About the Program

Quick facts

  • Three-year fellowship
  • ABP and ACGME-certified
  • Up to six fellows; two per year
  • Medium patient volume
    • New oncology patients annually: 100-110
    • Bleeding and clotting disorder patients: 400
    • Hemoglobinopathies patients: 150
  • Protected-time research blocks
  • Become the primary doctor for your own patients.
  • Rotate weeknight call from home and rotate weekend call.
  • New, freestanding hospital 

Program schedule

Inpatient training: We have two inpatient services; one devoted to oncology/bone marrow transplantation and a second hematology service. First-year fellows have 44 weeks of inpatient training divided evenly among the two services, second year fellows have seven weeks and third year fellows have six weeks of inpatient training.

Outpatient training: Our busy outpatient clinic includes new and returning patients with hemoglobinopathies, thromboses, hemophilia, immunodeficiencies, leukemias, solid tumors and brain tumors. Our long-term follow up clinic is where you’ll train on cancer survivor cases and several multi-disciplinary clinics. All fellows conduct a weekly half-day outpatient continuity clinic with an assigned attending physician throughout all three years of fellowship.

Electives: Your ample elective opportunities include cytogenetics, hematology, bone marrow transplantation, hematopathology, palliative care, radiation oncology, research, surgical pathology, and transfusion medicine. You can also talk with the fellowship director about elective time in additional fields related to Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.

Research: You will work with your Scholarly Oversight Committee during your first year to choose a scholarly project that will become your focus during years two and three. Fellows form a research mentoring team who will help them design and complete a scholarly project to complete requirements for American Board of Pediatrics subspecialty eligibility. Research blocks are protected time. We ask fellows to attend their weekly half-day outpatient clinic and equational conferences -- all other activities should be dedicated to research.

Vacation: You’ll enjoy three weeks of vacation each year.

Opportunities

A doctor discusses research with another woman.

Fellows may choose to pursue networking opportunities such as presenting your research at a hematology-oncology conference. Past fellows have attended educational conferences hosted by the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Onocology (ASPHO), the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the ASBMT, now the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

Each year our department hosts Pediatric Research Day featuring a renowned keynote speaker followed by your opportunity to present your research in an oral data blitz and poster form. Winners are chosen.  

Clinical experiences

When you join the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology as a fellow, you will gain clinical experience in a variety of subspecialty areas, including:

  • Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program
  • Bone marrow failure
  • Bone marrow transplant (the only pediatric BMT unit in Iowa)
  • Cancer predisposition
  • Hemoglobinopathy
  • Hemophilia
  • Neuro-oncology, solid tumor, Leukemia/Lymphoma, tumor boards and meetings
  • Thrombosis and hemostasis
  • Psycho-Oncology Program
Pediatric patient rings bell after final cancer treatment.

Fellow education curriculum

Research mentors and pediatric Hematology-Oncology mentors enhance your training experience and monitor your progress for ways to help you reach your career goals.

Our weekly Department of Pediatrics Core Curriculum seminar series is your opportunity to:

  • Accelerate career development.
  • Develop written and oral presentation skills.
  • Enhance professional development.
  • Explore research options.
  • Improve teaching skills.
  • Interact with faculty and other fellows.
  • Learn about responsible research conduct.
  • Present your research.

The weekly Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Conference series lets you:

  • Keep up to date on clinical standards-of-care.
  • Learn to read and critique clinical and translational research papers.
  • Participate in didactic lectures based on The American Board of Pediatrics board specifications.
  • Participate in Quality Improvement projects.
  • Understand interdisciplinary practice.

Tumor board teaches you how to:

  • Develop palliative care plans.
  • Diagnose and stage new oncology patients.
  • Enroll patients in clinical trials.
  • Present cases in a multidisciplinary team.
  • Treat recurrent disease.

Blood Club connects you with other doctors to:

  • Discuss latest research on bleeding and clotting disorders.
  • Meet visiting professors.
  • Present new patients.
  • Review testing procedures and interpretation.
  • Work in a multidisciplinary team.

Case presentations and morbidity/mortality conferences teach you how to:

  • Identify overall strengths and weaknesses in patient care.
  • Improve multidisciplinary coordination of care.
  • Improve patient care.
  • Present cases with in-depth discussion of diagnosis, genetics, and evidence-based treatment options.

Research opportunities

A woman in a lab conducts cancer research.

Iowa is a renowned medical research university with outstanding clinical, translational, and basic science research. Iowa’s research strengths include the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science.  The College of Public Health is home to the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database. Our department  is a member of the Children’s Brain Tumor Network and Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium. 

Research mentors

During the first few months of fellowship, we’ll encourage you to meet with several clinical and basic science investigators who have ongoing projects that interest you. We can also help pair you with a mentor whose research interests are similar to yours. Our research mentors are experts in disciplines related to hematology-oncology in the Carver College of Medicine.  

Here are some recent mentor and fellow projects:

Mentor: Aaron Boes, MD, PhD

Fellow: Gino Bardi Lola, 2019-2022

Skye J, Bruss J, Toescu S, Aquilina K, Grafft A, Bardi Lola G, Boes AD. Neuroanatomy of cerebellar mutism syndrome: the role of lesion location. Brain Commun. 2024 Jun 5;6(4):fcae197. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae197. PMID: 39015767; PMCID: PMC11250198.

 

 

Mentor: David Gordon, MD, PhD

Fellow: Torin Waters, 2018-2021

Publications:

Waters TW, Moore SA, Sato Y, Dlouhy BJ, Sato M. Refractory infantile high-grade glioma containing TRK-fusion responds to larotrectinib. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2021 May;68(5):e28868. doi: 10.1002/pbc.28868. Epub 2021 Jan 5. PMID: 33403813.

Waters TW, Dickens DS. Reducing sedated lumbar punctures in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2021 Nov;68(11):e29272. doi: 10.1002/pbc.29272. Epub 2021 Jul 31. PMID: 34331510.

Goss KL, Koppenhafer SL, Waters T, Terry WW, Wen KK, Wu M, Ostergaard J, Gordon PM, Gordon DJ. The translational repressor 4E-BP1 regulates RRM2 levels and functions as a tumor suppressor in Ewing sarcoma tumors. Oncogene. 2021 Jan;40(3):564-577. doi: 10.1038/s41388-020-01552-0. Epub 2020 Nov 15. PMID: 33191406; PMCID: PMC7856031.

Waters T, Goss KL, Koppenhafer SL, Terry WW, Gordon DJ. Eltrombopag inhibits the proliferation of Ewing sarcoma cells via iron chelation and impaired DNA replication. BMC Cancer. 2020 Nov 30;20(1):1171. doi: 10.1186/s12885-020-07668-6. PMID: 33256675; PMCID: PMC7706234.

 

Mentor: Miles A. Pufall, PhD

Fellow: Jessica Zimmerman, 2017-2020

Publications:

Zimmerman JAO, Fang M, Doumbia B, Neyman A, Cha JH, Thomas M, Hall B, Wu M, Wilson AM, Pufall MA. Deacylcortivazol-like pyrazole regioisomers reveal a more accommodating expanded binding pocket for the glucocorticoid receptor. RSC Med Chem. 2020 Dec 8;12(2):203-212. doi: 10.1039/d0md00278j. PMID: 34046609; PMCID: PMC8127617.

Hoover A, Zimmerman JAO, Wiese S, Modi A. Evaluation of Empiric Vancomycin for Fevers During High-dose Cytarabine Administration. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2021 Oct 1;43(7):e1010-e1014. doi: 10.1097/MPH.0000000000002073. PMID: 33560084; PMCID: PMC8329102.

Zimmerman JAO, Sharathkumar A. Severe Anemia and "Splenomegaly". Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2017 Nov;56(13):1266-1269. doi: 10.1177/0009922816684619. Epub 2016 Dec 22. PMID: 28006959.

 

Mentor: M. Nedim Ince, MD

Fellow: Jamie Truscott, 2016-2019

Publications:

Li Y, Liu W, Guan X, Truscott J, Creemers JW, Chen HL, Pesu M, El Abiad RG, Karacay B, Urban JF Jr, Elliott DE, Kaplan MH, Blazar BR, Ince MN. STAT6 and Furin Are Successive Triggers for the Production of TGF-β by T Cells. J Immunol. 2018 Nov 1;201(9):2612-2623. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700808. Epub 2018 Sep 28. PMID: 30266770; PMCID: PMC6200631.

Truscott J, Guan X, Fury H, Atagozli T, Metwali A, Liu W, Li Y, Li RW, Elliott DE, Blazar BR, Ince MN. After Bone Marrow Transplantation, the Cell-Intrinsic Th2 Pathway Promotes Recipient T Lymphocyte Survival and Regulates Graft-versus-Host Disease. Immunohorizons. 2023 Jun 1;7(6):442-455. doi: 10.4049/immunohorizons.2300021. PMID: 37294277; PMCID: PMC10580113.

Li Y, Guan X, Liu W, Chen HL, Truscott J, Beyatli S, Metwali A, Weiner GJ, Zavazava N, Blumberg RS, Urban JF Jr, Blazar BR, Elliott DE, Ince MN. Helminth-Induced Production of TGF-β and Suppression of Graft-versus-Host Disease Is Dependent on IL-4 Production by Host Cells. J Immunol. 2018 Nov 15;201(10):2910-2922. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700638. Epub 2018 Oct 5. PMID: 30291167; PMCID: PMC6219912.

 

Mentor: Janice Staber, MD

Fellow: Ahmad Al-Huniti, 2016-2019

Publications:

Al-Huniti A, Reyes Hernandez M, Ten Eyck P, Staber JM. Mental health disorders in haemophilia: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Haemophilia. 2020 May;26(3):431-442. doi: 10.1111/hae.13960. Epub 2020 Apr 19. PMID: 32307801; PMCID: PMC8475067.

Al-Huniti A, Sharathkumar A, Krantz M, Watkinson K, Bhagavathi S. Discrepant Hemophilia A: An Underdiagnosed Disease Entity. Am J Clin Pathol. 2020 Jun 8;154(1):78-87. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/aqaa024. PMID: 32232366.

Sande CM, Al-Huniti A, Ten Eyck P, Sharathkumar AA. Impact of the Survey of Inhibitors in Plasma-Product Exposed Toddlers (SIPPET) study and its post hoc analyses on clinical practice in the United States: A survey of Haemophilia and Thrombosis Research Society members. Haemophilia. 2019 Sep;25(5):764-772. doi: 10.1111/hae.13806. Epub 2019 Jul 2. PMID: 31264762; PMCID: PMC7056002.

 

Mentor: Rebecca Benson, MD, PhD

Fellow: Katie Harmoney, 2015-2018

Publications:

Harmoney K, Mobley EM, Gilbertson-White S, Brogden NK, Benson RJ. Differences in Advance Care Planning and Circumstances of Death for Pediatric Patients Who Do and Do Not Receive Palliative Care Consults: A Single-Center Retrospective Review of All Pediatric Deaths from 2012 to 2016. J Palliat Med. 2019 Dec;22(12):1506-1514. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2019.0111. Epub 2019 Jun 21. PMID: 31233350; PMCID: PMC6998041.

Goss KL, Koppenhafer SL, Harmoney KM, Terry WW, Gordon DJ. Inhibition of CHK1 sensitizes Ewing sarcoma cells to the ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor gemcitabine. Oncotarget. 2017 Jun 28;8(50):87016-87032. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.18776. PMID: 29152060; PMCID: PMC5675612.

David Dickens, MD

Fellowship director and clinical professor

David Claassen, MD, PhD

Fellowship assistant director and clinical assistant professor

Alex Bassuk, MD, PhD

Chair, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics

Certification

Our pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) and American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).