Fellowship Program | Hematology and Oncology | UC Davis Health

Thank you for your interest in the UC Davis Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program! We are excited to share with you why we love being a part of the UC Davis family.

1. Our Patients and Community: The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in inland California, with a referral base of 4 million people hailing from an expansive region that stretches from the Oregon border to the lower San Joaquin Valley and to western Nevada.
2. Autonomy in Training: Second and third year fellows in our training program are provided an unique experience by having their own continuity clinic at the UC Davis Cancer Center which includes individual patient panels and case manager support and grants fellows to take true ownership of their patients.
3. Individualized Tracks: Senior fellows may choose to train on the clinical, education or research tracks after their first year based on their career interests.
4. Unique Research Opportunities: Faculty are committed to providing clinical and research mentorship to all fellows based on their interests. Fellows participate in writing protocols and clinical trails, outcomes research and laboratory-based on their interests and often publish their scholarly work and present their findings at national meetings. For fellows interested in a clinical investigation career, our program offers the Mentored Clinical Research Training Program (MCRTP) in which fellows receive a Masters of Advanced Study (MAS). This can be completed during fellowship training for those on the research track.
5. Commitment to Wellness: We offer a multidisciplinary annual retreat and provide time to reflect and to connect the other trainees and faculty in palliative care, radiation oncology and gynecology oncology.

From our fellows to faculty members to advanced practice providers to case managers, the environment fostered at UC Davis is where everyone can thrive. Our faculty's dedication sets our program apart and provides outstanding, individualized training for all of our fellows.

We hope you will apply to our fellowship program and become part of our UC Davis Hematology and Oncology family!

Sincerely, 

Mili Arora, M.D. (Program Director) and Anjlee Mahajan, M.D. (Associate Program Director)

UC Davis Hematology and Oncology Fellowship

Fellows are required to rotate through the following services during their two or three years of training.

Training Sites:

• UC Davis Medical Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center
• VA Northern California
• Sacramento Kaiser Permanente (Elective)

Core Rotations:

• Oncology Consults
• Hematology Consults
• Malignant Hematology
• Bone Morrow Transplant/Cellular Therapy
• VA Oncology
• Ambulatory Clinic Block
• Hematopathology
• Transfusion Medicine
• Palliative Care
• Radiation Oncology

Research time is provided in all three years of training and will depend on individual track selection for senior fellows.

Fellows will maintain a regular outpatient clinic two half-days per week at UC Davis Medical Center and at VA Mather Hospital throughout the entire training program.

We offer opportunities for individuals who have completed three years of training in Internal Medicine in the United States or Canada by the time they enter the fellowship-training program.  Applicants choosing the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Research Pathway will also be considered. They must be board certified or eligible in internal medicine, and must possess a California medical license before the start date of the fellowship program.

Application Process

Clinical and basic research projects are part of the training program.  Successful completion of a research project is required for graduation from the fellowship program. Fellows will choose their research project, which may include clinical or basic research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The fellow and mentor conceptualize the project during the first year of fellowship.  Fellows are encouraged to present research results at local research conferences and national meetings, and submit manuscripts for publication.

• More information on research in the Division of Hematology and Oncology.
• More information on the Cancer Center research programs.

Educational Opportunities

Educational conferences are held on a regular basis

• Hematology and Oncology Patient Management Conference: faculty, fellows, residents, pharmacist and nurses attend this weekly conference. Interesting and difficult cases are discussed regarding diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
• Subspecialty Conferences and Tumor Boards: The following subspecialty conferences are held on either a weekly or biweekly basis:
  • Breast Cancer Conference
  • Gynecological Cancer Conference
  • Head and Neck Tumor Board
  • Thoracic Oncology Conference
  • GU Tumor Board
  • Melanoma-Sarcoma Conference (Monthly)
• Special Seminar Series:  On monthly basis, outside speakers are invited to present seminars on new advancements in hematology and oncology. In addition, mini-symposia are held three times a year which focus on an area of hematology or oncology.
• Journal Club: Held on a weekly basis. Both clinical and basic science topics are covered in this conference.
• Hematology Course: Senior fellows may participate in teaching the hematology course for the second-year medical students.

All fellows are provided access to CellaVision which utilizes high-speed robotics and digital imaging to automatically locate and capture high quality images of cells. We utilize this program when reviewing blood smears which can be done remotely. Bonnie Bone Marrow Biopsy virtual simulator is used to teach trainees how to perform a bone marrow biopsy, all fellows train with faculty supervision during orientation and throughout the year.

First year fellows have a half day continuity clinic experience at the VA (First year fellows will also rotate through different subspeciality clinics at the UC Davis Cancer Center (8 weeks each).

In the second and third year, the fellow will have their own continuity clinic at UC Davis Cancer Center (one half-day/week) which includes their own patient panel and case manager. This is a great way for fellows to develop autonomy and build relationships with their patients (who view them as their hematologist and oncologist)while still under the supervision of an attending physician.

All fellows are expected and encouraged to pursue scholarly work and are provided guided mentorship by faculty. Our Division has ample opportunities to pursue projects in outcomes research, clinical trials and gene and cellular therapy. Many fellows present their work at the ASH and ASCO annual meeting in addition to other subspecialty meetings and many projects have resulted in publications in high impact journals. Trainees may also choose to participate in the Mentored Clinical Research Training Program (MCRTP). The course includes a two-year curriculum with a core in epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical research and clinical trial design, research ethics, informatics, and a mentored research project. Participation leads to a Masters in Clinical Research.

There are also opportunities for funded translational research and to pursue a fellowship in cellular therapy. The Hematology and Oncology Division has allocated $100,000 to support fellow research. Fellows may apply for this funding through a formalized application and will be reviewed by the Research Committee. Fellows may use the above internal funds for material or statistical support as well as to cover the costs of attending academic conferences to present their scholarly work. This is in addition to the already guaranteed travel and education stipend provided to all fellows annually.

Maintaining wellness is an important goal of ours. To achieve this goal, we have a tradition of an Annual Fellows Retreat. In addition to our Hematology and Oncology fellows, we invite fellows and faculty from Gynecology Oncology and Palliative Care, along with residents from Radiation Oncology to attend the retreat. This allows our fellow the opportunity to reflect on their experiences with their peers in a multi-disciplinary environment. We also organize an alumni fellows panel to discuss potential career paths. The annual retreat lends an important dimension to our program which is one-of-a-kind in the country. Even through the pandemic, we continued to host this retreat virtually and found it to be an effective element to educate our fellows and provide an additional wellness resource in this evolving environment.