- Residency and Fellowship Programs
- Advanced Airway Management Fellowship
- Advanced Colon and Rectal Surgical Oncology Fellowship
- Advanced Radiation Oncology Fellowship
- Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy Fellowship
- Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine Fellowship
- Body Imaging Fellowship
- Breast Imaging Fellowship
- Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship
- Cancer Anesthesia Residency/Fellowship
- Cancer Rehabilitation Fellowship
- Cardio-oncology Fellowship
- Chemical Pathology Fellowship
- Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship
- Cytopathology Fellowship
- Dermatopathology Fellowship
- Diagnostic Radiology Fellowship
- General Internal Medicine Fellowship
- General Internal Medicine Onco-Hospitalist Fellowship
- Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship
- Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Reconstruction Fellowship
- Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program
- Hematopathology Fellowship
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowships
- Internal Medicine Residency Program
- International Surgical Oncology Fellowship
- Interventional Pulmonology Fellowship
- Interventional Radiology Independent Residency
- Interventional Radiology Integrated Residency
- Investigational Cancer Therapeutics Fellowship
- Leukemia Fellowship
- Lymphoma/Myeloma Fellowship
- Melanoma Oncology Fellowship
- Micrographic Surgery & Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship
- Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery
- Molecular Genetic Pathology Fellowship
- Musculoskeletal Oncology Fellowship
- Musculoskeletal Radiology Fellowship
- Neuro-Oncology Fellowship
- Neurosurgical Oncology Fellowship
- Oncologic Emergency Medicine Fellowship
- Oncologic Endocrinology Fellowship
- Onco-nephrology Fellowship
- Oncological Neuroradiology
- Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship (ASOPRS /ACGME)
- Oral Oncology & Maxillofacial Prosthetics
- Pain Medicine Fellowship
- Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Fellowship
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- Radiation Oncology Residency
- Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship
- Selective Breast Pathology Fellowship
- Selective Gastrointestinal & Liver Pathology Fellowship
- Selective Genitourinary Pathology Fellowship
- Selective Gynecologic Pathology Fellowship
- Selective Head & Neck Pathology Fellowship
- Selective Soft Tissue Pathology Fellowship
- Selective Surgical Pathology Fellowship
- Selective Thoracic Pathology Fellowship
- Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
- Surgical Endocrinology Fellowship
- Thoracic Head & Neck Medical Oncology Fellowship
- Thoracic Radiology Fellowship
- Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
- Urinary Tract and Pelvic Reconstruction Fellowship
- Urologic Oncology Fellowship
Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship
MD Anderson's Department of Surgical Oncology offers a fellowship in Complex General Surgical Oncology. Fellows are exposed to a large volume of complex surgical problems and are involved in the initial evaluation of new patients, treatment planning including multidisciplinary approaches, design of the surgical approach, and postoperative and long-term follow-up care.
This clinical experience, combined with numerous opportunities for research, provides graduates with a rich experience that prepares them to enter academic careers, establish successful surgical oncology programs at university centers, and develop productive research and training programs. Graduates will be well poised to take on future leadership roles in surgery. More than 85% of our graduates assume a full-time appointment in academic surgery.
Program Tracks
MD Anderson offers seven ACGME-accredited positions annually in two tracks. Both tracks are designed to refine surgical skills and clinical judgment involving complex cancer operations, and intellectual skills encompassing all aspects of cancer management (including radiation biology, pharmacology, cancer pathology, clinical immunology and tumor biology).
Fellows in both tracks are expected to conduct research projects that result in at least one finished manuscript ready for publication prior to the completion of their fellowship. These may range from a short-term clinical research project to a more sophisticated clinical investigation or laboratory science project.
Track 1: Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship
There are six positions annually for the 2-year CGSO fellowship program in Track 1. The program enables fellows to acquire an advanced body of knowledge and skill level in the surgical and multidisciplinary management of malignant diseases.
Fellows in the basic two year clinical curriculum spend 17 months on general surgical oncology services (melanoma, sarcoma, breast, endocrine, colorectal, hepatobiliary, pancreas, gastric/HIPEC) and one month each in medical oncology, radiation oncology and pathology. The remaining four months are dedicated to learning research principles such as biostatistics, design of clinical trials, data collection and management, and protocol writing (including clinical trials conducted during the two year fellowship). The second year curriculum allows for specialization of training tailored to match the individual fellow’s goals.
Track 2: Combined Complex General Surgical Oncology/Research Fellowship
There is one position annually for the Track 2 combined fellowship program. This program includes the 2-year CGSO fellowship with an additional year of laboratory, translational or health services/outcomes research funded by a NIH T32 grant for the training of academic surgical oncologists.
This 3-year program allows fellows who have not had a significant research experience as part of their general surgical residency to spend an additional 12 months training.
This program is also especially helpful for fellows who have already had significant basic/translational research experience who desire to spend additional research time to acquire new skills, expertise and preliminary data to excel as an independently funded surgeon-scientist.
Fellows can choose from numerous opportunities in the Surgical Oncology department, the various basic/translational research programs throughout MD Anderson, or in the Health Services Research department. The research track has an additional goal of preparing individuals for a productive career in academic surgery by providing a teaching program in biostatistics, principles of clinical research, molecular biology, genomics, tumor immunology, grantsmanship and the writing of scientific manuscripts.
Educational Objectives
- Learn how to manage patients with difficult, rare or complex cancer presentations, including clinical evaluation, surgical management, and adjuvant therapy wherever appropriate
- Perform complex and technically challenging operations involved in cancer treatment (e.g. limb perfusion, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), pelvic exenteration, etc.)
- Plan appropriate treatment for these difficult cases based upon the knowledge of the natural history of the disease, proper staging, and integration of multidisciplinary care
- Train highly skilled academic surgical oncologists who will take their clinical and research training to an academic residency program and translate those skills into teaching surgical residents
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants for the CGSO fellowship must meet the following educational qualifications:
- Successful completion of an ACGME-accredited general surgery residency program in the U.S. or Canada
- Graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada must have a valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)
- At the time of entry into the fellowship program all applicants will be board eligible or board certified general surgeons under the auspices of the American Board of Surgery
- Applicants must have passed each step of the USMLE by the third attempt
Eligibility for the research fellowship track are the same as for the CGSO fellowship but applicants must also be U.S. citizens or permanent residents in order to qualify for the NIH research grant funding.
MD Anderson requires international medical graduates to meet requirements for an institutional permit as outlined by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners and have the necessary documents for a J-1 visa.
How to Apply
Applications for fellowship positions will be made through ERAS. Completed applications will be reviewed and candidates will be selected for interviews and notified in early September. The following documents should also be included with the application:
- A current curriculum vitae
- Personal statement
- Three letters of recommendation
- Medical school transcripts
- USMLE scores
- Recent photograph
MD Anderson will participate in the national match program for Complex General Surgical Oncology administered by the National Resident Matching Program.
Contact Information
Elizabeth Grubbs, M.D.
Program Director
Department of Surgical Oncology, Unit 1484
P.O. Box 301402
Houston, TX 77230
Phone: 713-792-0665
Email: eggrubbs@mdanderson.org
Brigitte Taylor
Education Program Coordinator
Department of Surgical Oncology, Unit 1484
P.O. Box 301402
Houston, TX 77230
Phone: 713-794-1552
Fax: 713-745-1921
Email: bmtaylor@mdanderson.org
For inquiries about the Track 2 research year, contact:
Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D.
T-32 Research Fellowship Director
Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics
1400 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 455
Houston, TX 77030
Phone: 713-794-1226
Email: fmeric@mdanderson.org
Related Resources
MD Anderson Cancer Center is committed to encouraging good health and staying true to our mission to end cancer. If you are applying for a GME fellowship or residency program starting on or after July 1, 2016, please be advised that MD Anderson will have instituted a tobacco-free hiring process as part of its efforts to achieve these goals. If you are offered an appointment, you will be subject to a Pre-Employment Drug Screen for tobacco compounds in compliance with applicable state laws. If you do not pass the urine drug screening which includes testing for tobacco compounds, you CANNOT be appointed at MD Anderson. Should you fail to meet this contingency, MD Anderson will withdraw your offer of appointment for the academic year. You may reapply for the following academic year, but there are no guarantees that you will be offered a position as many of our programs are already filled for several years out.