Mission Statement
The mission of the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (JHACH) Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellowship Program is to inspire, educate, and support the next generation of academic pediatric hematology oncology physicians in their journey toward a rewarding life of service locally, nationally, and internationally as compassionate clinicians, engaged educators, healthcare leaders, and ground-breaking researchers.
Program Aims
- Fellows will spend 95% of their time in Year 1 learning, practicing, and mastering the clinical knowledge, diagnostic procedures, and interpersonal skills necessary to provide comprehensive, high quality, team-focused, evidenced-based patient care.
- Fellows will conduct their own continuity clinic weekly all three years of training, thereby enhancing access to care for children with cancer and hematologic problems in the local community.
- Fellows will be exposed to patients with rare diagnoses and challenging healthcare delivery models from around the world through the International Program at JHACH.
- Our exceptional clinical program will foster critical thinking skills and a passion to advance the science and medicine through innovative clinical, translational, and basic science research projects. Fellows are expected to complete a minimum of one quality improvement project during year 1 of training and focus 80% of their time and effort on an individualized research project during years 2 and 3.
- Fellows will be afforded multiple opportunities to hone their teaching skills and will be provided with strategies and tools for success.
- We will foster a culture of well-being, resilience, welcoming to all individuals and ideas, grounded in ethics and data, and focused on empathy. The faculty and staff of the Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute (CBDI) as well as the Johns Hopkins Health System in general share a common goal to make things better for infants, children, teenagers and young adults. There are weekly and monthly activities and events at JHACH that support community, promote health and well-being, and reduce the risk of burnout. Fellows will be actively involved in psychosocial rounds and CBDI councils.
Rotations at a Glance
The weekend night calls will be supported by an in-house HO hospitalist.
Dedicated Academic Time
- Monthly Journal Clubs
- Weekly Didactic Series
- Neuro-Oncology Tumor Board
- Annual American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology (ASPHO) Meeting
- Didactic lectures covering basic science, translational, and clinical research techniques and design
- Monthly Lunch-n-Learn sessions
- Research Seminars
- JHACH Seminar Series in Academic
- Small group sessions with mentors and peers
- One-on-one mentoring and informal networking opportunities
Clinical Learning Environment: The Fellow’s Teaching Team
HO faculty, nurses, chemopharmacists, staff, and leadership are excited and united in their support of a stellar pediatric HO fellowship program.
Each HO fellow receives individualized training from a faculty attending physician during their year one clinical rotations and longitudinally all three years from their continuity clinic faculty member, fellowship program director and assistant program director.
Learn More About Our CBDI
Program Leadership
Jennifer Mayer, M.D.
Program Director
Dr. Mayer is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist in the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute. She specializes in the diagnosis and management of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She is also the medical director of the Vascular Anomalies and Birthmarks Program at the hospital. She cares for patients with benign and aggressive vascular tumors, lymphatic and venous malformations, and overgrowth syndromes.
Valerie Cruz Flores, M.D.
Associate Program Director
Dr. Cruz Flores is a pediatric oncologist at Johns Hopkins All Children’s. She joined the hospital staff in 2020. She earned her medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. She completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, where she also served as chief resident. She completed a fellowship in pediatric hematology-oncology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center/Children’s Hospital New Orleans, followed by a fellowship in pediatric neuro-oncology at Johns Hopkins All Children’s.
How To Apply
Application Requirements:
- Planned completion of ACGME-accredited General Pediatric Residency
- Board eligible in General Pediatrics
- Eligible to obtain a Florida Medical License
Interested applicants should email the following information to [email protected]:
- Letter of Interest — Personal statement describing qualifications and career goals
- Three letters of recommendation
- Dean’s Letter/Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
- Medical school transcript
- Curriculum vitae
- USMLE scores (Step 1, 2 CK and CS, and 3), or COMLEX (Level 1, 2 CE and PE, and 3), or MCCQE (Exams 1 and 2)
- ECFMG certificate number (if applicable)