Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship

The Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship program at Atrium Health is a 3-year program designed to train future gynecologic oncologists. As such, fellows will provide clinical expertise in surgical care, inpatient management and outpatient care of patients with gynecologic malignancies. Additionally, fellows will develop the surgical skills needed to perform both radical and conservative cancer procedures and the clinical skills required to treat patients with gynecologic malignancies. Upon successful completion of our program, fellows will have published a research project, developed leadership and interpersonal communication skills and delivered care to the urban and rural populations of the Charlotte, NC, area.

Program Highlights

Our program is devoted to a productive research experience with individual mentorship on a dedicated project that will lead to national presentations and publications specific to gynecologic oncology. During their first year, fellows will collaborate with 5 faculty members and 4 translational researchers to develop a thesis to present at a national conference and generate publications.

In their second and third years, fellows will participate in robust clinical and surgical activities, gynecologic oncology core rotations and education didactics and conferences. Fellows will participate in surgical cases, outpatient clinics, inpatient care, chemotherapy coordination and consultation at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center and Atrium Health Cabarrus. Our state-of-the-art facilities allow for direct involvement of the faculty in teaching and mentoring.

Annual gynecologic oncology volume typically consists of more than:

• 1,200 new patients
• 1,000 surgical procedures
• 2,500 cycles of chemotherapy

Fellows also will experience open, laparoscopic and robotic approaches to complex surgical procedures

Program Curriculum

Didactics Schedule

• Tuesday 8-9 a.m., LCI Translational Science Seminar
• Thursday 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., Grand Rounds, Morbidity and Mortality Conference, Simulation Lab, Oncology Didactics, Journal Club, Tumor Board
• Friday 7-8 a.m., Molecular Tumor Board, 8-9 a.m. Lab Meeting
• Recurring Weekly:
  • Wake Forest Graduate school statistics and cancer biology courses
  • LCI Hematology Oncology Fellowship Lectures
• Recurring Monthly:
  • Meet with the program director

*LCI Medical Oncology Lectures should be attended when appropriate and available. A schedule will be provided.

Research Year 1

The research year is a dedicated research year with no clinical responsibility. The fellow spends time in a laboratory with Donald Durden, MD PhD, in the Levine Cancer Institute gynecologic oncology translational research program. The fellow is directly supervised for laboratory research experience by Dr. Durden, and the translational research team including three gynecologic oncologists and four basic/translational science researchers meet for weekly laboratory meetings to ensure consistent progress. Through collaboration with the Wake Forest Graduate School for Medical Biosciences, we offer a graduate curriculum honed to the interests of the fellow and their goals. The Dean and course directors from Clinical and Translational Medicine, Clinical Research Management, Addiction Research, Health Leadership, and Health Systems Science are able to provide courses that will support the fellow’s research plan and include course work on research design, statistics, and cancer biology.

Clinical Years 2-3

During the clinical years, each fellow works directly with six faculty members in gynecologic oncology to perform the full complement of services (surgical cases, outpatient clinics, inpatient care, chemotherapy coordination, and consultation) at Carolinas Medical Center (CMC). Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center is the 874-bed flagship hospital of Atrium Health, is the largest hospital in the region, and includes Levine Cancer Institute, ranked as a 2020 Top 50 Cancer Center in US News and World Report. Annually at CMC, the Division of Gynecologic Oncology sees over 1200 new patients, performs over 1000 surgical procedures, and administers over 2500 cycles of chemotherapy. The variety of cases includes open, laparoscopic, and robot-assisted approaches to complex surgical procedures. Fellows are directly involved with the faculty and are consistently supervised with graduated responsibility. Additionally, this is a robust 4-year residency program in obstetrics and gynecology with 6 residents per year (24 total), allowing opportunities for teaching. The Gynecologic Oncology Center at the Levine Cancer Institute is fully staffed with six faculty, three advanced practice providers, and 20 nurses and ancillary personnel to provide support for outpatient clinical needs. The inpatient team consists of one faculty member on call at all times, four residents dedicated to the gynecologic oncology service, rotating medical students, and one advanced practice provider. The fellow is covered at all times by the faculty member on call, who will round daily and come to the patient's bedside whenever appropriate, requested, and/or needed.

Amenities for Fellows

• Safe, quiet, clean and private sleep and rest facilities available and accessible with proximity appropriate for safe patient care
• Showers
• Secure areas (rooms with lockers that can be locked)
• Access to food
• Parking accessible to site
• Internet access
• Reasonable accommodations for fellows with disabilities
• Lactation room (clean and private) with refrigeration and proximity appropriate for safe patient care

Application Criteria

Residents who will complete or Board-eligible physicians who have recently completed a four-year ACGME-accredited residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology are eligible to apply. Applications submitted through the ERAS system.