Subspecialty Training Programs: Hematology-Oncology
Program Director
Teresa Hayes, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Program Co-Director
Martha Mims, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Contact Information
Teresa Hayes, M.D., Ph.D.
Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program
VA 111H, 2002 Holcombe Blvd.
Houston, Texas 77030
Apply to the Fellowship Program
via ERAS (Electronic Residency Application System); ACGME ID 1554821146
Training Positions:
Four to six hematology-oncology fellows are accepted each year. There are a total of sixteen fellows in the program. Fellowship candidates must have completed internal medicine residency in the USA with a record of excellence. Fellows must have passed the USMLE examinations and must be board eligible for the American Board of Internal Medicine. Our program is highly competitive, and candidates with excellent performance and strong letters of recommendation are invited to interview.
Fellows must submit their exam scores and three letters of recommendation, including one from their program director. Applications are due Jan. 1, eighteen months prior to starting the fellowship. Interviews with three to five faculty members are held January through April of the year prior to starting the fellowship.
Training Program
The training program includes an extensive clinical experience. Fellows rotate through public and private hospitals, including The Methodist Hospital, Ben Taub General Hospital, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. The program provides intensive exposure to the breadth of hematology and oncology topics, including virtually every type of solid tumor, the spectrum of anemias, coagulation and thrombotic diatheses, malignant hematology, pain management, and supportive care. All fellows participate in several outpatient clinics and are assigned their own continuity clinic at one of the public hospitals for the duration of their training.
The program includes both inpatient care and consultation. Formal teaching rounds are held daily at each hospital. Numerous teaching conferences are held, including weekly journal clubs and an oncology lecture series for fellows. Fellows attend and often lead one to two tumor boards each week at their respective hospitals. Fellows are also encouraged to spend at least six months doing basic or clinical research.
Clinical Rotations
The first year of training consists of rotations on the clinical services of Ben Taub General Hospital/Harris County Hospital, The Methodist Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital, and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Bone marrow transplant experience is provided and required, mainly at The Methodist Hospital. The second and third years of training are flexible and geared toward the interests of the trainee. Additional clinical rotations at our core hospitals are available, as well as electives in blood banking, pathology, and radiation therapy. Most fellows avail themselves of elective rotations at nearby M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Research Training
There are a variety of research opportunities in both basic science and clinical research. Basic research in oncology is focused on the molecular biology of breast cancer, stem cell and gene therapy, and the biology of cancer metastases. In hematology, there are ongoing projects in red cell membrane biology, sickle cell anemia, erythropoietin action, von Willebrand factor, and thrombotic microangiopathies. The Baylor Breast Center has one of the most active programs in breast cancer biology in the country. Our bone marrow transplant faculty have interests in gene therapy and transplantation in immunologic disorders. Outside of the section, there are legions of other opportunities to collaborate with basic and clinical faculty in areas such as molecular biology, genetics, pharmacology, and many others.
Fellows may also do research in other basic science laboratories at Baylor and are encouraged to participate in a number of clinical protocols that are being conducted in the section. Fellows have the opportunity to design and write their own protocol, as well as to follow it to completion during their fellowship years.