Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant/ Immunotherapy Fellowship

Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant/ Immunotherapy Fellowship

Phoenix Children’s and the Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders (CCBD) offers a one-year non-ACMGE accredited Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant/Immunotherapy fellowship. The fellowship is open to qualified physicians who are board certified in pediatrics, have completed three years of pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship training open to pursuing further training in transplant and cellular therapy.

Pediatric Hematology and Oncology fellowship training requirements do not include sufficient experience in the field of cellular therapies/transplant to provide competency in the field in accordance with current FACT standards. Therefore, there is a need for training programs to offer this experience and expertise.

Our curriculum includes exposures to both hematopoietic stem cell transplant and immunotherapy as well as provides opportunity for research. Fellows will have clinical experience in the following areas:

• BMT inpatient service (including management of CAR-T cell patients)
• BMT outpatient clinic (including management of CAR-T cell patients)
• Immunohematology outpatient clinic
• Research
• Elective opportunities in: Transfusion Medicine, HLA lab, Radiation Oncology, or the stem cell lab
• Opportunities for development of additional teaching skills as they will provide didactics and supervision of junior fellows during their tenure
• Four weeks of vacation are offered with up to 5 days of CME

By the completion of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant training, trainees should have achieved the following goals:

1. Develop a sound understanding of underlying pathophysiological principles of HSCT, including those of hematopoiesis and immunology
2. Become clinically competent in the care of pediatric patients with non-malignant and malignant disorders treated by BMT
3. Achieve competency in the procedural and technical skills required in the evaluation and care of HCT recipients

Curriculum

The following table summarizes the time commitment allotted for each rotation to meet the specific goals and objectives on the fellowship:

*2 weeks of electives may be taken if interest is made. Electives include: Radiation Oncology, Transfusion Medicine, HLA Lab, or Stem Cell Lab

Additionally, all fellows would have a weekly continuity clinic, which will consist of a variety of patients accrued over the course of the year.

All fellows will be expected to participate in the Hematology/Oncology education opportunities as well as develop a clinical research project under close mentorship by a faculty member.

Fellows are expected to work one weekend during each 4-week block.

Sample Block Schedule for Pediatric HSCT Fellowship:

Schedules can be individualized based on particular experience/interest of specific candidates

Additionally, our program provides opportunities to collaborate with colleagues at Mayo Clinic whom Phoenix Children's shares a joint-FACT accreditation. At Phoenix Children's, we lead the state of Arizona in the number of transplants performed annually in pediatrics and were the first center in the state to offer chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy.

Procedures

All Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) fellows will be required to do the following procedures: In 2019, the BMT Program at Phoenix Children’s performed the following: 47 hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) and 8 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) cellular therapies. Within these 47 HSCT, 8 were from sibling donor bone marrow harvests (Figure 1).

Figure 1:

All malignant patients and some non-malignant patients require bone marrow aspirates and/or biopsies following HSCT. High risk malignant patients require a total of 6 bone marrow aspirates within the first-year post HSCT. Additionally, patients with central nervous system disease prior to undergoing HSCT require screening lumbar punctures following HSCT (monthly for 3-6 months). This will provide plenty of opportunity for a training fellow to practice and sign off on procedures. Please see image below for full specifications from the BMT/Cellular therapy volume.

Program Duration and Important Dates

• Fellowship start date: July 1, 2023
• Fellowship end date: June 30, 2024
• Application start date: August 1, 2022
• Application deadline: December 31, 2022

Eligibility

• Completion of three years of pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship training
• Board certified in general pediatrics
• Board eligible or board certified in pediatric hematology/oncology in the United States
• Be able to obtain an Arizona Medical license

Contact

Amy Bailey
GME Program Administrator
abailey4@phoenixchildrens.com

Holly K. Miller, DO
Program Director
hmiller2@phoenixchildrens.com