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Home Clinical Services Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program Research Training Research Training Plan
Flower Research Training Plan
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Resident and Fellow Research Day
We are committed to training fellows to become world-class researchers in clinical, translational or basic research. About 60 percent of our fellows choose to do laboratory research and 40 percent choose clinical investigation. We strongly support both pathways. Most fellows remain with the same research preceptor until the fellow assumes independent faculty status (i.e., usually Assistant Professor) at Children's Hospital Boston/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute or elsewhere). Although the NIH only allows a maximum of three years postdoctoral research support on NIH Training Grants (T32s), we have in the past and will continue to try and support fellows for as long as necessary for them to attain independence. This support is obtained through vigorous pursuit of competitive federal and nonfederal fellowships, supplemented by limited institutional resources.

At the beginning of the research training period, most fellows have completed a year of intensive clinical training in hematology/oncology. During that year, the fellow's stipend is derived from institutional funds. Once this year is completed, the fellow enters a nearly full time research training program supported by two institutional training grants (a total of 13-14 slots). The fellow's time is carefully protected to permit at least 80 percent time for research. Clinical work is limited to an average of one clinic day per week. A comprehensive program of cross coverage has been instituted to insure that, to the extent possible, a fellow's research work is not hampered by clinical responsibilities on days other than the assigned clinic day.

Clinical research - Fellows who pursue training in clinical research are encouraged to both identify an accomplished research mentor and to obtain broad training in experimental design, biostatistics, epidemiology, pharmacokinetics, and clinical trials. Some clinical trainees acquire this expertise directly, by one year of formal course work at the Harvard School of Public Health leading to the Masters in Public Health (MPH) degree. Others pursue more focused programs leading to the MPH degree at HSPH, such as the Clinical Investigation Training Program, a combined program of the Beth Israel Hospital and MIT that is supervised by Dr. Robert Rubin and oriented toward clinical trials research, the Harvard Medical School Scholars in Clinical Science Program run by Gordan Williams, which also focuses on translational research, pharmacology and clinical trials, and the Health Services Research Fellowship Training Program, which specializes in outcomes, epidemiology and health policy research and is run by Dr. Jonathan Finkelstein at Children's.
Click here for table comparing Clinical Research Fellowship Programs at Harvard
Finally, some fellows take the excellent Clinical Effectiveness Program at the Harvard School of Public Health. This all-day, eight week immersion course includes the core of the skills needed for clinical research. To the extent possible, the Division pays for all clinical research training.

Trainees in clinical investigation meet frequently with their mentors and research groups to review projects and progress.

Laboratory research - The prime goal is to teach fellows how to formulate and answer important research questions. Fellows typically present their work at lab meetings and once or twice per year at floor-wide research meetings. In addition, beginning in the third year fellows present their work once per year to all the faculty and fellows at the major division research conference and frequently at national meetings.

All research - The quality of work is particularly emphasized: trainees are imbued with the idea that their results should be saved and compiled in a definitive article in a first class journal, when possible, rather than dispersed in multiple papers in journals of lesser stature. During the past 15 years 71 percent of the trainees research publications were in the top 30 research journals (ranked by impact factor).

Abundant formal courses are available in the Harvard Medical School area. Fellows are also encouraged to attend appropriate seminars and lectures within the Division, within Children's and Dana-Farber, and at neighboring biomedical centers. All fellows must take a bioethics course.

Laboratory researchers also take a course in radionuclides for researchers, and a course in the care and handling of laboratory animals.

All fellows are encouraged to attend scientific meetings and, when appropriate, to present their research. Careful attention is given to preparation for such presentations. Talks are carefully rehearsed and posters are examined by senior staff and specific feedback is given. These sessions are of great value in helping fellows learn how to communicate science.

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