Department of Pediatrics
Hematology/Oncology Fellowship
Department of Pediatrics
Hematology/Oncology Fellowship
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program
Welcome from the Program Director
John Horan, M.D., M.P.H.
Fellowship Program Director
Rafi Kazi, M.D.
Fellowship Associate Director
U.S. News & World Report
UR Medicine’s Golisano Children’s Hospital's Hematology/Oncology program has been recognized as one of the nation’s best in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital rankings.
We invite you to learn about our Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program at the University of Rochester and welcome you to explore life in Upstate New York! The University of Rochester offers an ACGME accredited Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellowship Program designed to prepare physicians for rigorous careers as clinicians, educators and academicians. Fellows benefit from a personalized educational experience with mentorship by dedicated faculty, many of whom are nationally recognized as accomplished clinicians and published research investigators.
Why Choose Our Program?
- Our Faculty
We are a warm, welcoming, supportive and fun group, who are committed to the well being and success of our fellows. With the recent growth in our program and the addition of several new faculty, we have varied areas of clinical expertise within pediatric hematology-oncology, spanning the gamut of subspecialities in oncology (neuro-oncology, solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, survivorship), hematology (sickle cell disease, hemostasis and thrombosis, immunohematology, bone marrow failure and transfusion medicine) and blood and marrow transplantation (malignant, primary immune disorders, non-malignant hematologic disorders). We also have PHO faculty trained in palliative care, who attend on the palliative care service. Further, we are an academically diverse group, encompassing faculty who perform innovative laboratory research, who lead national multicenter clinical studies, who teach narrative medicine and health humanities and who are passionate about quality improvement. Finally, we are socially engaged, both locally, partnering with local patient groups and organizations, and globally, helping to improve cancer care for children in Africa, Latin-America and elsewhere. - Our Patients
You will love our patients! The City of Rochester and the Finger Lakes Region are home to a culturally and economically diverse population with refugees and other immigrants from Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, a vibrant LGBTQ+ community, the largest per capita deaf and hard of hearing population in the U.S. and large Amish and Mennonite communities. We are fortunate to have the services of a devoted, talented and creative group of social workers, patient navigators and care coordinators to meet the needs of the children and adolescents we care for. As a program, we are committed to community engagement and health equity. - The University of Rochester Medical Center
The University of Rochester Medical Center is one of the nation’s top academic medical centers. Pediatric Hematology-Oncology is part of URMC’s Wilmont Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Center and Upstate NY’s largest and busiest cancer center. We are also part of Golisano Children’s Hospital, a state-of-the-art facility and quaternary care center that provides care for children across Upstate NY. - Flexibility to Tailor your Fellowship to Meet Your Aspirations
If you have a particular clinical interest, such as adolescent-young adult oncology, global oncology and blood and marrow transplantation, we will help you to adapt your clinical training and exposure to help you achieve your goals. Likewise, we offer varying academic paths to meet your needs. These include laboratory/translational research, clinical research, health professions education and health humanities and bioethics. Fellows can pursue master’s degrees or certificates in public health, clinical research, health professions education, health humanities and bioethics and other fields. And we’ll provide generous financial assistance. - Our Holistic Approach to Care
The biopsychosocial approach was developed at the University of Rochester decades ago by Drs. George Engel and John Romano. While traditional biomedical models of clinical medicine focus on pathophysiology and other biological approaches to disease, the biopsychosocial approach emphasizes the importance of understanding human health and illness in their fullest contexts. The biopsychosocial approach systematically considers biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery. It permeates the culture of all areas of the medical center, including our pediatric hematology-oncology program.
Our Program Aims
- Train pediatricians to become highly skilled in clinical hematology, oncology, and stem cell transplantation.
- Foster the development of individualized, academically-useful, in-demand skills in areas beyond direct patient care, such as: medical informatics and data science, quality improvement, education, basic science research, translational research, or clinical research.
- Develop the next generation of academic leaders with a focus on personalized professional development and career readiness in pediatric hematology/oncology.
Learn More About Our Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship
What Sets Us Apart
Career Tracks
A variety of career tracks are tailored to the individual educational and career goals of fellows, fostering the development of in-demand skills in areas including medical informatics and data science, medical education, quality improvement, and traditional basic/clinical/translational research.
Mentor Relationships
The Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and Vice Chair of Education, meet quarterly with fellows from our subspecialty training programs in an informal roundtable setting to offer mentorship and research guidance. In addition, a high faculty to trainee ratio allows for strong faculty interaction and guidance.
State-of-the-Art Children's Hospital
Our state-of-the-art children's hospital encompasses nearly 245,000 square feet of space dedicated to children and their families. Phase II, completed in 2017, includes new pediatric operating rooms, a pediatric cardiac surgery center, a gastroenterology procedure suite, and a new PICU. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit/Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit is the largest intensive care service for children in western and central New York.
A National Leader in Improving Quality and Safety
ACGME has chosen URMC to be one of eight institutions to help transform the way we improve quality and safety. Our fellows play a key role in changing the clinical learning environment here at our institution and across the country. This initiative furthers our commitment to continuously improve health care by advancing the quality of physician education.
What Our Fellows Say...
What I enjoyed most about fellowship was the training and educational experience I gained. The faculty was extremely knowledgeable but also approachable. I have made lifelong friends of my co-fellows and some of the faculty there.”
Laila Mahmood, M.D., M.P.H.
Research During Fellowship
Impact of early palliative care on symptom control and quality of life in high-risk patients
Current Positions
- Interim Medical Director, PANDA Pediatric Palliative Care Team
- Fellowship Director, Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship
- Attending, Pediatric Hematology, Children’s National Hospital
- Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, George Washington School of Medicine
What I enjoyed most about fellowship was working in Dr. Mullen’s lab doing bench research and the friends that I made.”
Sana Usmani, D.O.
Research During Fellowship
Identification of bone marrow stroma derived factors that support acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells
Current Positions
- Assistant Professor at New York City Health and Hospitals, Kings County, NY
- Clinical Assistant Professor at SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, NY
Follow Us on Instagram
Follow Us on Instagram
Our pediatric cardiology fellows Hope Kile, MD, Jyoti Gur, MBBS, and Monique Sterling, MD at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions Conference!
#AHA #aha2024 #pedscardiology #pedscardiologyfellows #urmcpediatricfellowships #ahascientificsessions
Our Pediatric GI faculty and fellows and the NASPGHAN Conference!
#naspghan24 #pedsfellow #urmcpediatricfellowships #pedsgifellow #pedsgifellowship #rochesterny
Our Pediatric GI fellow, Vipreet Janjua, M.D., presenting her research at the NASPGHAN Conference.
#naspghan24 #pedsfellow #urmcpediatricfellowships #pedsgifellow #pedsgifellowship #rochesterny- PreviousNext
Our Pediatric GI fellow, Shehzad Ahmed, M.D., presenting his research at the NASPGHAN Conference.
#naspghan24 #pedsfellow #urmcpediatricfellowships #pedsgifellow #pedsgifellowship #rochesterny - PreviousNext
Our Adolescent Medicine fellows Dr. Amy Wright, Dr. Ali Fayne and director Dr. Shellie Yussman volunteering at the Power Her Forward Conference at East High School sponsored by the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley.
@womensfoundationgv #adolmedfellows #urmcpediatricfellowships #URMC #RochesterNY - PreviousNext
Our fellows enjoying some fall fun during our fellow retreat @wickhamfarms
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