Residency Subspecialty Education

The Pediatric Hematology and Oncology service provides clinical care for a large group of children and adolescents with hematologic and oncologic problems. Residents and subspecialty residents have first hand experience in managing our patients. Since the early 1960s, our division has been and continues to be very active in diagnosis, management and research of sickle cell disease and its complications. Landmark clinical research relating to pneumococcal infection in patients with sickle cell disease was first reported from this division. We are also a comprehensive sickle cell center established in 1972 under a NHLBI grant. Consequently, our division has a large population of patients with sickle cell disease who are on chronic transfusion regimens. Other areas of research interest include studies of radionucleide and magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of patients with sickle cell disease and bone pain, and in parvovirus B19 infections in these patients. The division is an affiliate member of the Children's Cancer Group since 1978, the largest cooperative treatment group for children with cancer. We have access to the most current research protocols and therapeutics for the treatment of childhood cancer.

Of course, we also have a very active teaching program with didactics occurring in clinics, on daily rounds with attending staff, during weekly literature review/seminar, and weekly hematology-oncology rounds. During an experience on this service, residents serve as consultants on inpatients and outpatients. They have first contact for consultations and then see and discuss the consultation with the subspecialty fellow and the supervising attending. Rotating residents follow patients admitted to the division’s service at UHB and those known to the division admitted to KCHC. Residents participate in the care and management of patients presenting for routine ambulatory treatments of chronic transfusion and chemotherapy administration. In addition, residents attend active outpatient clinics 4 times per week where they provide direct patient care under attending and subspecialty fellow supervision. Residents are expected to review slides of peripheral blood and bone marrow and follow-up histopathologic studies. Several didactic sessions held include weekly pediatric tumor board, hematology conference, journal club and research conference. There are also topic based discussion sessions, and residents are expected to attend all pediatrics department conferences.

The division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology has an accredited subspecialty training program. Generally, there are two subspecialty residents in training at any time. The division is staffed by three full-time attending physicians (a fourth is being recruited), a pediatric nurse practioner, two nurses with special competence in the subspecialty, a clinical research associate and a social worker. Additional support services are provided by all pediatric subspecialists.