Research Training
The second and third years of fellowship are dedicated research years. To ensure maximum productivity, clinical responsibilities are limited to:
- One continuity clinic per week
- One to four weeks of inpatient service per year
- Five to eight weekends of coverage per year
- One major holiday per year
Protected research time is spent pursuing a supervised, individualized research initiative tailored to each fellow's interests. Fellows may pursue projects in basic, translational or clinical research with a dedicated primary mentor and faculty across the Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, the Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center or the broader CWRU academic community. Research direction is determined in collaboration with clinical and research advisors and the fellowship program director. A three-member Scholarly Oversight Committee (SOC) monitors progress through semi-annual presentations and reviews
Research Mentorship and Scholarly Development
Formal training is required for all research projects. Fellows pursuing clinical research are encouraged to complete coursework in epidemiology and biostatistics and may compete for advanced training through Case Western Reserve University's Clinical Research Scholars Program (CRSP), which offers a Master of Science degree upon completion of a rigorous mentored research curriculum. Senior fellows may also gain additional clinical decision-making experience by participating in the inpatient hematology oncology service as a pre-attending.
Research Areas and Collaborative Networks
Active research areas within the program include:
- Pediatric oncology: leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumors, neuro-oncology and survivorship
- Sickle cell disease, including cellular and gene therapy approaches
- Hemostasis, thrombosis and coagulation disorders
- Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and bone marrow failure
- CAR T-cell therapy, cellular immunotherapy and emerging gene-based therapeutics
- AYA oncology and survivorship
- Clinical trials, precision medicine and investigator-initiated studies through the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
Fellows may also pursue research through the Children's Oncology Group (COG), the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC).
Research Funding
Funding support for second and third year research is available through multiple sources. Fellows are strongly encouraged to begin developing and writing grant proposals early in their research years.
- Endowment funding available to support fellow training and education
- Laboratory and clinical mentors may directly sponsor fellows
- Competitive training grants available through CWRU academic departments
Visit the Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder research website for a list of primary faculty and their research interests.