Medical College of Wisconsin Pediatric Hematology and Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant Fellowship Program

• Train experts with the knowledge and the experience necessary to care for hematology, oncology and BMT patients.
• Provide training through a combination of hands-on and didactic learning that allows fellows the opportunity to be an active and engaged member of each specialty team throughout their training.
• Foster the development of early career research mentorship that provides the fundamentals for a successful career in clinical or basic research.
• Provide an environment that encourages growth of the fellows teaching expertise and approach as they become junior faculty members.

Lectures and Conferences
In addition to clinical and research rotations, there are a variety of conferences to enhance the fellows' learning opportunities including a weekly Tumor Board, weekly Hematology conference and a monthly Journal Club. There are weekly didactic lectures focusing on topics in Hematology, Oncology and Transplants as well as a Joint Fellowship Curriculum run through the Department of Pediatrics. Fellows are strongly encouraged to attend Pediatric Grand Rounds and Professors rounds.

• Fellows Board Lecture Series: A weekly didactic lecture series presented by faculty on hematology, oncology, and blood and marrow transplant core topics.
• Hematology Conference: A weekly case conference discussing relevant cases. During the hematology rotation fellows will present patient cases including data, slides, and literature review.
• Subspecialty disease team meetings are held weekly and fellows will attend while during that corresponding rotation.
• Journal Club: Fellows and faculty discuss a variety of journal articles on interesting hem/onc/bmt publications in a laid back off campus setting.
• Tumor Board: A multidisciplinary conference where relevant oncological cases are reviewed and discussed. Fellows will participate in Tumor Board throughout the fellowship. The fellow will identify relevant cases, present pertinent history, physical and laboratory findings. Radiology, pathology, and other subspecialties review pertinent findings as appropriate. The fellow will then discuss the diagnosis and recent literature supporting a care plan.
• Fellows are also strongly encourage to attend Pediatric Grand Rounds, CRI Research Conference, and Professors Rounds weekly plus any presentations or conferences they feel would benefit their education during the fellowship.

Joint Fellowship Curriculum
The Joint Fellowship Curriculum is overseen by the Department of Pediatrics and reviews universal concepts, including development of research design, abstract and manuscript preparation, basic biostatistics, quality improvement, professionalism, communication, teaching, administration and leadership, and career development topics, including the balance of work and family life. This core curriculum is designed to address both the academic requirements mandated by the American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the career and personal development goals expressed by our fellows.

Teaching Opportunities
As junior faculty members, fellows are expected to supervise and teach pediatric residents and medical students in the care of pediatric oncology, hematology and transplant patients. Several teaching and speaking opportunities are available to create a well-rounded learning portfolio.

As part of their fellowship training, fellows will be provided with instruction in clinical teaching skills. Fellows will supervise 2-4 residents each month and a variable number of medical students assigning tasks and reviewing consultation notes before presenting to the attending faculty. In the second and third years of the fellowship fellows will present monthly on a variety of core lecture topics to rotating residents. They will develop necessary communication and teaching skills.

Clinical training in MCW’s Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant Fellowship centers on a multidisciplinary approach to the care of patients with hematological, oncological, and immunological diseases in the MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Wisconsin. Children's is an award-winning health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children.

Multidisciplinary teams of physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, and many other health care professionals specializing in pediatrics are available to meet the full range of patient care needs. The Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant services see over 4,000 patients in outpatient clinics and admit over 400 children per year.

During the three-year training program, time is distributed to ensure that fellows develop clinical expertise. Clinical time will be split between outpatient clinics, inpatient ward, procedures, and the corresponding service related conferences. Fellows will spend one half day per week in continuity clinic for the duration of their training.

Year 1
The focus of the first year of the fellowship is to develop the clinical skills and abilities to provide optimal patient care for children with blood disorders and cancer. The program provides approximately 11 months of clinical experience, both inpatient and outpatient, the first year.

During their clinical rotation the fellow will be on first call from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and call will also be taken two weekends per month and one night per week on the assigned clinical service. Continuity Clinic will focus on oncology patients one half day per week throughout the first year. Each subspecialty has a variety of daily clinics to give the fellow full exposure to hematology, oncology, and blood and marrow transplant related diagnoses.

During the first year, the fellow will devote their efforts to the following rotations.

Children's Wisconsin Hematology and Blood Disorders website

The fellow will spend 12 weeks on the hematology service, 4 of which are outpatient subspecialty focused, during the first year. At the end of the first year the fellow will have a diversity of experiences with children with hematologic disorders and develop the clinical skills needed to function as a clinician. The Hematology Program sees over 650 new patients annually. 

The Hematology Inpatient Unit has more than 340 admission per year with 70 new patients admitted annually. There are multiple benign Hematology clinics each week. 

The Children’s Wisconsin Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program takes care of over 400 children with sickle cell disease and takes care of majority of children living with sickle cell disease in the state. There are weekly comprehensive clinics in combination with nursing, social work, clinical navigator, psychology, neuropsychometry, genetic counseling, and research, as well as multiple hydroxyurea clinics each week.

The Children’s Wisconsin Comprehensive Thalassemia Program takes care of approximately 40 children living with thalassemia and is the only comprehensive program in the state. Comprehensive clinics occur four times each year, and include care from Hematology, Endocrinology, Nutrition, Genetic Counseling, Social Work, Clinical Navigator, Psychology, and Neuropsychometry.

The Children’s Wisconsin Immunohematology Program works very closely with the Immune Dysregulation program, which includes Hematology, Immunology, Rheumatology, Gastroenterology, and Bone Marrow Transplant. The group provides consultations including evaluation and management of children with complex immune dysregulation disorders. A combination clinic occurs monthly with Hematology and Immunology and focuses on evaluation and advanced management of children with Evans Syndrome, ALPS, chronic immune thrombocytopenia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, lymphoproliferative disorders, as well as other undiagnosed cytopenias.

Comprehensive Center for Bleeding Disorders (CCBD): We see pediatric and adult patients at Children’s Wisconsin on the fifth floor within the MACC Fund Center. We have a Comprehensive Hemophilia Clinic on Monday mornings, a VWD/New Patient Clinic, and our Thursday morning and afternoon clinics for new patients and patients with VWD, PFD, thrombophilia, thrombosis and rare bleeding disorders. Through these clinics we provide expert care to patients with hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, rare coagulation disorders, thrombosis and other disorders related to bleeding and clotting. Our physicians are also actively engaged in clinical and basic science research.

Responsibilities include:

• Caring for both hospitalized and clinic patients with sickle cell disease, hemoglobinopathies, anemia, white cell disorders, abnormalities of hemostasis, hemophilia, disorders of platelet function and thrombosis plus a variety of other acute and chronic hematological disorders
• Reviewing peripheral blood smears, bone marrow slides, coagulation studies, and immunologic testing
• Attending service appropriate patient care conference and presenting patients seen with those respective problems

Children's Wisconsin Cancer Overview

During their first year, the fellow will spend 12 weeks on inpatient oncology service and 4 weeks on outpatient oncology rotation. The Oncology Program sees approximately 160 new patients annually.

Inpatient, the oncology unit consists of 21 beds and has over 890 admissions per year with 130 new patients admitted annually. We treat many of our patients on clinical trials to offer the most advanced therapies available. Outpatient, clinics are separated into solid tumor, leukemia, and neuro-oncology teams, with the fellow seeing patients from all three areas on their continuity clinic days. More than 150 newly-diagnosed oncology patients are seen each year and the program actively manages more than 600 patients. Patients are also seen regularly in the MACC Fund Center Day Hospital, where they receive chemotherapy, fluids, transfusions, and have sick visits. The fellow has the opportunity to rotate through the Day Hospital during their outpatient oncology month. There are multiple outpatient oncology specialty clinics through which the fellow will rotate:

• Cancer Predisposition clinic is for patients who have known cancer predisposition syndromes and includes our oncology, genetics and psychology teams.
• COMPASS clinic is compromised of a team of oncologists, geneticists and genetic counselors, molecular biologists and dermatologists and sees both consults and regular follow-ups. Patient’s tumor molecular information is analyzed and discuss at our monthly molecular tumor boards to make recommendations regarding targeted therapy.
• Multiple disease team-based comprehensive clinics, including leukemia/lymphoma and neuro-oncology. These clinics are multidisciplinary, and include services such as dental, PM&R, psychology, endocrinology, and neurosurgery.
• Next Steps is our survivorship program. Clinics are held regularly, and include physicians, advanced practice providers, nurse educators, psychologists, social workers, dietitians, teachers, fertility navigators, and survivorship community navigators.
• Vascular Anomalies clinic sees patients with many different types of vascular anomalies, and has a multidisciplinary team including oncology, dermatology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology, and gynecology.

Responsibilities include:

• Caring for patients with leukemia, lymphomas, CNS tumors, and other solid tumors in both an inpatient and outpatient setting.
• Performing bone marrow aspirations and biopsies and lumbar punctures and ventricular reservoir taps with administration of intrathecal chemotherapy.
• Reviewing peripheral blood, bone marrow aspirations and biopsies, samples of cerebrospinal fluid and flowcytometric results from patients with oncological disorders.
• Attending, participating, and presenting at multi-disciplinary conferences.
• Following pediatric patients with representative oncological disease for the duration of the fellowship in a continuity care clinic.

Children's Wisconsin Blood and Marrow Transplant website

The fellow will rotate in the blood and marrow transplant service for 10 weeks. During this rotation the fellow will develop an understanding of the indications for hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) transplantation, histocompatibility biology, and pre-transplant typing procedures.

Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinics are held daily. The BMT program performs 40 transplants and follows over 80 patients per year. Our experienced program focuses on translational research to provide a solid foundation for the most advanced care.

Responsibilities include:

• Participating in the care of patients receiving autologous and allogeneic donor transplants
• Identifying and managing complications of blood and marrow transplantation including graft failure, graft versus host disease, organ dysfunction, and disease relapse post HPC transplantation
• Working with the multidisciplinary team to learn and appreciate the medical and psychosocial issues unique to HPC transplantation
• Attending and presenting at weekly conferences where potential new patients and the status of current HPC transplant patients are discussed

Transfusion Medicine/Hematopathology

The fellow will do a 2-week rotation in transfusion medicine and 2 weeks in hematopathology. This rotation offers a laboratory approach to diagnosis of hematologic disorders, as well as education in the structure and function of the routine hematology laboratory.

During this rotation the fellow will:

• Gain practical expertise in diverse topics such as the processing and storage characteristics of blood and blood components, typing and crossmatching for transfusion, infectious risks of blood products, complications of transfusion, plasmapheresis indications and methods, HLA typing, and hematopoietic stem cell processing
• Develop a better understanding of laboratory techniques/technologies necessary for the care of pediatric patients with hematological and oncological diseases
• Learn to function as effective laboratory consultant to clinical colleagues, both in the interpretation of pathologic material, as well as by providing input into the proper utilization and interpretation of laboratory tests for the patient work-up
• There will be no call responsibility during this rotation

Electives
The fellow will have one month during the first year on an elective rotation. Popular electives include Palliative Care, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Procedures, Outpatient BMT clinic, Neuro Onc, Outpatient Hematology clinics and many more! These four weeks are designed around the fellow’s career goals.

The fellow will take two weeks during year one to identify a research mentor and project with the guidance of the Scholarship Oversight Committee.

Years 2 and 3

• The second and third years of the fellowship training provide ample protected time to pursue research endeavors while fostering improved clinical, administrative, and teaching skills.
• There are a required 4-8 weeks of clinical time that is individualized based on the fellow’s career interests
• Clinical call will be taken one weekend per month on either the hematology or oncology clinical service.
• The fellow's oncology continuity clinic will continue into years two and three with a half-day continuity clinic every other week alternating weeks with a half-day hematology continuity clinic.
• Clinical responsibilities in the second and third years will emphasize supervised decision-making, a more senior role in communication with families and patients, and teaching medical students and residents.

Years 2 and 3 of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant Program are dedicated to hypothesis-driven research. Two distinct research pathways are offered, laboratory-based research and clinical research. A major goal of our training program is to provide fellows a focused environment in which they can develop research interests and be positioned to successfully compete for extramural funding upon completion of their training. Each of our fellows is assigned a three-member Scholarship Oversight Committee (SOC) to help the fellow choose a suitable mentor and research project. The SOC will guide the fellow along with their research mentor meeting regularly during the 3 years of the fellowship training.

Multidisciplinary teams within the section take problems encountered in the clinic back to the laboratory to better understand cellular and molecular mechanisms, then return to the clinic with improved treatment strategies. Active translational research programs include experimental hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation, cancer immunotherapy, mechanisms of vaso­occlusion in sickle cell disease and bleeding disorders, and the diagnosis and treatment of vascular tumors and anomalies.

Fellows in the clinical research track have the opportunity to pursue a master's degree in Clinical and Translational Science, Public Health, or Bioethics. The section of Hematology-Oncology has a long-standing commitment to basic and translational research that stems from the work carried out in our basic science laboratories, development of and participation in institutional and cooperative group trials (including Phase I trials), as well as in epidemiology and outcomes research. Important clinical questions are the focus of active collaborations involving clinical and basic science investigators within our section as well as expert research staff in neighboring research institutions.

Research Affiliations
The Versiti Blood Research Institute and the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant Division at the Medical College of Wisconsin have an ongoing collaboration that has contributed to an invaluable network of scientific discovery and patient care.

The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) is a combined research program of the National Marrow Donor Program and the Medical College of Wisconsin working to collect and study data on blood and bone marrow transplants worldwide. More than 500 international transplant centers collaborate with the CIBMTR to conduct research studies, collect, maintain, and share outcomes data on more than 300,000 transplant recipients, provide statistical expertise to researchers, and to provide education, guidelines, and training.

The Children's Research Institute advances state-of-the-art pediatric health care through translational research programs to find life-saving discoveries and cures in the disease that affect children and interventions that enhance quality of life for children and families living with chronic health conditions.

The Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center is the only academic-based cancer research and patient care group in Southeastern Wisconsin. It is a matrix cancer center with clinical facilities at Froedtert Hospital, Children's Wisconsin, and Zablocki VA Medical Center.

The MACC Fund, Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc., a Milwaukee based charitable organization, works very closely with the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant Division and the Medical College of Wisconsin to fight pediatric cancer and related blood disorders through research funding. Since its inception in 1976, the MACC Fund has contributed nearly $30 million to MCW’s pediatric cancer and blood disorder research. This unique and exceptional affiliation provides researchers with the resources needed to fight against childhood cancer and related blood disorders.

With a wide variety of research options available, fellows have the opportunity to participate in an ongoing research project or establish projects of their own under a faculty mentor. Whether the fellow chooses a clinical research path or a basic science path, they will ultimately present their research at regional and national forums and publish in peer ­reviewed journals.

Our 3-year fellowship program is ACGME accredited and begins on July 1 each year. We accept two fellow each year through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Applicants must have completed a US-accredited residency program. Applications from prospective applicants are accepted from July through October via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We will access your application and contact you to make interview arrangements.

Complete applications should include the following:

• ERAS application form
• At least 3 letters of reference including Program Director letter
• Medical Student Performance Evaluation/Dean's Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Personal statement
• MD Applicants: USMLE scores - Steps 1, 2, and 3 or
• DO Applicants: COMLEX scores – Levels 1, 2 and 3
• ECFMG certificate for foreign medical school graduates (see visa information below)

Our program currently accepts the following visas:

• Permanent Resident Visa
• Visitor Exchange Visa sponsored by ECFMG (J-1)
• Temporary Professional Workers (H-1B)

View MCWAH visa information

Apply via ERAS

Fellows are employed by the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals (MCWAH). View their website for information regarding vacations, leaves, insurance, stipends and professional liability.

MCWAH benefits, conditions, and terms of employment

As a fellow, you will participate in the FACTS Program and embark on a journey that not only enhances your professional skills but also fosters meaningful connections with peers across various pediatric subspecialties. FACTS is a comprehensive curriculum designed to enhance your education through career development, scholarly activities, and personalized learning experiences. FACTS offers centralized education on core topics relevant to all pediatric subspecialties, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing among fellows. The curriculum emphasizes individualized education by providing multiple offerings in certain time slots, allowing you to tailor your learning to your specific interests and career goals. Through shared learning sessions and collaborative projects, you'll build lasting relationships that support both your personal and professional growth, preparing you to excel as a well-rounded pediatric subspecialist.

Learn more about our curriculum

Grants/Awards/Honors
At the Medical College of Wisconsin we take pride in the outstanding accomplishments of our fellows. Below are some selected highlights.

• K12 scholar in Translational Glycomics Program for Career Development in Glycoscience
• Selected participant in 2013 Haemophilia Academy in Edinburgh UK, Oct 2013. This is a prestigious honor, with only 30 participants worldwide chosen to attend. Attendees are selected through a competitive process from a large international pool of applicants
• Multiple Baxter Clinical Fellowship Grants
• Multiple NIH Loan Repayment Program Grants
• Multiple participants in Clinical Research Training Course, American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (awarded to 12 fellows/junior faculty selected for their outstanding clinical research proposal from a pool of national applicants)
• Multiple Medical College of Wisconsin Pediatric Research Day award winners.
• James B. Nachman American Society for Clinical Oncology Junior Faculty Award in Pediatric Oncology for outstanding abstract submitted to the ASCO Annual Meeting (one winner each year, only two have ever been awarded)
• Faculty Scholar Program in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
• Hyundai Hope on Wheels Scholar Grant
• MACC Fund Novel Initiative Grant
• MCW/ACS Grant
• MACC Fund Novel Initiative Award
• Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Clinical Scholars Program
• Multiple American Society of Hematology's Clinical Research Training Institute (ASH-CRTI) participants
• American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Clinical Research Training Course
• Multiple Medical College of Wisconsin Fellow Poster Day award winners
• "Young Investigator's Travel Award," at THSNA (Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society) conference for presentation poster
• Multiple NIH Ruth L Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Pediatric fellow Clinical Research Awards
• NIH/NHLBI Grant $501,245
• 1 of 20 fellows and junior faculty from across the US and Canada selected on a competitive basis for participation in the first year of this training and mentoring program, American Society of Hematology’s Clinical Research Training Institute (ASH- CRTI)
• Children's Wisconsin Research Fund Grant
• Boonschoft School of Medicine Seed Grant
• NIH Training Grant - Hematology Training, Versiti Blood Research Institute

Presentations
In addition to presenting at Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin case conference (hematology case conference, tumor board, fellow journal club, resident lectures, etc.), our fellows are often invited to speak at local, regional, national, and even international events.

• Presentation at the Translational Glycomics Symposium at MCW Poster Presentation poster at the Society for Glycobiology Annual Meeting in Hawaii Spring 2023 Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society (HTRS) Trainee Workshop Participant - one of 30 chosen
• Multiple Scientific Mentored Outreach Research Experience Session (SMORES) Advisory Board
• Multiple Oral Poster presentations American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Cancer Prevention and Control Seminar
• Multiple Oral Presentations Medical College of Wisconsin Sarcoma Survivor Event –
• Poster presentation at the American Association of Blood Banks Annual Meeting
• Poster presentation at the American Society for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO)
• Oral presentation at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting
• Oral Presentation Primary Immune Deficiency Disease North American Conference
• Poster Presentation American Society of Hematology
• Palliative Care Grand Rounds, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA
• Pediatric Grand Rounds, Loyola University Medical Center; Maywood, IL
• Pediatric Grand Rounds, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital; Grand Rapids, MI
• Abstract presented as oral presentation at ISPNO 6/2010 (presented in absentia) and as poster at SIOP
• Children's Wisconsin, Grand Rounds; Milwaukee, WI
• Presentation at Annual Residency Research Conference of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Illinois
• Poster presentation in Hemophilia and Thrombosis Research Society (HTRS)
• Poster Presentation for the Joint Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology and AANS/CNS Section on Tumors
• Memorial Healthcare System’s 2nd Annual National Sickle Cell Disease Research and Educational Symposium
• Oral presentation American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting
• Oral presentation Milwaukee Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
• Multiple Poster Presentation - Tandem Bone Marrow Transplant Meeting
• Multiple oral presentations American Heart Association Annual Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology Meeting
• Multiple oral presentations American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Annual Meeting
• Oral presentation National Sickle Cell Disease Program meeting
• Epidemiology and Clinical Trial Design Workshop, Berlex Oncology Foundation sponsored workshop

Publications
Individually and collaboratively, our fellows have consistently published manuscripts in major scholarly journals including:

• Blood
• Pediatric Blood and Cancer
• Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice
• Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
• Digestive Diseases and Sciences
• Molecular and Cellular Proteomics
• Pediatric and Developmental Pathology
• British Journal of Hematology
• Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation
• Journal of Cystic Fibrosis
• Pediatric Nephrology
• Wisconsin Medical Journal
• Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology
• Clinical Infectious Disease
• Transplantation Proceedings Journal
• Keystone Journal
• Pediatric Research Journal
• Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
• American Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
• Blood Cells, Molecules, and Diseases Journal
• Clinical Psychiatry

Milwaukee is one of the Midwest’s best kept secrets – a vibrant, welcoming city that offers big city culture with an unmatched quality of life. Nestled along Lake Michigan and just 90 minutes north of Chicago, Milwaukee blends diverse neighborhoods, a thriving food scene, lakefront trails, and a nationally known festival culture into a place that’s easy to live in and easy to love.

Our residents and fellows consistently highlight Milwaukee’s affordability, short commutes, strong sense of community, and access to outdoor spaces, restaurants, coffee shops, and festivals year round. From Summerfest and neighborhood farmers markets to beer gardens, bike trails, and the lakefront, there’s always something to explore – and time to enjoy it.

Explore Milwaukee through the eyes of our trainees

Masters of Science in Clinical and Translational Science
This multifaceted program is designed to provide the education and practical training that are important to planning and conducting clinical and translational research projects in an academic or commercial environment. The program and its curriculum are designed to offer appropriate training to individuals who have established skills and credentials as basic scientists, bioengineers, clinicians, and health care providers (nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, pharmacists, dentists, veterinarians, etc.).

Masters of Public Health
The Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program offers coursework towards a 42-credit Master of Public Health degree or 15-credit Graduate Certificate in Public Health. Students may also enroll in courses as non-degree or special students. Courses are offered in a convenient, distance-learning format; all can be completed online.

Masters of Bioethics
The traditional Master of Arts in Bioethics program provides advanced training for professionals, academics, and other interested individuals in health care, law, the humanities, and public policy who wish to become prepared for teaching, research, policy development, and clinical consultation work related to bioethics. The program provides students an opportunity for on-campus study and research of current and emerging issues through a combination of didactic, clinical, and research activities. The core curriculum of the program provides a solid foundation in the language and literature of bioethics and develops related critical thinking skills. Students may create an area of emphasis through the selection of appropriate elective courses and the thesis topic. The program allows for full-time or part-time study in order to accommodate the needs of working professionals, as well as medical students, residents, and fellows involved in Medical College of Wisconsin programs.

Please see the below snapshot of our alumni from the last 5 years.

2026

• Ryan Guerrettaz: BMT, Fellowship at MCW

2025

• Michelle Brenner: Hematology, Assistant Professor at MCW
• Lauren Kacvinsky: Hematology & Oncology, Pediatric hematologist/oncologist at East Tennessee Children Hospital

2024

• Alejandra Escobar Vasco: BMT, Assistant Professor at MCW
• Luke Lamar: Hematology & Oncology, Assistant Professor at UMass Memorial Medical Group and the University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan Medical School

2023

• Nicole Liberio: Hematology, Assistant Professor at MCW
• Kristin Zorn: Oncology, Assistant Professor at Phoenix Children’s

2022

• Karen Chao: Oncology, Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University
• Leonid Melnikov: Hematology & Oncology, Pediatric hematologist/oncologist at East Tennessee Children Hospital
• Amanda Scheuermann: Pediatrics, Physician Staff at Mercyhealth

2021

• Mike Halyko: Oncology, Assistant Professor at University of Iowa
• Matt Kudek: Oncology, Assistant Professor at MCW

Meet our Faculty

Sample Fellow Wellness Events

• Wine and Paint Night
• Milwaukee Bucks Game
• Lunches at Good City Brewing and BelAir Cantina
• Holiday Bowling and Pizza
• Various offsite lunches and meetings through Fellow Journal Club
• Whirlyball
• Taco Cruise on the Milwaukee lakefront

Additional Wellness Activities

• Wellness Wagon: Each week the division leadership goes out into the clinical areas with the wellness wagon and provide snacks and treats (including making coffees and lattes!) and an opportunity for connection with all team members.
• Division Wide Events: The Wellness committee has started to plan division wide events including kayaking, hiking and apple picking which many of the fellows have attended.
• Early Release Days: One day per month, the fellows are all able to leave/sign out at 3 p.m. to partake in a fellows only activity.
• Webinars/Panels on setting healthy boundaries at work
• Quarterly Remembrance Videos: Videos made as tribute to the patients we’ve lost to help with grief
• Comfort Bags: When a patient passes, the fellow/faculty’s supervisor will give them a comfort bag with snacks, drinks, tea, and other calming items to help transition through the difficult loss. During this conversation, the leader and fellow/faculty get together to discuss what happened and debrief.
• Fellow Check-ins: The fellows and leadership meet every other month for a check-in over lunch