The Fellowship Program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine consists of four full-time faculty gynecologic oncologists. A unique feature of the program is that the department is located at a medical center and serves public hospitals. Medical students and residents participate at all times in the gynecologic oncology service as part of their core rotation through medical school and residency. The residents actively participate in patient care, and service is directed by the fellows and faculty.
Our gynecologic oncology fellowship is built on the premise that to be a successful gynecologic oncologist the trainee must be well-versed in the surgical and medical treatments of cancer patients and be able to not only critically review the literature, but be a contributor, as well. To this end, fellows spend the first two years of training on research endeavors. Fellows are expected to complete a basic science project on a topic relevant to gynecologic oncology, which may include, among others, cancer etiology, microbiome, novel therapeutics and epigenetics. Fellows are also expected to complete a clinical project in an area which interests them. Past fellows have worked on cancer health disparities, rare tumors and cancer prevention. Fellows are also expected to do a quality improvement project annually.
The clinical training at our program is unparalleled. Fellows become proficient in open, laparoscopic and robotic surgeries, for both cancer and difficult benign diseases. They become familiar with novel therapeutics and participate in the weekly site disease group research meetings to discuss upcoming trials and patient outcomes. Patients from all over the world come to South Florida, and the City of Miami, in particular, for care, so fellows develop humanistic skills to care for women of all races, ethnicities, nationalities and creeds. These experiences truly allow the fellow to learn what it means to provide personalized care for women with cancer.
Additionally, our faculty are diverse, well-published and engaged. Mentorship for trainees is paramount, and we get no greater satisfaction than seeing our fellows succeed. We have truly grown this program to reflect a comprehensive approach to cancer care, and send our graduates out confident that they will be excellent, compassionate and prolific gynecologic oncologists.
- Matthew Schlumbrecht, M.D., M.P.H.