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?
- Clinical Exposure: Our program is the primary treatment center for an extensive geographic area including the 11-county region and a referral site for complex disease care across western and upstate New York. The volume and breadth of care allows for a full scope of exposure and experience to fellows. We are members of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) and Pediatric Immunodeficiency Treatment Consortium as well as accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). We are a quaternary referral center, providing shared management and consultation for complex surgical cases such as congenital heart disease and orthopedic care as well providing the region’s only comprehensive vascular anomalies care.
- Diversity of patient populations and community engagement: A wide diversity of patients live in and around the greater Rochester region. Fellows will care for patients from all socioeconomic strata who live in urban, suburban, or rural neighborhoods. This includes many from nearby Amish and Mennonite communities as well as refugees from Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Addressing longstanding health care disparities in many of these populations is an important focus for the division while also providing the highest degree of evidence-based medical care.
- Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapies: The University of Rochester has a multidisciplinary team providing cutting edge stem cell transplant and cellular therapies. We transplant patients with malignant and non-malignant diseases as well as offer chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapies. We are FACT accredited and belong to the National Marrow Donor Program and the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium. Through close collaboration and co-management, we are the primary treatment center for transplantation across Upstate New York.
- Research Support: Research opportunities exist both within and outside of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, ranging from basic science and translational projects to quality improvement and clinical trials; each are supported by infrastructural support. Fellows are encouraged to apply for additional departmental, institutional and national funding to support their research and career development, depending on their interests. The Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI ) at the University of Rochester is an NIH-funded program that provides critical support to trainee and faculty researchers across the institution. This also includes support to succeed locally as well as present at national conferences for networking and career development opportunities.
- Palliative Care Expertise: Through formal rotations and ongoing collaboration for their own patients our fellows work closely with the Pediatric Palliative Care service under the supervision of experienced and dedicated pediatric palliative care physicians. This enhances skills essential for providing comprehensive, compassionate care to patients with cancer and hematologic disorders.
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
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.