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Harvard Medical School Joint Fellowship Program in Transfusion Medicine

The Harvard Medical School Joint Fellowship Program in Transfusion Medicine offers expert clinical and research training to develop the next leaders in transfusion medicine. Our 1-year, ACGME-accredited program is designed to help fellows develop skills necessary to become comfortable managing immunohematology, hemorrhage, operative and trauma resuscitations, therapeutic apheresis, cellular collections, blood donations, and to conduct important research in transfusion medicine.
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Email: MGBTMFellowshipInquiries@mgb.org
MGBTMFellowshipInquiries@mgb.org

Overview

The Harvard Medical School Joint Fellowship Program in Transfusion Medicine (TM) is an ACGME-accredited program which draws on the facilities of Mass General, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).

In addition, the program maintains strong ties with the Center for Hematology. The usual period of clinical fellowship is one year; however, the program offers suitably qualified fellows the opportunity to pursue research relevant to transfusion medicine supported by a NIH training grant for an additional one or two years.

The combined facilities of the Harvard Joint Program comprise 2,478 hospital beds supporting a comprehensive array of general and specialized services including transplantation, Level I Pediatric and Adult Trauma and Burn Units, multiple intensive care units, and centers for Sickle Cell Disease and Hemophilia. The facilities collect approximately 38,000 donations of whole blood and platelets and transfuse approximately 190,000 components annually. The combined facilities of the Harvard Joint Program offer an unparalleled array of services, which encompass all aspects of Transfusion Medicine.

Requirements

Applicants must be Board-certified or eligible for certification in Clinical Pathology, adult or pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Surgery, or Anesthesia and, if a graduate of an international medical school, have a valid ECFMG certificate and visa and a full Massachusetts medical license prior to starting the fellowship.

Curriculum

Fellows will spend six months on the transfusion service, typically with three months at Mass General and three months at the Longwood campus comprising BWH, BCH, and DFCI. They will spend two months in trainee-selected clinical electives, such as pediatric TM, cellular therapies, hemophilia/coag, etc. The remaining three months are spent in elective rotations, typically with a focus on research or other academic projects, which are chosen once the trainee has received a thorough grounding in transfusion medicine and begun to formulate specific career goals. There are 4 weeks of vacation during the year.

Clinical and basic research are conducted throughout the program.

Research Experience

Fellows are encouraged to develop a research focus during their ACGME base year which can be pursued for an additional one or two years, if there is a vacancy on the NIH training grant. Fellows have the opportunity to attend varied clinical and research conferences and are required to teach in the training programs offered to residents, students and post-graduates.

How to Apply

Applications should be submitted by December 31 of each year (18 months prior to start date; Fellowships usually commence on July 1).

Please send the following materials to express your interest to: MGBTMFellowshipInquiries@mgb.org

  • CV
  • Personal statement
  • CAP fellowship common application
  • Medical and Graduate School Transcript(s)
  • Three (3) Letters of Recommendation. One of these should be from your current or recent clinical chief of service, if possible.
  • Medical School Dean's Letter
How many fellows do you train each year? Do you accept applications from outside your institution?
Our program is allocated 4 trainee positions each year. We endeavor to find the best transfusion medicine trainees from around the world, from diverse areas of primary training. We typically attract applicants from our own pathology residency program, but an internal applicant is evaluated on the same metrics as external applicants. If we are in a situation where fewer than 4 trainees are recruited to a given year, we unfortunately do have to limit the number of clinical elective weeks and replace them with core transfusion medicine service.
Do you accept candidates with primary training in an area outside of pathology?
We welcome academically exceptional applicants from many areas of primary medical training that are associated with transfusion medicine. We have created a vibrant transfusion medicine community that is enriched by faculty and trainees who come from internal medicine, hematology, pediatrics, anatomic & clinical pathology, and clinical pathology only.
How much research experience is necessary?
We have generally found that successful applicants have some prior research experience and productivity, but a dual “MD/PhD” is not required.
What is the process after I email my application materials?
Our program manager will review your application materials for completeness. We will not send incomplete applications to our selection committee for review, so it is imperative that ALL required materials are submitted by December 31 of the year 2 years prior to the anticipated July 1 start (e.g., 12/31/26 for a 7/1/28 start date). Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Competitive candidates will be selected for a virtual interview that will consist of a meeting with the program directors, a panel interview with the selection committee and an information session with the current fellows. On-site interviews are not offered. Most candidates will receive a post-interview decision within 2 weeks of the interview.
What types of clinical electives are offered?
We have established 2-week clinical elective blocks in benign hematology, coagulation laboratory, intensive care/anesthesiology, cellular therapy and bone marrow transplantation clinical care, and blood donor center intensive. We are expanding this feature of our program and hope to have formalized options in obstetrics, perfusionists/ECMO, dialysis, HLA, and hemoglobinopathy clinic within the next year. Clinical electives can also be tailored to meet the needs of the fellow, if the fellow demonstrates the initiative to be an active learner and partner with the program directors to design additional elective experiences.

Fellowship and Faculty Contacts

Massachusetts General Hospital

  • Patricia A. R. Brunker, MD, DPhil(Oxon) - Program Director
  • Wilfredo Garcia Beltran, MD, PhD
  • Pavan Bendapudi, MD
  • Walter (Sunny) Dzik, MD
  • Robert Makar, MD, PhD (site director)
  • Jon Stefely, MD, PhD
  • Sacha Uljon, MD, PhD

Brigham and Women's Hospital

  • Sean Stowell, MD, PhD (site director)
  • Yembur Ahmad, MD
  • Roger Belizaire, MD, PhD
  • Li Chai, MD – Associate Program Director
  • Mischa Covington, MD, PhD
  • Marie Hollenhorst, MD, PhD
  • Ryan Jajosky, MD
  • William Lane, MD, PhD
  • Jun Liu, MD, PhD
  • Hirotomo Nakarara, MD, PhD

Boston Children’s Hospital

  • John Manis, MD, PhD (site director)
  • David Justus, MD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

  • Sarah Nikiforow, MD, PhD (site director)
  • Jose Cancelas, MD

Contact Us

For more information about this fellowship opportunity:
tertiary
email
Email: MGBTMFellowshipInquiries@mgb.org
MGBTMFellowshipInquiries@mgb.org