TTUHSC Receives Approval for First Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program
The Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship will be a 3-year training program
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.
Steven L. Berk, M.D.
“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.”
Related Stories
TTUHSC’s Affordable Medical Education Empowers West Texas Students to Serve
On Friday, July 25, students marked a defining moment in their journey at the White Coat Ceremony, symbolizing not only the start of their medical education but also their dedication to the communities that shaped them.
Alumni Spotlight: Forrest Summers, MHA, BSN, R.N.
Forrest Summers, MHA, BSN, R.N., is the CEO of Perimeter Behavioral Health of Jackson.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Earns SACSCOC Recognition
TTUHSC has received a clean bill of health from the regional accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), following a Fifth-Year Interim Review by a committee from peer institutions.
Recent Stories
TTUHSC Receives $1.3 Million HRSA Telehealth Resource Center Grant to Expand Telehealth in Texas and Louisiana
The TexLa Telehealth Resource Center, based at TTUHSC, has been awarded a $1.3 million, four-year grant from HRSA to strengthen and expand digital health services in Texas and Louisiana.
The Relational Health Center Celebrates Two Years of Care for Families
On Friday, August 22, from 3 - 5 p.m., the Relational Health Center is celebrating its second birthday with an open house event at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock.
From Backpacks to White Coats: TTUHSC School of Medicine Invests in Tomorrow’s Healers Today
As part of its partnership with JAMP, the TTUHSC School of Medicine Admissions Office recently partnered with Alderson Elementary School in the Lubbock Independent School District to provide critical school supplies.