Hematology

The Hematology Training Program at the University of Washington is designed to develop academic hematologists who are competent in clinical hematology and research. The program is a minimum of two years in length, and three or more years are highly desirable. Three or four fellows are accepted into the program each year. The first year is intensely clinical, with one month of elective. The second and third years are devoted primarily to laboratory research with ongoing continuity clinic responsibilities.

During the clinical year, fellows in Hematology spend virtually all of their time in the evaluation and care of patients on the various rotations. This clinical training combines hematology and oncology and involves exposure to a broad range of disorders, including hematologic malignancies, non-malignant hematology, transfusion medicine, bone marrow transplantation and solid tumors. During elective time or in the second or third year of fellowship, special programs are available in a variety of areas, including laboratory methodology, radiation biology, and others. Fellows are eligible to take either the hematology or the oncology subspecialty examination after two years of training that includes 12 months of full-time clinical work and 24 months of a continuity clinic one-half day per week. Eligibility for combined hematology-oncology board certification requires three years of training with 18 months of full-time clinical work and 36 months of continuity clinic.

The program stresses basic and clinical research training, which may be carried out under the guidance of one of the faculty members in the Division of Hematology or in basic science departments in the medical school, depending on the interests of the individual fellow. In general, the research emphasizes pathophysiology but ranges from cellular and molecular biology to applied clinical research. Because of the rapidly evolving nature of the sciences relevant to Hematology, the orientation of research training is the development of basic research skills in cellular and molecular biology. Consequently, fellows are strongly encouraged to complete part of their training in one of the basic science departments of the University that have collaborative ties with the Division of Hematology.

For additional information, visit the Hematology web site.