TTUHSC Receives Approval for First Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program

• By Suzanna Cisneros
• February 22, 2023
• Education

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) received approval and accreditation from the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship in the Department of Pediatrics.

The fellowship will be a three-year training program that equips residency trained pediatricians with the skills and knowledge needed to care for children affected by cancer and blood disorders. In addition to the pediatric hospitalist medicine, this is the second fellowship training program to be accredited within the TTUHSC Department of Pediatrics. 

According to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), there were 909 applicants for 638 positions offered at more than 160 U.S. hematology/oncology fellowships in 2021.

“Hematology/oncology fellowships are extremely competitive,” TTUHSC Executive Vice President and School of Medicine Dean Steven L. Berk, M.D., said. “This ACGME accreditation is evidence of our commitment to ensuring our residents in this field are well prepared and ready for future practice. I appreciate our department and Graduate Medical Education leadership for their vision and dedication to standing up this new fellowship program, and to our important teaching hospital partners that help fund the fellow positions.”

The objectives of the fellowship program are to provide high quality training, retain trainees in the region and enhance the existing structure and attract new faculty talent to join TTUHSC. Trainees will have the opportunity to gain clinical and research skills at both Lubbock children’s hospitals in addition to learning and applying research methods at the Cancer Center at the TTUHSC School of Medicine. 

About 9,910 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2023 according to the American Cancer Society. After accidents, cancer is the second leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14. About 1,040 children under the age of 15 are expected to die from cancer in 2023.

“This will improve our ability to provide cutting edge-care to our pediatric patient population here in Lubbock and across the vast surrounding area in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico,” Mohamed Al-Rahawan, M.D., professor of pediatrics; Division Chief of Pediatric Hematology Oncology said. “The accreditation highlights our commitment to our patients and their families to provide the best possible care.”