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Postdoctoral Fellowships & Opportunities

Training of Academic Surgical Oncologists

The Training of Academic Surgical Oncologists T32 Training Program aims to train surgical residents and surgical oncology fellows in the essential research skills necessary to be productive independent surgical investigators in clinical, translational, and laboratory-based oncology research and become leaders in oncology. It provides research opportunities in a broad range of basic oncologic disciplines, in one of three training tracks: basic and translational research; quality, clinical effectiveness and outcomes; and clinical trials and biomarkers. Training in biostatistics, responsible conduct of research, and a rich array of seminars and graduate courses are integral to the T32 program.

Research fellows in the program have recently published in high-impact journals including Nature, Cancer Cell, Cancer and Science, among others. Upon completing their surgical oncology fellowship training, 100% of our T32 clinical/research fellows have entered academic surgical oncology positions.

Training is offered to eight postdoctoral M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. fellows during a 24-month hiatus from general surgery residency training or during a three-year combined clinical/research fellowship in surgical oncology that begins after general surgery residency.

Trainees must attend research seminars and symposia presented by the training program and meet regularly with their mentor, the research advisory committee, the program director, and the appropriate research program manager.

Leadership

Jennifer Wargo, M.D.
Principal Investigator

Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D.
Fellowship Director

Ashley Holder, M.D.
Associate Program Director

Matthew H.G. Katz, M.D.
Surgical Oncology Department Chair

The program has been led by 4 previous principal investigators: Charles Balch, M.D. (1988-1995), Ralph Pollock, M.D. (1996-1999), Lee Ellis, M.D. (2000-2009) and Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D. (2010-2022).

How to Apply

Please email all documents to Ashley Holder (amholder@mdanderson.org) for submission. Applications should include:

Curriculum Vitae
PDF reprints of all first-author publications
Three letters of recommendation-Letters should be written on official letterhead and contain original signatures. They should be submitted by email from the referees' institutional/organizational email account to Ashley Holder (amholder@mdanderson.org).
A two-page essay describing your goals and dedication toward a career in translational cancer research. The essay should be single-spaced and in 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font.

Research Opportunities & Career Development

Fellows in the T32 program 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.

Trainee Resources

https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/training-grants

https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/training-grants/T32-a#_Toc271265032

Current Trainees

Jennifer Chen, M.D.
Baylor College of Medicine
Second-Year Fellow

Neha Malik, M.D.
UTHealth Houston
Second-Year Fellow

Laurence Diggs, M.D.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
First-Year Fellow

Kever Lewis, M.D.
University of Mississippi
First-Year Fellow

Brittany Fields, M.D.
Medical College of Georgia - Augusta
Second-Year Fellow

Sophia Williams-Perez, M.D.
Baylor College of Medicine
Second-Year Fellow

Anneliese Hierl, M.D.
Indiana University
First-Year Fellow

Ashlee Seldomridge, M.D.
Boston University
First-Year Fellow

Alumni

2022
Russell Witt, M.D., Surgical Oncology Research Fellow, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Timothy Diperi, M.D., Surgical Oncology Research Fellow, Cedars Sinai

2021
Gabriel Ologun, M.D., Surgical Oncology Clinical Fellow, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

2019
Beth Helmink, M.D., Assistant Professor, MD Anderson Cancer Center

2018
Emily Keung, M.D., Assistant Professor, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Andrew Lee, M.D., Surgical Oncologist, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

2017
Annabelle Fonseca, M.D., University of Alabama
Michael White, M.D., Assistant Professor, Colon and Rectal Surgery, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Alisa Blumenthaler, M.D., Resident, Indiana University School of Medicine
Eileen Donovan, M.D., Clinical Instructor, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

2016
Sameer Patel, M.D., Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Peter Prieto, M.D., Assistant Professor, University of Rochester Medical Center

2015
Callisia Clarke, M.D., Assistant Professor, Medical College of Wisconsin

2014
Christina Bailey, M.D., Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University
William Burns, M.D., Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Michael Kim, M.D., Assistant Professor, MD Anderson Cancer Center

2013
Genevieve Boland, M.D., Assistant Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital
William Tseng, M.D., Assistant Professor, University of Southern California
Hop Tran Cao, M.D., Assistant Professor, MD Anderson Cancer Center

2012
Ryan Thomas, M.D., Associate Professor, University of Florida
Christina Roland, M.D., Associate Professor, MD Anderson Cancer Center

2011
Mark Truty, M.D.

2010
Priscilla McAuliffe, M.D.
Keila Torres, M.D.

2009
Debashish Bose, M.D.
Abigail Caudle, M.D.

2008
Curtis Wray, M.D.
Yun Shin Chun, M.D.
Keith Fournier, M.D.

2007
Brian Badgwell, M.D.
Elizabeth Mittendorf, M.D.

2006
Laura Lambert, M.D.
Keith Amos, M.D.
Eugene Choi, M.D.
Ricardo Gonzalez, M.D.

2005
Ramsay Camp, M.D.
Anthony Yang, M.D.

2004
Todd Bauer, M.D.
Timothy Pawlik, M.D.

2003
Isabelle Bedrosian, M.D.

2002
Janice Cormier, M.D.
Rosa Hwang, M.D.
Dennis Rousseau, M.D.
Chandrajit Raut, M.D.
Alexander Parikh, M.D.

2001
Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D.
Eddie Abdalla, M.D.
Hiroomi Tada, M.D.
Nestor Esnaola, M.D.

2000
Syed Ahmad, M.D.
Carmen Solorzano, M.D.
Ray Shaheen, M.D.

1999
Richard Bold, M.D.
Russell Berman, M.D.
Tara Breslin, M.D.
John Ehrenfried, M.D.
Christine Laronga, M.D.
Charles Portera, M.D.

1998
Scott A. Pearson, M.D.

1997
Kelly K. Hunt, M.D.
Jeffrey Sussman, M.D.
Michael Bouvet, M.D.

1996
Declan Fleming, M.D.
Francis Spitz, M.D.
Paul Ahearne, M.D.

1995
Derrick Beech, M.D.
Andrew Lowy, M.D.

1993
James Cusack C. Jr., M.D.
Charles Staley, M.D.
Alan M. Yahanda, M.D.
David Berger, M.D.
Barry W. Feig, M.D.
George Michael Fuhrman, M.D.
Paula Termuhlen, M.D.

1992
Thelma C. Hurd, M.D.

1991
George Daneker, M.D.
Marc Demers, M.D.
James Reilly, M.D.
Keith Heaton, M.D.

1990
John Kokotsakis, M.D.
Mark Talamonti, M.D.
Timothy Yeatman, M.D.
George Barnes, M.D.
Michael Kahky, M.D.
Kenneth Tanabe, M.D.

1989
Steven Curley, M.D.
Joseph Esgro, M.D.
John Skibber, M.D.
David Byrd, M.D.

1988
Merrick Ross, M.D.
Peter Beitsch, M.D.
Paul Mansfield, M.D.
Pat Whitworth, M.D.

Living in Houston

MD Anderson is located within Houston's Texas Medical Center – the largest medical city in the world. Located in central Houston, Texas, the area is rich in academic and cultural opportunity. The Medical Center lies adjacent to Rice University, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Arts, and is near Houston’s prestigious symphony orchestra, opera, theater, and ballet. There are also numerous parks, including neighboring Hermann Park which has an outdoor theater and large zoo.

Other sites that are close to the Medical Center are Sam Houston Raceway Park, Downtown Aquarium, Space Center Houston, Lone Star Flight Museum, NRG Stadium, Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center, and the George R. Brown Convention Center. For more information, go to Visit Houston.

Our trainees live throughout the various neighborhoods of Houston, including West University/Rice Village, Montrose, the Houston Heights, the Museum District, or immediately adjacent to the Medical Center.