Official 2014-2015 Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Application Cycle

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Can you guys "tier" these programs for me. Basically, which programs could I pick based on location. Factoring in family and finances into all of this has made ranking more complicated than it should be :) I am leaning towards thoracic oncology vs community practice (if my loans cause me to herniate).

I actually really liked USC overall (aside from the separate heme/onc years), but the COL is what is really nagging at me. UNC was pretty amazing, but their salary and benefits aren't the greatest for a family even though the COL is good. Right now, in my gut Wisconsin, UPMC and USC are my top 3. I actually also really liked Loyola, if I ended up their, Id have A LOT more financial support...

This process is driving me crazy :meh:

Wisconsin
UPMC
USC
UTSW
Iowa
UNC
UC Irvine
Dartmouth
Maryland
Brown
Rush
Loyola
MCW
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Hi, I am new to this forum and am a bit unsure on how to rank my program list:

1. Vanderbilt
2. UAB
3. Wayne state
4. Buffalo / Roswell park
5. Miami/Jackson
6. Montefiore

Would anyone rank this differently?
Also, How good a program is UAB? Did not get a great opinion during my iv- However, the university name is enticing- anyone have any insights?

thanks
Sunstar123
 
sunstar123 said:
Hi, I am new to this forum and am a bit unsure on how to rank my program list:

1. Vanderbilt
2. UAB
3. Wayne state
4. Buffalo / Roswell park
5. Miami/Jackson
6. Montefiore

Would anyone rank this differently?
Also, How good a program is UAB? Did not get a great opinion during my iv- However, the university name is enticing- anyone have any insights?

thanks
Sunstar123
Click to expand...
I'd move Monte to either 4 or 5 but otherwise your Top 3 are solid the way they are. UAB is a very good program if you can stomach Birmingham.
 
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asimov said:
Looking for advice/input on my rank list. My interest is in oncology (GU). I'm torn 50-50 between academics and community practice so looking for somewhere that will keep my options open, yet has strong clinical training, continuity clinic, as we well as won't shun you entirely should you decide to pursue community practice. Geographic preference would be to end up back in the midwest.

1 MD Anderson
2 Mayo Clinic
3 Vanderbilt
4 Wisconsin
5 Wash U
6 Northwestern
7 Johns Hopkins
8 Michigan
9 UPenn
10 UChicago

Also, when trying to get a community practice job, how much (if at all) does the fellowship program matter (or is it more important to have connections locally)?

Finally, in terms of academic jobs, from the above list, is the below accurate?
MDACC > [Hopkins = Penn] > Mayo > [Chicago = =Mich = NW = Vandy = Wisc = WashU]
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my 0.02$: almost all fellows who go into fellowship thinking they want to do private practice, actually end up doing private practice ... more than half (some argue more) of fellows who go in wanting an academic career, also end up in private practice... the big majority of fellows who are 50/50 like yourself end up in private practice ... all the programs that you listed are great for building up an academic career ... what I am trying to say is that if you have a geographical preference for the midwest (which you say you do) don't feel obligated to rank MDACC #1 just because it's MDACC ... unless you identified a specific research mentor at MDACC that you absolutely want to work with him in the lab or whatever ... now if you're happy with your list, it's fine ... you can't go wrong with any of these places ...

my other 0.02$, I totally agree that Wisconsin is a great program but I don't think it falls in the same category with WashU, Vandy, NW or Mich.
 
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DrVanNostran said:
Can you guys "tier" these programs for me. Basically, which programs could I pick based on location. Factoring in family and finances into all of this has made ranking more complicated than it should be :) I am leaning towards thoracic oncology vs community practice (if my loans cause me to herniate).

I actually really liked USC overall (aside from the separate heme/onc years), but the COL is what is really nagging at me. UNC was pretty amazing, but their salary and benefits aren't the greatest for a family even though the COL is good. Right now, in my gut Wisconsin, UPMC and USC are my top 3. I actually also really liked Loyola, if I ended up their, Id have A LOT more financial support...

This process is driving me crazy :meh:

Wisconsin
UPMC
USC
UTSW
Iowa
UNC
UC Irvine
Dartmouth
Maryland
Brown
Rush
Loyola
MCW
Click to expand...

I think this list looks great ... If I were interested in thoracic I would UNC to #3 at least but you don't have to change anything
 
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I am thinking of the following ranking:

UPMC
Columbia
Utah (family reasons)
Maryland
Moffitt (scared of living in florida)
Mount Sinai (NYC)
UTSW (scared of texas a little)
Dartmouth

Having the most trouble with 3-7 - they keep switching around on my list. To be honest I'd be happy at any of the programs so maybe it doesn't matter THAT much. Is it dumb to rank Maryland above Moffitt? I would just have a much better social scene there. I want to stay in academics as a clinician-educator/clinical researcher but want atleast 50% clinic time - so clinical competence with a variety of diseases, not just my own sub-sub-specialty, is important for me.
 
This is the most active forum out of all sub specialities this season with posts and pages far exceeding cards and GI. Is hem Onc the most competitive speciality this year or we just all love to chat ? :)
 
swan2214 said:
I am thinking of the following ranking:

UPMC
Columbia
Utah (family reasons)
Maryland
Moffitt (scared of living in florida)
Mount Sinai (NYC)
UTSW (scared of texas a little)
Dartmouth

Having the most trouble with 3-7 - they keep switching around on my list. To be honest I'd be happy at any of the programs so maybe it doesn't matter THAT much. Is it dumb to rank Maryland above Moffitt? I would just have a much better social scene there. I want to stay in academics as a clinician-educator/clinical researcher but want atleast 50% clinic time - so clinical competence with a variety of diseases, not just my own sub-sub-specialty, is important for me.
Click to expand...
I'd move Mt Sinai above Maryland and be done with it. Nice list.
 
swan2214 said:
I am thinking of the following ranking:

UPMC
Columbia
Utah (family reasons)
Maryland
Moffitt (scared of living in florida)
Mount Sinai (NYC)
UTSW (scared of texas a little)
Dartmouth

Having the most trouble with 3-7 - they keep switching around on my list. To be honest I'd be happy at any of the programs so maybe it doesn't matter THAT much. Is it dumb to rank Maryland above Moffitt? I would just have a much better social scene there. I want to stay in academics as a clinician-educator/clinical researcher but want atleast 50% clinic time - so clinical competence with a variety of diseases, not just my own sub-sub-specialty, is important for me.
Click to expand...

I think it is dumb to rank MD > Moffitt. MD works your butt off so your social scene will suck. At least Moffitt fellows have good quality of living. I would drop MD under UTSW
 
Thank you guys, very helpful advice which makes a lot of sense to me after further introspection!
 
oncaspirer said:
This is the most active forum out of all sub specialities this season with posts and pages far exceeding cards and GI. Is hem Onc the most competitive speciality this year or we just all love to chat ? :)
Click to expand...

I think it just means that hemonc is more well-represented on SDN than other specialties ..that's it
 
Looking for some advice on ranking here:
I'm interested in malignant heme (primarily) and transplant (secondarily) and would like to stay in academics with a clinical research focus (i.e. no bench). No geographic preference. How does this look??

Johns Hopkins
Cleveland Clinic
Minnesota
Emory
Yale
UNC

Thanks!!
 
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Running Water said:
Looking for some advice on ranking here:
I'm interested in malignant heme (primarily) and transplant (secondarily) and would like to stay in academics with a clinical research focus (i.e. no bench). No geographic preference. How does this look??

Johns Hopkins
Cleveland Clinic
Minnesota
Emory
Yale
UNC

Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Aside from CCF being about 9 spots too high on your list? Not bad.
 
Gutone, what is USCs reputation on the west coast in academia? In the midwest, they are known as a great clinical program. When I interviewed there, they mentioned academic placement at USC, UCLA, City of Hope, Southwestern, Penn.
 
I was wondering if I could get some advice on how to rank the following programs. I am interested in malignant heme, would like to stay in academics focusing on clinical research.

Duke, Columbia, Moffitt, Yale, BIDMC
 
Tynj said:
I was wondering if I could get some advice on how to rank the following programs. I am interested in malignant heme, would like to stay in academics focusing on clinical research.

Duke, Columbia, Moffitt, Yale, BIDMC
Click to expand...
Every time I read these words to myself, the voice in my head says "planning to go into PP, probably 80% solid tumor, will refer all the acute leuks to the university down the road".
 
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Hi
I was wondering if anyone could shed some light regarding internal struggle within Fox Chase. It seems that attendings are moving to other institutions. I am not sure what the reason is. Was wondering if anyone had any additional information. And should this change the ranking of the program on the rank list?
Thanks
 
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Long time lurker. Prefer to stay in NYC. Appreciate any comments on my list.

MSKCC
MSSM
Cornell
Columbia
Einstein
NYU
Rutgers
Yale
Hopkins


Thanks
 
asimov said:
Looking for advice/input on my rank list. My interest is in oncology (GU). I'm torn 50-50 between academics and community practice so looking for somewhere that will keep my options open, yet has strong clinical training, continuity clinic, as we well as won't shun you entirely should you decide to pursue community practice. Geographic preference would be to end up back in the midwest.

1 MD Anderson
2 Mayo Clinic
3 Vanderbilt
4 Wisconsin
5 Wash U
6 Northwestern
7 Johns Hopkins
8 Michigan
9 UPenn
10 UChicago

Also, when trying to get a community practice job, how much (if at all) does the fellowship program matter (or is it more important to have connections locally)?

Finally, in terms of academic jobs, from the above list, is the below accurate?
MDACC > [Hopkins = Penn] > Mayo > [Chicago = =Mich = NW = Vandy = Wisc = WashU]
Click to expand...

For what you want to do and considering your options I would think Mayo would be #1; pretty tops in terms of clinical experience and the GU dept is great there. Great list though.
 
Erbitux said:
Long time lurker. Prefer to stay in NYC. Appreciate any comments on my list.

MSKCC
MSSM
Cornell
Columbia
Einstein
NYU
Rutgers
Yale
Hopkins


Thanks
Click to expand...
What are your future plans?
 
Has anyone here received love letters or ranked to match correspondence from any programs?
 
would like everyone's thoughts on my list. I am interested in immunology based oncology solids > heme. I don't have lab research background, but would like to do lab research in fellowship. I want an academic career and for fellowship, I would like to do bench research because I specifically want to work on TILs and immune check points from the lab perspective.

Family is in NY. I am worried that at Sloan, I will just be pushed into clinical research bc I don't have a PhD and lack prior bench experience... and there seems to be a lot of internal competition for junior faculty placement

1. NCI
2. Sloan
3. MD Anderson
4. U Chicago
5. Pittsburgh
6. Cornell
7. Yale
8. Seattle
9. Ohio State
 
butterfinger said:
Has anyone here received love letters or ranked to match correspondence from any programs?
Click to expand...

While a few programs might send their top applicants a love letter when they put their final rank list, I wouldn't loose any sleep if I don't get such an email ... it's the exception not the rule
 
oncolious said:
would like everyone's thoughts on my list. I am interested in immunology based oncology solids > heme. I don't have lab research background, but would like to do lab research in fellowship. I want an academic career and for fellowship, I would like to do bench research because I specifically want to work on TILs and immune check points from the lab perspective.

Family is in NY. I am worried that at Sloan, I will just be pushed into clinical research bc I don't have a PhD and lack prior bench experience... and there seems to be a lot of internal competition for junior faculty placement

1. NCI
2. Sloan
3. MD Anderson
4. U Chicago
5. Pittsburgh
6. Cornell
7. Yale
8. Seattle
9. Ohio State
Click to expand...

most programs would love it if you tell them you want to be a lab person because most fellows prefer the clinical side...so i don't think MSKCC would push you to do clinical ... that being said, NCI is THE place for lab research in tumor immunology. Some would argue that MDACC shouldn't be that high on the list for someone who is set to be a basic scientist.
since you don't have a lot of lab experience, your decision is a tough one. what you don't want to happen is you spending 2 years at NCI in the lab just to figure out that you actually don't like it that much after all.
 
Janice37 said:
Hi
I was wondering if anyone could shed some light regarding internal struggle within Fox Chase. It seems that attendings are moving to other institutions. I am not sure what the reason is. Was wondering if anyone had any additional information. And should this change the ranking of the program on the rank list?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I was wondering the same thing last year at it seems like it had to do with a previous chair who is no longer there. This happened around 2012-13 but seems to be done with.
 
Can you guys shed some light on these please:

- Indiana vs Minnesota ?

I have not decided exactly which field will i sub specialize but likely not BMT. Can you please comment on strength and weakness of these two places.

And lastly VCU vs Brown University. Any thoughts?
 
Xzure said:
Can you guys shed some light on these please:

- Indiana vs Minnesota ?

I have not decided exactly which field will i sub specialize but likely not BMT. Can you please comment on strength and weakness of these two places.

And lastly VCU vs Brown University. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I honestly felt like VCU had better overall facilities and more rounded education both clinically and research as compared to brown. Oh, and VCU actually does transplants.
 
Do programs usually respond to love letters sent before rank list ?
 
oncaspirer said:
Do programs usually respond to love letters sent before rank list ?
Click to expand...

most of them don't. And if they do respond they're just being nice and that's about it ... because these letters are useless ... whether you send them or receive them, they are 100% useless
 
gutonc said:
Balls or blood. You make the call.
Click to expand...

I am essentially looking for a well rounded experience in solids preferably..

Minnesota, i felt like ver hem dominant place essentially most of first year is inpatient.. but it has the advantake of being a comprehensive cancer center over IU. Does that make any difference if at all in fellowship ?
 
Xzure said:
I am essentially looking for a well rounded experience in solids preferably..

Minnesota, i felt like ver hem dominant place essentially most of first year is inpatient.. but it has the advantake of being a comprehensive cancer center over IU. Does that make any difference if at all in fellowship ?
Click to expand...
Not one tiny little bit. The difference between being an NCI designated Cancer Center (like IU) and NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center is mostly administrative and backend support that you will never see or be influenced by as a fellow, or even as a junior faculty member. It's an easy (and stupid) thing to get hung up on. Don't do it.
 
gutonc said:
Not one tiny little bit. The difference between being an NCI designated Cancer Center (like IU) and NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center is mostly administrative and backend support that you will never see or be influenced by as a fellow, or even as a junior faculty member. It's an easy (and stupid) thing to get hung up on. Don't do it.
Click to expand...

Ahan. Thanks that is definitely very helpful.
 
Is it too crazy to rank MCG above Rutgers just because I don't wanna live in Jersey?! Thanks
 
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any opinions on brown vs dartmouth?

I felt that the only distinctions were that dartmouth was an nci whereas dartmouth wasn't, but brown has their own cooperative group plus a nicer location.
 
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Niviancer said:
I would probably go UMinny > Tufts > UAMS ~ MCG > Tulane ~ HFH
Click to expand...

Well, I think that HFH is an underrated program!!! I interviewed there last year and to be honest i loved the place. Far from the bad reputation of detroit city, Henry Ford Hospital has an excellent well structured heme onc program. The fellows there seemed so happy. Despite the proximity to Karmanos cancer center they still get a very good volume. They have a good medium.sized BMT program. It is a purely clinical program though, with a good support for research if interested. Actually this is the only major downside for people who are interested in research. I ranked it very high on my list last year over some solid university programs, but I ended up matching in my no.1. From this list I think definetly HFH >> Tulane~MCG

This is my opinion :)
 
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Hi there. Looking for advice on MCW vs. Montefiore and Brown vs. Rush? Haven't decided b/w heme vs. onc yet. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
drno3man said:
I'll definitely appreciate your input on my list. Interest is mainly in a well rounded exposure. Interested in GI onc. My ranking was more about strong well structured faculty and program as well as family friendly cities with good cost of living:
1)Louisville
2)MCG
3)Rutgers
4)St John Detroit
5)Marshal University (only med Onc)
6)ETSU (only med Onc)

Is it too crazy to rank MCG above Rutgers just because I don't wanna live in Jersey?! Thanks
Click to expand...

no it's not crazy. Rutgers might be the better program, but it's not good enough to the point that you'd be willing to be miserable for 3 years. (and I agree....living in Jersey sucks)
 
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DrVanNostran said:
any opinions on brown vs dartmouth?

I felt that the only distinctions were that dartmouth was an nci whereas dartmouth wasn't, but brown has their own cooperative group plus a nicer location.
Click to expand...

there is no huge difference between these two. I would choose brown based on location
 
visari said:
no it's not crazy. Rutgers might be the better program, but it's not good enough to the point that you'd be willing to be miserable for 3 years. (and I agree....living in Jersey sucks)
Click to expand...
Thank you very much! That makes me feel better.
 
Having a difficult time deciding between MDACC vs. Hopkins. Interested in heme. Which would be a more favorable place in terms of overall fellowship training, research opportunities and potential for good academic jobs later?
 
O'Bear said:
Having a difficult time deciding between MDACC vs. Hopkins. Interested in heme. Which would be a more favorable place in terms of overall fellowship training, research opportunities and potential for good academic jobs later?
Click to expand...

really?

if you have a particular area of research interest, look who has the bigger names and potential mentors in that particular area.
if you don't have such an area of interest, then it doesn't matter ...choose based on location or gut feeling or whatever.

if basic science is your thing, then go with Hopkins. also autonomy might be a touch better at Hopkins.

I would personally go with Hopkins but ,again, that's for personal and specific research interests and geographic preference ...
 
gutonc said:
Wow. And I thought I really hated Texas.
Click to expand...

insanely hot weather, disgusting humidity, terrible traffic, armed wackos, flying roaches ... etc ...what's not to love!
 
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Oncology1 said:
Well, I think that HFH is an underrated program!!! I interviewed there last year and to be honest i loved the place. Far from the bad reputation of detroit city, Henry Ford Hospital has an excellent well structured heme onc program. The fellows there seemed so happy. Despite the proximity to Karmanos cancer center they still get a very good volume. They have a good medium.sized BMT program. It is a purely clinical program though, with a good support for research if interested. Actually this is the only major downside for people who are interested in research. I ranked it very high on my list last year over some solid university programs, but I ended up matching in my no.1. From this list I think definetly HFH >> Tulane~MCG

This is my opinion :)
Click to expand...

Thank you Oncology1!
 
Does anyone know here if MCG has dedicated research months in the fellowship? Thank you!
 
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