Fellowship Details & Requirements
Our program provides intense, comprehensive training in Pediatric Palliative Care and Supportive Oncology under the professional mentorship of clinical and research faculty experts who are establishing the standard of care.
Trainees in our program will work with interdisciplinary teams and practice benchmark-setting clinical care, especially in the pain and symptom management of pediatric cancer patients undergoing cancer surgery, hematopoietic stem cell transplants, and complications of cancer treatment.
Trainees also will learn how to incorporate pediatric integrative medicine, including acupuncture, aromatherapy, arts in medicine, energy balance, massage, mind body therapy, music therapy and yoga, into pediatric clinical care.
This program also includes rotations to MD Anderson’s Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine and The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) Memorial Hermann, a national leader in medical rehabilitation and research.
Eligibility, Prerequisites & Application Process
Our GME Office has preliminary eligibility requirements that all prospective trainees must meet before applying for a training program at our institution. In addition to these criteria, our program also requires all applicants to be board-eligible or board-certified in pediatrics or one of its sub-specialties.
July: Application submission begins in ERAS.
August-September: Application review
September-October: Interviews will be conducted during this time
November: Match results
Instructions
1. Apply through ERAS or the Match Program (NRMP)
2. Curricula Vitae
3. Personal Statement: Single page
4. Parts "A" and "B" below:
(a) Letter of support from your program director
(b) Letters of recommendation from other evaluators
5. USMLE or COMLEX transcript
6. Medical school transcript
7. If a graduate of a medical school outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico, valid ECFMG certificate or one that does not expire prior to the start of the fellowship
8. Recent Photograph
Additional Information:
- Positions available: Two per year
- Compensation and Benefits: Learn more about GME trainee benefits
- Vacation: 4 weeks
- Sick Leave: 100 hours
- Parking subsidy: Parking is available at 1MC, Pressler and Braeswood garages at 50% subsidy.
- Contact: We encourage open communication with the program director and coordinator throughout the application process.
- Karen Moody, M.D., Director, Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program: KMoody@mdanderson.org
- Kate Bond, B.S., Associate Program Manager: Krbond@mdanderson.org
Program Goals & Objectives
Patient and Family Care
The fellow should demonstrate compassionate, appropriate, and effective care based on existing evidence in pediatric palliative medicine and aimed at maximizing the well-being and quality of life for patients with chronic, complex, and/or life-threatening conditions and their families. The fellow should provide care in collaboration with other subspecialists and within an interdisciplinary team.
Medical Knowledge
The fellow should demonstrate knowledge about established and evolving biomedical, clinical, population and social-behavioral sciences relevant to the care of patients with life-threatening conditions and to their families and relate this knowledge to the palliative care practice.
Practice-Based Learning and Improvement
The fellow should be able to investigate, evaluate and continuously improve personal practices in caring for patients and families and appraise and assimilate scientific evidence relative to palliative care.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills
The fellow should be able to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective relationship building, information exchange, emotional support, shared decision making, and collaboration with patients, patients’ families and professional associates.
Professionalism
The fellow should be able to demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, awareness of his or her role in reducing suffering and enhancing quality of life, adherence to ethical principles, sensitivity to a diverse patient population and appropriate self-reflection.
Systems-Based Practice
The fellow should be able to demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, including hospice and other community-based services for patients and families, and the ability to effectively call on system resources to provide high-quality care.
Program Structure & Curriculum
Required to attend when on Pedi Rotations. When not, attend as possible:
1. Pediatric Supportive Care Lecture Series/Pain and Symptom Management: Tuesdays 2-3 p.m.
2. Heme-Onc Patient Care lectures when presented by Pedi Patient Care Faculty
a. The associate program manager or program director will invite you to the lecture series.
3. Rotating Lecture Series: Fridays 8:15-9:15 a.m. This weekly lecture addresses 5 main topics:
a. Case Presentations
b. Journal Club
c. Chronic Opioid Use
d. Morbidity and Mortality
e. Goals of Care
4. Pediatric Morbidity & Mortality, Monthly: Last Thursday of the month 4-5:30 p.m. and on an emergent basis.
5. Pediatric Supportive Care Clinical Rounds: Thursdays 2-3 p.m.
a. When on inpt, you will present the patients.
b. When not on inpt, attendance is encouraged.
6. Pediatric Patient Care Conference: Thursdays 12-1 p.m.
7. Pediatric Grand Rounds: Mondays 12-1 p.m.
8. Other Rotations’ IDT rounds, meetings, and didactics
9. Annual Vital Talk Pediatric HPM Oncology Seminar
10. Coffee Talks hosted by the Department Professionalism Ambassador at orientation and throughout the year as scheduled.
Highly encouraged for you to attend:
1. Adult PC didactics as required by rotation. The program coordinator can provide you with the schedule.
a. Adult Fellowship & Faculty Clinical Rounds: Wednesdays 7:45 a.m.
b. Adult Palliative, Rehabilitation & Integrative Medicine (PRIM) Grand Rounds: Tuesdays 12-1 p.m.
c. Adult PC Grand Rounds, Chief’s Rounds: Wednesdays 12-1 p.m.
2. Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care
3. Annual State of the Science in Hospice and Palliative Care
Recommended but not required:
1. Adult PC Grand Rounds, Chief’s Rounds: Wednesdays 12-1 p.m.
2. Adult Palliative, Rehabilitation & Integrative Medicine (PRIM) Grand Rounds: Tuesdays 12-1 p.m.
3. Adult Fellowship and Faculty Clinical Rounds: Wednesdays 7:45 a.m.
4. Pedi Hematology-Oncology Fellows Friday Lecture Series/Board Review: You will get the schedule from the program manager
5. American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) Journal Club Pediatric Fellows Journal Club, Wednesdays 12- 1 p.m., attend as applicable
6. TCH: Palliative Care Grand Education Rounds. Fourth Tuesday of every month.
7. Pediatric Palliative Care Research Network (PPCRN) monthly meeting. The contact email is,Madeline_Avery@DFCI.HARVARD.EDU.
Eighty percent attendance is expected. An excused absence can be provided when patient care or rotation will not allow you to attend.
Trainee Success & Program Outcomes
Trainees are expected to produce scholarly works, such as publications, posters, abstracts, etc., during their fellowship. During this time, Pediatric hospice trainees gain the skillsets they need to participate in clinical research and present their findings in an impactful way.
They also earn substantive grants to support their research activities. Recently, this includes:
Investigator: Jiasen He, M.D., 2024 Fellowship Grant Recipient
Mentor: Candelaria Gomez-Manzano, M.D., professor, Neuro-Oncology-Research
Grant title: “Combining Virotherapy and Anti-GD2 CAR T cells for Diffuse Midline Glioma.”
Awarding Organization: ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation
Amount: $300,000 | Duration: 2024-2027
Fellow and Faculty Publications
Publication: Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2024 Jun;71(6):e30964.
Authors: Sarkar S, Rav E, Stitzlein L, Gibson A, McCall D, Nunez C, Roth M, Ragoonanan D, Connors J, Herzog CE, Cuglievan B, Garcia MB
Case series: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in pediatric oncology patients.
Publication: Cancer Rep (Hoboken). 2024 Mar;7(3):e1982.
Authors: Sarkar S, Stitzlein LM, Rav E, Garcia MB, Razvi S, Chang M, Zakhour R.
Publication: Front Pediatr. 2024 Jun 7;12:1397232.
Authors: Kortz TB, Mediratta RP, Smith AM, Nielsen KR, Agulnik A, Gordon Rivera S, Reeves H, O'Brien NF, Lee JH, Abbas Q, Attebery JE, Bacha T, Bhutta EG, Biewen CJ, Camacho-Cruz J, Coronado Muñoz A, deAlmeida ML, Domeryo Owusu L, Fonseca Y, Hooli S, Wynkoop H, Leimanis-Laurens M, Nicholaus Mally D, McCarthy AM, Mutekanga A, Pineda C, Remy KE, Sanders SC, Tabor E, Teixeira Rodrigues A, Yuee Wang JQ, Kissoon N, Takwoingi Y, Wiens MO, Bhutta A.
The Use of Topical Analgesic Cream for Local Pain Control in Pediatric Oncology Patients
Publication: Poster 630 at the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) 4/2024, available: Pediatric Blood & Cancer Volume 71, Issue S2 e30977
Authors: Rav, E, McCarthy, A, Sheikh, I, Harden, A, Itzep, N, Andersen, C, Moody, K,
Therapy Related, KMT2A Rearranged Leukemia Treated Using Palbociclib and Blinatumomab
Publication: Poster 744 at the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/ASPHO) 4/2024, available:
Authors: Rav, E, Sarkar, S, Stitzlein, L, Gibson, A, McCall, D, Nunez, C, Roth, M, Cuglievan, B, Herzog, C, Garcia, M
Program Faculty & Leadership
Karen Moody, M.D.
Director, Pediatric Palliative Care and Supportive Oncology
Director, Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program
Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine
Avis Harden, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Palliative Care and Supportive Oncology
Nelda Itzep, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Palliative Care and Supportive Oncology
Kevin Madden,
M.D.
Assistant Professor, Palliative Care and
Rehabilitation Medicine
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Rhonda S. Robert, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, Division of Pediatrics
Ursula Campbell, M.S.N., R.N.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Pediatrics-Patient Care
Kimberly Kresta, M.S.N., R.N.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Pediatrics-Patient Care
Jaci Whittaker, M.S.N., R.N.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Pediatrics-Patient Care
Bonny Bowen, R.N.
Clinical Nurse, Outpatient, Pediatric Supportive Care
Nicole Rosburg, M.S., C.C.L.S.
Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Life
Zachary Gresham, M.A., M.Ed.
Arts in Medicine
Melissa Melo, B.S.
Board-Certified Music Therapist
Kate Bond, B.S.
Associate Program Manager
Why This Program
Exceptional training that makes us unique
Dedicated pediatric interdisciplinary teams: Primary oncology team, palliative care faculty, nurses and advance practice providers, social workers, chaplain, child psychologists, dieticians, educators, pharmacists, and child life specialists.
Innovative clinical research and mentorship: Karen Moody, M.D., Program Director, recently awarded NIH R01 funding for a study that will potentially change practice standards to improve outcomes for children and their families, particularly those who reach end of life.
Phase I/II Clinical Trials: Providing palliative care and psychosocial support to patients facing complex medical decision making.
In addition to gaining unparalleled education and training experience, MD Anderson trainees have access to exceptional resources and benefits to help them build meaningful careers and lead fulfilling lives.
Institutional benefits and support
GME trainees’ salary stipends are updated every year based on the ACGME’s recommendations, and because our trainees are considered workforce members, they also enjoy MD Anderson’s employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement planning, disability insurance and six weeks of parental leave.
Our GME House Staff Senate offers trainees the opportunity to experience a leadership role in a medical field career, and the institution’s Academic Mentoring Council provides avenues to secure tailored academic mentoring from faculty. Our GME trainees benefit from the extensive support offered to our research trainees, too; they are invited to participate in grant application workshops, apply for pilot grants to support their research ideas and receive monetary awards for securing extramural grant funding.
Trainee wellness is also of utmost importance at MD Anderson.
Our trainees have access to MD Anderson’s employee networks, fitness center and other wellness resources provided by the institution. Additionally, our Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC), which provides oversight of our accredited programs, regularly assess our trainees’ needs and implements various initiatives, such as providing free call meals and discounted parking to GME House Staff, to address those gaps. The committee even has a subcommittee entirely dedicated to supporting the wellness of our trainees.
Our efforts to ensure a welcoming and supportive education and training experience have been commended nationally. In 2023, the Office of Graduate Medical Education received the DeWitt C. Baldwin, Jr. Award, a prestigious national award that recognizes our institution for its respectful and supportive environment for delivering medical education and patient care.
Beyond MD Anderson
MD Anderson’s location has many benefits, too. Our main campus is nestled inside the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical center which boasts about 10 million patient encounters each year. Many of our faculty are involved in interorganizational research collaborations, both within the TMC and across the nation, exposing trainees to groundbreaking advancements in medical care in real time.
Most importantly, the city of Houston is a great place to call home and raise a family. We are one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation. More than 145 different languages are spoken across the city, placing us behind only New York and Los Angeles. In fact, about 30% of the city’s population speaks a language other than English at home. And, paychecks here stretch farther than most U.S. metro areas, thanks to our low cost of living.
Visit our Why Houston page to learn more about our city’s affordable housing, fine dining, entertainment scene, nationally renowned museums and other great attributes.
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.
Our Labs
Learn more about our faculty and research taking place in our labs.
Conferences
View conferences available for continuing education credit.