Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship
John R. Lurain, MD
Fellowship Program Director
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Summary Description of Fellowship Program
The fellowship in gynecologic oncology is a three-year program designed to train physicians who have completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology for careers in academic gynecologic oncology. It is sponsored by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and is carried out at its main teaching facility, Northwestern Memorial Hospital/Prentice Women’s Hospital. One year of the fellowship is devoted to acquiring basic research skills in the gynecologic oncology laboratories in the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. The other two years of the fellowship involve clinical training on the gynecologic oncology services at Northwestern’s Prentice Women’s Hospital, as well as rotations in pathology, radiation oncology and surgical critical care.
Training Goals of the Fellowship Program
The overall goal of the fellowship program is to train academic gynecologic oncologists to be superb clinicians and surgeons, committed educators, and skilled researchers. Fellows will be provided with the clinical, instructional and investigational foundation to assure the accomplishment of this goal. Comprehensive clinical training in screening, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers of the female genital tract, including radical pelvic surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, will qualify fellows for certification of special competence in gynecologic oncology by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and recognition by both patients and colleagues as expert consultants in gynecologic oncology. Fellows will be actively involved in clinical and didactic teaching, which will enhance their education and result in developing a life-long commitment to learning. Laboratory and clinical research experience will enable fellows to design, obtain support for and carry out their own studies, as well as eventually direct the research efforts of others.
Strengths of the Fellowship Program
- Gynecologic Oncology Faculty – Four board-certified, diversely-trained, skilled and committed gynecologic oncologists with a proven track record of excellence in patient care, education and research.
- Clinical Facilities – A large, well-run and well-equipped university teaching hospital with a separate women's hospital, providing a full range of patient services as well as new state-of-the-art outpatient evaluation and treatment facilities.
- Gynecologic Oncology Laboratory Experience – Four laboratories associated with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology are involved in cancer research:
- Molecular and cellular mechanisms for estrogen biosynthesis and progesterone action in cancers of the breast, uterus and ovary.
- Transcription factors and gene regulation in endometrial cancer.
- Stem cell regulation in ovarian cancer.
- Inhibin actions on reproductive target cell and oncofertility.
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center – It is an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. It includes approximately 250 investigators conducting a broad range of multi-disciplinary clinical, laboratory and population science research. Its affiliated hospitals treat a combined total of approximately 10,000 cancer patients per year, over 250 of whom have gynecologic malignancies. The Cancer Center is a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a consortium of 18 leading cancer centers dedicated to enhancing the quality of cancer care via the development of clinical guidelines and the conduct of outcomes research.
- John I. Brewer Trophoblastic Disease Center – As one of the largest trophoblastic disease centers in the U.S., it serves as a treatment facility as well as a consulting service for pathologists, clinicians and patients, and thus provides a unique educational and research opportunity for fellows.
- Ovarian Cancer Early Detection and Prevention Program – A comprehensive, multi-institutional program that focuses on a high-risk population of women to identify new blood tests for detection of early-stage ovarian cancer and other early detection strategies exploring minimally invasive techniques, as well as genetic counseling/testing and prevention strategies.
- Residency Program – The four-year, fully-approved residency program in obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern is generally acknowledged to be an excellent training program, providing residents a broad background for both clinical practice and academic subspecialization.
- Patient Volume/Diversity – A busy clinical service treats a wide variety of diseases and patients of all races and socioeconomic levels. Approximately 250 new patients with gynecologic malignancies are treated each year, resulting in 7,500 clinic visits and over 500 operative procedures annually.
- Laparoscopic/Robotic Surgery – A training program in laparoscopic and robotic surgery has been developed for fellows in the Northwestern Center for Advanced Surgical Education, including hands-on training in specific techniques which allow for evaluation of competence. All faculty are fully trained in advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Approximately 80% of endometrial cancers, as well as some early cervical and ovarian cancers, are treated by minimally invasive surgery, including hysterectomy (extrafascial and radical), bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, and omentectomy.
Fellow Program Description
Year one of the fellowship involves acquiring basic research skills in the gynecologic oncology laboratories. During this time, the fellow has limited clinical responsibilities and is expected to devote near full-time efforts towards learning the latest scientific techniques and how to apply them to problems related to gynecologic malignancies. The goal of their research training is to provide fellows with the scientific basis and intellectual environment that will stimulate them to make significant contributions to the body of knowledge in gynecologic oncology. It is our expectation that fellows will learn to establish meaningful collaborations with other researchers, obtain research funding, and ultimately become independent investigators and academic gynecologic oncologists.
Years two and three of the fellowship are devoted to in-depth clinical training. The clinical fellows are involved in all aspects of the care of patients with gynecologic malignancies, including outpatient evaluation and follow-up, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as well as post-operative, intensive and palliative care. The clinical fellows are responsible for the care of all patients on the in-patient gynecologic oncology services. In the gynecologic oncology ambulatory units, the fellows see patients for consultation, staging, treatment decisions, evaluation of response to treatment, and management of complications under direct supervision of a faculty member. In the operating rooms, the fellows are the surgeon or co-surgeon for all difficult major cases, radical and reconstructive operations, as well as procedures involving the intestine and urinary tract, and the fellows will also serve as co-surgeon or first assistant for some minor and major operations performed by the resident staff, all under faculty supervision and instruction. Fellows are actively trained in the principles and techniques of chemotherapy and radiation therapy as applied to the management of gynecologic malignancies. Fellows also spend two months during the two clinical years off service on rotations in pathology, radiation oncology, and surgical critical care.
The research and clinical training for fellows is augmented by a comprehensive didactic program. Fellows participate in the OB/GYN Department Clinical Service Review Conference and present yearly at Grand Rounds. They organize and conduct the weekly Gynecologic Oncology Tumor Conference and the monthly Journal Club, present monthly progress reports on research activities, and attend the core curriculum lecture series. Fellows are encouraged and supported to attend, present before, and participate in scientific meetings.
Other requirements for completion of the fellowship are certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, taking and passing the three required postgraduate courses in biostatistics, ethics, and tumor cell biology, and submission for publication of basic science and/or clinical research projects suitable for use as a thesis for the oral examination in Gynecologic Oncology of the American Board of Obstetric and Gynecology.
For information on current and past fellows, please click here.
Application Information
Applicants must be completing a four-year OB/GYN residency program in the United States accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or a five-year OB/GYN residency program in Canada accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and be eligible to take the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) written exam.
Each application is reviewed by faculty and fellows of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. Selected applicants will then be invited to Chicago for an interview, starting with a social gathering the evening before the formal interview process. The next morning will begin with an information session, followed by individual interviews with faculty, tour of the facilities with current fellows, and lunch. The day will conclude with a research seminar at which time applicants will give a 10-minute Power Point presentation on a research topic of their choice.
Ranking of fellow candidates is made in joint meetings of gynecologic oncology faculty and fellows. The selection process is administered through the National Residency Matching Program. Salary and fringe benefits are competitive. Application materials must be submitted by April 15 of each year for the position beginning July 1 of the following year.
Application materials through ERAS must be submitted by April 15 of each year for the position beginning July 1 of the following year. Our program requires a CV and 3 letters of recommendation.
To request information about the program, contact:
Monica Gard
Fellowship Coordinator
Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
250 E. Superior Street, Suite 05-2168
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 472-4684
Fax: (312) 472-4688
E-mail: Monica.Gard@nmff.org
