The Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program at the University of California, San Diego strives to educate future leaders in the field of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. Based at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, the program provides state-of-the-art clinical and research training in pediatric hematology/oncology and stem cell transplantation.
Fellows spend the first year at the Peckham Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders, which is housed in Rady Children’s Hospital’s modern and child-friendly Acute Care Pavilion. Our large and diverse patient population brings a wealth of clinical experience across the spectrum of our field. The second and third years of fellowship are largely devoted to basic science, translational or clinical research. The UCSD system provides a wide range of research opportunities in multiple settings. Fellows continue to manage their primary patients in a weekly continuity clinic throughout their second and third years.
Our fellows develop the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in their careers in pediatric hematology/oncology. Regardless of whether your goals are to be a clinician-educator or a clinical investigator, a cancer epidemiologist or a laboratory-based basic scientist, a hematologist, an oncologist, or a hematopoietic stem cell transplant physician, we believe that being part of our fellowship can help you become the best pediatric hematologist/oncologist you can be.
Clinical Experience
Our fellows benefit from the wide breath of clinical experience here at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, the largest children’s hospital in California. As the only hospital in San Diego and Imperial Counties that exclusively cares for kids, Rady Children’s is the provider for more than 80 percent of our region’s pediatric population. The fellowship’s first year of clinical experience is structured as described below:
| Rotation | Months |
| Leukemia/Lymphoma | 2 |
| Solid Tumor | 2.5 |
| Hematology | 2 |
| Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant | 2 |
| Ambulatory Practice and Procedures | 1 |
| Research | 1 |
| Radiation Oncology | 0.5 |
| Neuro-Oncology | 0.5 |
| Blood Banking and Laboratory Medicine | 0.5 |
In the outpatient setting fellows develop a continuity panel of hematology and oncology patients and participate in the comprehensive clinics in the following areas:
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Thalassemia
- Hemophilia
- Thrombosis
- Neuro-Oncology
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant
- Cancer Genetics
- Cancer Survivorship
Educational Curriculum
At Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, clinical experience is complemented by a structured didactic program which includes:
- Introductory Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Lecture Series (daily July-August)
- Rady Children’s Pediatric Fellows’ Research Conference Series (monthly)
- Tumor Boards (Neuro-Oncology and Solid Tumor) (weekly)
- Pathology Rounds (weekly)
- Hematology Rounds (bi-weekly)
- Inpatient Hematology Didactic Session (weekly)
- Inpatient Leukemia/Lymphoma Didactic Session (weekly)
- Inpatient Solid Tumor Didactic Session (weekly)
- Journal Club (monthly)
- Fellows Board Review (monthly)
- Interdisciplinary Lectures (monthly)
- Protocol Review Meeting (monthly)
Research Training
The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) provides a wide range of research opportunities available to fellows. Each fellow has a faculty advisor, a research mentor and a scholarly oversight committee to advise and oversee the fellow’s development into a scientific investigator.
Fellows can develop their research interests in basic science and translational science in the laboratories at:
University of California, San Diego
UCSD-Moores Cancer Center
La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology (LJI)
Sanford-Burnham-Prebys Medical Research Institute
Scripps Research Institute
Fellows interested in developing a clinical research project are able to be part of UCSD’s Clinical Research Enhancement through Supplemental Training (CREST) Program. Through this program the fellow gains the knowledge needed to conduct clinical research and identifies a research mentor with experience in guiding trainees to a successful career in clinical research.
|
Fellow |
Project Title |
Lab Mentor |
|---|---|---|
|
Courtney Lyle |
Prognostic Factors for Venous Occlusion in Children with Venous Thromboembolism |
Amy Lovejoy, M.D. |
|
Lisa Hartman |
The role of PTEN and PI3K in neuroblastoma sensitivity to PI3K/c-Raf inhibitors and their potential as a therapeutic approach for relapsed patients |
Don Durden, M.D., Ph.D. |
|
Paula Aristizabal |
Racial/Ethnic Diversity in Pediatric Oncology Clinical Trial Enrollment at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego |
Elena Martinez, Ph.D. |
|
Andrew Martin |
Vitronectin, Integrin β3, and Phospho-Raf1 (ser338) Expression as Markers for Tumorigenicity in Pediatric Brain Tumors | |
|
Sun Choo |
Dissecting the Molecular Basis of Ewing Sarcoma Metastasis |
Jing Yang, Ph.D. |
|
Jennifer Yu |
Markers of activation in iNKT cells of Human Sickle Cell Disease in vitro and in vivo | |
|
Tina Udaka |
Personalized medicine for medulloblastoma: Screening patient derived xenografts to find sub-group specific therapies |
Robert Wechsler-Reya, PhD |
| Nicholas Gloude (2016) |
Impaired Clinical Outcomes Associated with Decreased Thymic T Cell Production in Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients |
Gerald Morris, M.D. Ph.D., UCSD |
| Victor Wong (2016) |
Molecular Mechanisms of T-Cell Exhaustion in Cancer | Anjana Rao, Ph.D. LJI |
| A. Preethi Ganesan (2017) |
Tissue-resident memory features are linked to the magnitude of cytotoxic T-cell responses in human lung cancer | Nunzio Bottini, M.D., Ph.D., UCSD |
| Ksenya Shliakhtsitsava (2017) |
Age and cancer treatment are related to receiving treatment summaries and survivorship care plans in female young adult cancer survivors. | Ron Newfield, M.D. UCSD |
| William Woolbright (2017) |
Dual Mechanisms of necroptosis resistance in Neuroblastoma | Robert Newbury, M.D. UCSD |
| Lauge Farnaes (2018) |
Rapid whole-genome sequencing decreases infant morbidity and cost of hospitalization | Stephen Spector, M.D. UCSD |
| Scott McCarty (2018) |
Peripheral T-cell avidity/ exhaustion association with immunotherapy | Sandip Patel, M.D. UCSD |
| Erin Trovillion (2018) |
Restoration of CD4+FoxP3+Regulatory T-cells and protection from chronic graft-versus host disease in pediatric patients depends on effective post-transplant thymopoiesis |
Edward Ball, M.D. |
Current Fellows
First Year Fellows:
Name: Jennifer Han, MD
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
College: Walla Walla University, Washington
Medical School: Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Pediatric Residency: University of New Mexico
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
College: University of Texas at Austin
Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
Pediatric Residency: The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Second Year Fellows:
Name: Benjamin Briggs, MD
Hometown: Mount Desert, Maine
College: University of Maine
Medical School: University of Vermont
Pediatric Residency: Naval Medical Center San Diego, Pediatric Residency Training Program
Research Topic: Developing Pediatric Neuro-Oncologenomic Mapping
Lab/Research Mentor: Dr. David Dimmock
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
College: Vanderbilt University
Medical School: East Tennessee State University
Pediatric Residency: East Tennessee State University
Research Topic: Exploring the efficacy of CAR-T cells in solid tumors
Lab/Research Mentor: Dr. Ananda Goldrath, Ph.D., UCSD
Name: Eric Won, MD
Hometown: Bakersfield, California
College: University of California, Irvine
Medical School: Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Pediatric Residency: University of California, Irvine-Children’s Hospital of Orange County
Research Topic: Exploring novel aspects of platelet biology
Lab/Research Mentor: Zaviero Ruggeri, Ph.D., The Scripps Research Institute
Third Year Fellows:
Name: Megan Paul, MD
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
College: University of Arizona
Medical School: University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tuscon Campus
Pediatric Residency: University of Arizona
Research Topic: Chemosensitivity testing in pediatric solid tumor cell lines
Lab/ResearchMentor: Pete Zage, MD, PhD, University of California, San Diego
Name: YunZu “Michele” Wang, MD
Hometown: Arcadia, California
College: University of California, Los Angeles
Medical School: Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Pediatric Residency: University of California, San Diego Pediatric Residency Training Program
Research Topic: Natural killer cell therapy in acute myelogenous leukemia
Lab/Research Mentor: Dan Kaufman, MD, PhD, University of California, San Diego
Fourth Year (Neuro Oncology) Fellow:
Name: Hamza Gorsi, MD
Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan
College: Government College, Lahore, Pakistan
Medical School: King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
Pediatric Residency: New York Medical College, New York, NY
Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship: Brown University Program, Providence, RI
Fellowship Alumni
2015
Tina Udaka, M.D. – Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Naval Medical Center San Diego
2014
Sun Choo, M.D. – Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University of California, San Diego
Jennifer Yu, M.D. – Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University of California, San Diego
2013
Paula Aristizabal, M.D., M.A.S. – Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University of California, San Diego
Andrew Martin, M.D. – Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
2012
Lisa Hartman, M.D. – Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
2011
Courtney Lyle, M.D., M.A.S. – Private Practice, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Northwest Oncology & Hematology, MT
Recruitment and Applications
Dear Prospective Applicant,
Welcome to the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship at the University of California, San Diego/Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. We pride ourselves on providing an exceptional clinical and research training, in a collegial and academic environment.
Coming to our fellowship, you will work with clinicians with compassion and expertise who are dedicated to bringing the latest in scientific discovery to our patients. We practice in a medical home model with an interdisciplinary focus and use information technology to provide our patients with the best in integrated care across the healthcare continuum.
The clinical and laboratory research opportunities available to fellows at UCSD, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, and Sanford-Burnham-Prebys Medical Research Institute are unparalleled, and can prepare you for a career of scientific inquiry. These experiences combined with our active didactic and mentoring programs prepare our fellows for the pediatric hematology-oncology careers of their choosing.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Sun Choo, M.D.
Co-Fellowship Program Director
Jennifer Yu, M.D.
Co-Fellowship Program Director
William Roberts, M.D.
Division Chief
Please feel free to contact us or our fellowship coordinators with questions or inquiries:
Sun Choo, M.D.
schoo@rchsd.org
Jennifer Yu, M.D.
jyu@rchsd.org
Lynne Robert
Fellowship Coordinator, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego
3020 Children’s Way, MC 5035
San Diego, CA 92123-4282
Phone: (858)576-1700, ext. 5648 | Fax: (858)966-8035
lrobert@rchsd.org
Danahe Medina Hernandez
Fellowship Coordinator, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego
3020 Children’s Way, MC 5035
San Diego, CA 92123-4282
Phone: (858)576-1700, ext. 5648 | Fax: (858)966-8035
DMedinaHernandez@rchsd.org
If you are interested in applying to our program, please review the following documentation:
