are considering the place and would like more details, please message me and I can elaborate. You better take my warning seriously if you are serious about your career.

Getting real “do not feed the troll” vibes here, but if anyone has any actual questions about OSU, happy to field them - current fellow here
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Top