PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Mark Fairweather, MD
Our Program
The Mass General Brigham/Dana-Farber Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Harvard Medical School is a two-year program approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO). Our program includes three world-renowned institutions, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). These Harvard-affiliated hospitals, with over 1700 licensed inpatient beds, have long been among the nation’s top educational sources for academic clinician-investigators. With the initiation of our Fellowship in Surgical Oncology in 2002, we are now able to provide formal oncology training for surgeons, drawing on the expertise from each of the institutions.
Clinical Training
The program employs an apprenticeship-style approach combined with an intensive multidisciplinary experience in the management of gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, pancreas, breast, endocrine, cutaneous (melanoma) and soft tissue sarcoma malignancies. Additional experience in thoracic surgery, head and neck surgery, urologic oncology, gynecologic oncology and orthopedic oncology are available as electives. Fellows work directly with two to three faculty members at a time within a specific disease discipline. Dedicated time is allocated for the study of medical oncology, radiation oncology and surgical pathology. Additional nonsurgical electives in palliative care and clinical research design are available.
Core clinical rotations for the first-year fellow take place at both Brigham and Women’s Hospital (3 months) and Massachusetts General Hospital (6 months). Six months of research begins and extends into the second year. ACGME-required one-month elective rotations in medical oncology, radiation oncology and pathology are completed during the second year. An additional three months of core clinical rotations and two surgical elective months are completed during the second year.
Program Philosophy
Comprehensive oncologic care is best provided by an integrated multidisciplinary team of specialists – including surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, mid-level providers, nurses, and many other dedicated professionals. Advances in cancer care can only be made when clinicians are knowledgeable in all aspects of multidisciplinary care as well as in the fields of tumor biology and innovative treatment development. Not only are surgeons the primary providers of treatment with curative intent for most cancers, their involvement in research is needed to achieve the goal of more effective therapies.
The aim of the MGB/DF Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Harvard Medical School is to train oncologic surgeons who are national leaders in multimodality cancer treatment and research. These surgeons must be familiar with all tools currently available to combat the full spectrum of neoplasia, as well as all relevant investigational therapies. They must know how to design and conduct new treatment studies. They must understand the critically important role of patient and family support during all phases of the treatment process. In addition, they must know how cancer research is conducted, and how to facilitate the transfer of new discoveries in the laboratories into clinical practice. Finally, the academic surgical oncologist must develop an understanding of the social and economic aspects of cancer treatment in an environment that emphasizes the highest levels of compassion and ethics.
- Educational Program
Fellows are expected to attend the weekly disease-specific multidisciplinary conferences coinciding with their clinical rotation. The educational program is complemented by monthly journal clubs and biweekly surgical oncology didactic sessions at BWH and MGH, medical oncology didactic sessions at DFCI, weekly departmental Morbidity and Mortality conferences and Grand Rounds, and clinically relevant quality improvement projects.
Research
The research portion of the fellowship program includes a minimum of six months of clinical, basic science or outcomes training under the direction of a senior research scientist at Harvard Medical School and its affiliate hospitals. The amount of time spent in this part of the fellowship will vary depending upon whether the trainee has already had formal research training. The timing of research electives is flexible to accommodate specific goals.
After completion of the MGB/DF Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Harvard Medical School, graduates will be well-equipped to pursue academic careers.
Eligibility Requirements
- Successful completion of a general surgery residency in the United States accredited by the ACGME or in Canada accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
- U.S. or Canadian nationality or permanent residence
- Certification or eligibility for certification by the American Board of Surgery or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Applications must be completed through ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service), and the Match is conducted through NRMP (National Resident Matching Program). Deadlines may be found on the SSO website.
Contact and Address
Program Director: Mark Fairweather, MD
Address:
Department of Surgery
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115
Phone: (617)-525-3164
Fax: (617)-582-6177
E-mail: mfairweather@bwh.harvard.edu
Fellowship Coordinator: Keisha Hause
Phone: (617) 732-7925
Fax: (617)-582-6177
E-mail: KeishaC_Hause@DFCI.HARVARD.EDU