Our program is structured to provide resources and mentorship to groom passionate young physicians for careers as physician-scientists in pediatric hematology and oncology.
We are sensitive to the challenges that you may be facing in preparing for fellowship training. Knowing that you may be facing difficulties in obtaining letters of recommendation, access to rotations to prepare for fellowship training, and completing research projects, we would like to assure you that we will review all applicants in their entirety and take into consideration the various difficulties candidates may be facing. We are committed to the safety of candidates applying to fellowship and support virtual interviews to all our applicants. This interview approach is in alignment with the recommendations by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the University at Buffalo Office of Graduate Medical Education (UBGME).
Our three-year fellowship is a combined program of Oishei Children’s Hospital and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
We train the graduates of our program to become the next generation of leaders, physician-scientists, and innovators in the field of pediatric hematology and oncology and champions of clinical, research and educational excellence.
Our pediatric hematology and oncology team is conducting research that is helping to propel the field of pediatric cancer and blood disorders forward, with research funded by the National Cancer Institute, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Hyundai Hope on Wheels Foundation, and the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation.
At Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 49 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute, collaborations are available with researchers working in innovative cancer research especially in genetics, cell stress and immunotherapy.
Dr. Kara Kelly – Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group Hodgkin lymphoma committee; Site principal investigator for our program’s participation in clinical trials for Acute Lymphoma Leukemia (ALL) through the Dana Farber Cancer Institute ALL Consortium; Clinical studies focusing on nutrition, symptom management, adherence to oral chemotherapy and cancer related disparities in care
Dr. Clare Twist – Site principal investigator for our program’s participation in the Children’s Oncology Group; Clinical trials for neuroblastoma as a steering committee member for the Children’s Oncology Group neuroblastoma committee; Early phase clinical trials in children
Dr. Barbara Bambach – Lead site investigator for pediatric participation in the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMTCTN), the National Marrow Donor Program, and the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC)
Dr. Matthew Barth – Translational laboratory research in lymphomas, specifically investigating aberrant signaling transduction pathway activation and identification of new targeted therapies in non Hodgkin lymphoma; Clinical trials for non Hodgkin lymphoma as a steering committee member for the Children’s Oncology Group non Hodgkin lymphoma committee; Precision medicine initiative with Omniseq for high risk pediatric tumors
Dr. Denise Rokitka – Survivorship research focusing on psychosocial and cognitive issues following treatment for childhood cancer; Lead site investigator for the program’s participation in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study
Dr. Beverly Schaefer – Clinical studies in bleeding disorders and thromboses
Dr. Clare Twist is our fellowship program director. In addition to her internationally recognized work in neuroblastoma, she has served on the Hem/Onc Sub-board of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) and is currently Medical Editor for the ABP Pediatric Heme/Onc Sub board. She has previously served on the Pediatric Oncology Education and Scientific Program Committees for the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meetings. Within the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) she has served on the Training Committee and on the Certification and Continuing Education Committee.
Dr. Beverly Schaefer is the associate fellowship program director, and a pediatric hematologist with a focus in bleeding and clotting disorders. She has participated in the Physician Educator Program through the Royal College of Surgeons. She was previously awarded the Resident Teaching award at A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children, and served as chief fellow during her fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Our curriculum is designed to address the variety of conditions a Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist may encounter, while also exposing them to innovative perspectives and cutting-edge advances in the pathogenesis and treatment of children with oncologic and blood disorders.
Educational curriculum includes:
Your first year is devoted almost exclusively to clinical work, including rotations on inpatient pediatric hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplantation, and outpatient rotations in radiation oncology, palliative care, hemostasis and thrombosis, blood bank, flow cytometry, cytopathology, and cytogenetics. You also will begin a full-day continuity clinic that carries on throughout your entire fellowship.
Your second and third years of the fellowship are devoted to research, during which time you can elect to conduct basic or translational research with numerous physician-scientists and scientists at Roswell Park. Alternatively, you can choose to conduct clinical research under the mentorship of one of our faculty members. You will be expected to complete a substantive research project, usually culminating in a first-author publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Fellows have the option to pursue a Masters or certificate program in public health or epidemiology.
Fellows are also expected to implement a quality-improvement project. You will continue to manage patients in your continuity clinic and participate in clinical conferences and tumor boards.
“Living well” and “living inexpensively” aren’t exclusive in Buffalo. Our region boasts a reasonably priced housing market and easy commutes, making for a comfortable quality of life that lets you stay focused on your training and enjoy your time off.
You’ll feel invigorated as you hone your skills on our expanding downtown medical campus and join the growing community of professionals contributing to Western New York’s rebirth as a health care hub.
The postdoctoral education prerequisite is three years of general pediatric residency training.
Candidates should apply through ERAS and enter the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Match through NRMP.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Margaret Braymiller
Fellowship Program Administrator
Phone: (716) 845-2333; Fax: (716) 845-8003
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Department of Pediatrics
Elm & Carlton Streets
Buffalo, NY 14263
Phone: (716) 845-2333
Fax: (716) 845-8003
Roswell Park Cancer Institute Department of Pediatrics Elm and Carlton Streets Buffalo, NY 14263
Phone: (716) 845-2333; Fax: (716) 845-8003
Email: ctwist@buffalo.edu
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Department of Pediatrics Elm and Carlton Streets Buffalo, NY 14263
Phone: (716) 845-2333; Fax: (716) 845-8003
Email: bschaefe@buffalo.edu
David Byrwa, MD
Medical School: University at Buffalo; Residency: University at Buffalo
Samah Abdelhady, MBBCh
Medical School: Tanta University Faculty of Medicine, Egypt