Surgical Oncology Research Fellowship

Program Description 

Fellows will have the opportunity to be mentored by both clinical faculty and/or research science faculty. The research year(s) will be spent conducting clinical or basic science research. In the first month, an important component of the orientation process is to provide clinical trials design support and training while the fellow identifies potential area(s) of research interest. Fellows will be given every opportunity to spend their research year in a scholarly environment suited to their area of interest.

Fellows will complete a minimum of two clinical research projects targeted for publication and prepare a minimum of two regional and one national scientific paper for presentation at a specialty meeting. Fellows participate annually in the Fellow Research Day, with poster presentations, oral presentations of selected abstracts, and research prizes awarded based on the presentations. The Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME) also sponsors a number of one-day seminars on topics such as clinical research and grantsmanship which will be available to the fellow to attend.

All publications of presentations need to be listed on New Innovations within 30 days of publication and presentations. All research activities are expected to adhere to applicable federal, state and local regulations including those related to patient privacy, IRB regulations, Moffitt Cancer Center and University of South Florida rules and regulations. At no time is remuneration of any kind, from any source- intramural or extramural- to be incurred as a result of clinical or scholarly activity to be accepted by a surgical oncology fellow without express notification and approval of any Moffitt Cancer Center surgical faculty member.

The Research Fellows may spend up to 20% of their time in clinical experiences at the discretion of the program director and research mentor. The amount of time and type of clinical experiences performed will be discussed between the program director and mentor as well as the research fellow to make sure all are in agreement.

Didactic components:

• Fellows’ Journal club – monthly
• Surgical oncology M&M conference/grand rounds – weekly
• Multidisciplinary tumor boards – weekly (rotation specific)
• SSO videoconference – quarterly
• GME Lecture series – (first-year fellows only)
• Tampa Bay Surgical Oncology Society meetings
• Biostats 101(optional during the first year of fellowship)

Eligibility

Completion of a minimum of two years of general surgery residency at an ACGME-accredited program is required. This can be a one or two-year research fellowship commitment. You must pass Steps 1, 2 and 3 or equivalent and be eligible to apply for a Florida medical license. This program does not sponsor visas. 

Duration

The research fellowship is a non-ACGME accredited one to two-year fellowship. 

Program Certifications

The fellow receives a Moffitt certificate for completion as a Research Fellow.

Research

The fellows work with their selected a mentor on their abstracts, manuscripts, research projects and meet with their mentor on a monthly basis.

Facilities

The training sites are the Moffitt Cancer Center Magnolia and McKinley campuses.  

Funding

Salary and benefits commensurate with PGY level will be covered by Moffitt Cancer Center. Fellows will receive additional educational funding through the GME office for conferences and other educational endeavors. Once these funds are exhausted, additional funding will be the responsibility of the mentor.

Supervision and Evaluation

Fellows participate in numerous research projects with their mentors and receive scholarly mentorship throughout the fellowship. Mentors will also supervise and evaluate the fellow on any clinical experience and time spent with faculty.         

The Surgical Oncology fellows are evaluated by their mentor at the end of the research year through the online evaluation system, New Innovations.  These evaluations are generated and are emailed directly to the mentor for their completion.  All evaluations are compiled into a performance report that is sent to the Program Director. 

In addition, the Program Director, Dr. Jonathan Zager, meets semi-annually with each of the fellows to discuss their research projects and discuss any concerns on the fellows’ part. Dr. Zager reviews the fellow’s updated CV, case logs, scholarly activities and job search activities whether the fellow’s aim is to identify private practice or academic positions of employment.

How to Apply

To apply for our research fellowship program, candidates should send the following documents to be selected to participate in our virtual interview:

• Curriculum vitae
• Letter of intent detailing career goals in academic surgery (Personal Statement)
• Moffitt Standard application form
• 3 letters of recommendation – one of them must be of your Program Director

Interested candidates should contact: Beliza.Rohena@Moffitt.org  (Program Administrator) and Jonathan.Zager@moffitt.org (Fellowship Program Director) 

Program Director
Jonathan Zager, MD

Program Administrator
Beliza Rohena
Beliza.Rohena@moffitt.org

Program Phone Number
813-745-4787

Program Fax Number
813-449-6555

Mailing Address
12902 USF Magnolia Drive
CSB-2, Third Floor
Tampa, FL  33612