Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship
We invite you to explore and learn more about our Pediatric Hematology-Oncology fellowship program at UNC.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Why Train at UNC?
UNC fellows train in a world-class public hospital, where they encounter the full scope of our specialty:
- Our pediatric oncology clinic sees more than 100 new diagnoses per year
- UNC’s registered Hemophilia Treatment Center and hemostasis/thrombosis clinic see more than 200 children with bleeding and clotting disorders
- Our Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program provides care to more than 400 children with sickle cell disease and other hemoglobin disorders
- The Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies division provides bone marrow/stem cell transplantation and novel CAR-T therapies
- UNC Project Malawi and the Malawi Cancer Consortium provide global healthcare outreach
- Fellows also enjoy access to the breadth of research, education, and mentorship resources (plus basketball) available at the nation’s oldest and finest public university
- First-year fellows are immersed in clinical hematology-oncology. A typical first-year schedule includes:
- Inpatient hematology-oncology: 16 weeks
- Inpatient and outpatient stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies: 12 weeks
- Outpatient hematology and oncology clinics: 8 weeks
- Radiation oncology, transfusion medicine, and pathology: 6 weeks
- Research and pediatrics board exam preparation: 4 weeks
We set aside time during the first year for fellows to find research mentors and develop research questions.
Fellows spend the second year refining their research questions, learning research methodology, and gathering data.
- Fellows have the opportunity to apply for research support through the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center or NIH-funded T32 training grants in a variety of disciplines, including hematology, clinical pharmacology, and immunotherapy.
- Interested fellows can receive tuition assistance to pursue graduate degrees and certificates from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
- Second-year fellows spend one half-day each week in the outpatient clinic, seeing new and established hematology-oncology patients with their faculty preceptor.
During the third year, fellows prepare for the next stage of their careers: completing research projects; preparing manuscripts; interviewing for faculty positions or secondary training; and mastering clinical skills.
- Third-year fellows continue a half-day of clinic each week.
- Third-year fellows can elect additional inpatient or outpatient clinical rotations.
Education Conferences
Throughout fellowship, fellows participate in educational activities within our division, within UNC, and within the pediatric hematology-oncology community at large:
- The pediatric hematology-oncology faculty provides a weekly fellow education conference and board-review sessions.
- Fellows present patients and review clinical trials in a weekly tumor board with pathology, radiology, and surgical subspecialties.
- Fellows critically review articles (and get to know our colleagues up the road) at a quarterly UNC-Duke pediatric hematology-oncology journal club.
- During their research years, fellows are encouraged to present at Pediatric Grand Rounds and the UNC Day of Scholarship.
- We encourage all of our fellows to attend national meetings and present research findings or quality-improvement projects.
Throughout their training fellows receive continuous feedback and exposure to essential pediatric hematology-oncology skills:
- Lumbar punctures
- Intrathecal chemotherapy administration
- Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy
- Bone marrow harvesting for transplantation
- Enrollment on clinical trials
- Effective communication
Weekend and holiday call is divided between the first-, second-, and third-year fellows. Fellows covering the inpatient services take call from home on most weeknights.
Applicants trained in both internal medicine and pediatrics can apply for a four-year combined fellowship. Graduates with dual training are uniquely equipped to manage care transitions for young adults, offer lifelong care to patients with chronic disorders, and provide long-term follow-up for childhood cancer survivors.
After completing their first year of pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship, fellows in the combined medicine-pediatric program transition the UNC Department of Internal Medicine for another year of clinical training. During their third and fourth years, fellows work with a mentor in pediatrics or internal medicine to complete a research project that fulfills the eligibility requirements of both subspecialty boards.
If you are interested in combined training, please contact Patrick Thompson, MD at patom@email.unc.edu and register for the pediatric hematology-oncology match in ERAS.
Current Fellows
| Current Training Year | Fellow | Residency Training |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Jessica Benjamin-Eze, DO | Wake Forest University School of Medicine |
| Ken Busby, DO | The University of Tennessee Health Science Center | |
| Beatriz Caceres, MD | University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine | |
| Year 2 | April Evans, MD | University of Kentucky |
| Jen Newcome, MD | East Carolina University | |
| Justin Sperlazza, MD, PhD | University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill | |
| Year 3 | Tina Abrams, MD | University of Tennessee |
| Catherine Habashy, MD | University of Kentucky University of Tennessee (Palliative Care Fellowship) |
|
| Kim Youkhana, MD* | Geisinger Commonwealth | |
| Year 4 | Sam Wilson, MD* | University of Michigan |
| * Combined Internal Medicine - Pediatrics Fellow | ||
Graduates
| Graduation Year | Fellow | Current Practice Location | Practice Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Chris Park, MD | Pediatric neuro-oncology fellowship | Children's National Medical Center Washington, DC |
| 2020 | Joshua Bies, MD | University of Nebraska Omaha, NE | Pediatric Hematology-Oncology |
| Patrick Ellsworth, MD* | University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | Hematology and Hemoglobinopathies | |
| Brandon Kleiboer, MD | Atrium Health Charlotte, NC | Pediatric Hematology and Coagulation | |
| 2019 | Kate Westmoreland, MD | Kamuzu Central Hospital Lilongwe, Malawi University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Global Health |
| 2018 | Jen Brondon, MD | University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | Pediatric Hematology-Oncology |
| Betsy Finch, MD | PennState Health Hershey, PA | Pediatric Neuro-Oncology | |
| 2017 | Jennie Hart, MD | Sinai Health Baltimore, MD | Pediatric Hematology and Hemoglobinopathies |
| Kristy Pahl, MD | Duke University Durham, NC | Pediatric Hematology | |
| 2016 | Maria Boucher, MD | Albany Medical College Albany, NC | Pediatric Hematology-Oncology |
| Andrew Smitherman, MD | University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | Pediatric/Young Adult Oncology and Survivorship | |
| 2015 | Yasmina Abajas, MD | University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | Pediatric Hematology and Coagulation |
| Jake Troutman, MD | LeHigh Valley Health Network Allentown, PA | Pediatric Hematology-Oncology | |
| * Combined Internal Medicine - Pediatrics Fellow | |||
Application Guidelines
UNC’s three-year fellowship seeks physicians who will have completed three years of training in an accredited residency program in order to sit for the American Board of Pediatrics certifying examination.
Please visit ERAS for an application and information about our program.
The following information should be uploaded into the ERAS program:
- Completed on-line application
- Current photograph (released only after interview is offered)
- Personal statement
- Three letters of recommendation, one from current program director
- Dean’s letter (MSPE)
- Medical school transcript
- Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the USMLE, taken within the 7-year time frame required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or equivalent scores
- If a graduate of a medical school outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico, valid ECFMG certificate or one that does not expire prior to the start of the fellowship
- If not a citizen of the United States or permanent resident, then copy of current J-1 Visa.
Applicants with dual training in pediatrics and internal medicine can apply for combined internal medicine-pediatric fellowship training, in partnership with the UNC Department of Internal Medicine.
Contact Information
Contact information for the fellowship program of the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, UNC School of Medicine.
Patrick Thompson, MD
Fellowship Program Director
Email: patom@email.unc.edu
Mike Winstead, MD
Associate Program Director
Email:mwins@email.unc.edu