Neuro-Oncology Fellowship
Overview
The MGH-DFCI-BWH fellowship training program in neuro-oncology represents a jointly recruited cohort of trainees in Neuro-Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). The Neuro-Oncology programs at these three institutions joined in 2003 to establish a combined training program.
Requirements
Applicants must have completed a neurology residency and have attained the qualifications necessary to sit for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology examination. We will consider applicants who completed a training program in hematology/oncology, neurosurgery, pediatric oncology, or radiation oncology on a case-by-case basis. We seek to train future leaders in neuro-oncology with an emphasis on producing academic neuro-oncologists.
Curriculum
The MGH-DFCI-BWH fellowship training program in neuro-oncology prepares academically oriented physicians to become leaders in clinical and laboratory investigation and clinical teaching. Four trainees are accepted each year through the SF Match for one clinical year plus 1-2 optional research years. The training is comprehensive with high patient volumes in primary brain tumors (including gliomas), central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, CNS metastases, and neurologic complications of cancer and cancer therapy.
Research Experience
The second and third years are optional but strongly encouraged. These years are devoted to laboratory-based, translational, or clinical research. During the autumn of the first year of fellowship, trainees begin exploring options for investigative efforts around their individual interests. Each trainee selects a research mentor who is responsible for specific projects and the educational development of the trainee. Research mentors may be selected from any HCC affiliated institution including MGH, BWH, DFCI, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Harvard Medical School.
Research fellows are supported by intramural funding sources but are also encouraged as part of the training process to apply for extramural sources of funding. Those interested in a basic or translational science project may apply for a two-year K12 training grant or a T32 cancer neuroscience training grant.
DFCI/BWH and MGH staff members are also very active in brain tumor clinical trial research and are recognized leaders within the field. We participate in all the major consortia for brain tumor clinical trials (including, Alliance, NRG, and ETCTN). We are also a member of the Glioblastoma Therapeutics Network (GTN) through an NIH U19 cooperative agreement. Supervised by faculty and research staff, trainees will care for patients enrolled on clinical trials during their fellowship. Research fellows will also have the opportunity to write and develop new protocols for review by the Institutional Review Board.
How to Apply
Applications for trainees are accepted through the Neuro-Oncology Fellowship Match. Applicants should register with SF Match Central Application Service (sfmatch.org). Applicant registration on SF Match opens in November (our program is listed as Mass General Brigham & Dana-Farber Cancer Centers); applications are due by mid-February; and interviews will take place in March and April. Our interviews will be conducted virtually.
Applicants must have completed a neurology residency and have attained the qualifications necessary to sit for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology examination. We will consider applicants who completed a training program in hematology/oncology, neurosurgery, pediatric oncology, or radiation oncology on a case-by-case basis. We seek to train future leaders in neuro-oncology with an emphasis on producing academic neuro-oncologists.
For questions about our program and/or the application process, please contact our program coordinators Gwyneth Shipman at Gwyneth_Shipman@dfci.harvard.edu and Taylor Bohannon at tbohannon@mgb.org.
Dr. Scott Plotkin, former director of the MGH-DFCI-BWH Neuro-Oncology Fellowship Program, talks about the program, its benefits, and why prospective fellows should attend. Join Dr. Plotkin and former and current fellows as they share their thoughts about the fellowship, living in Boston, and the camaraderie/relationships they have created.