The Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship at Johns Hopkins All Children’s provides training to future pediatric hematology-oncology leaders.
The Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, aims 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.
This 3-year program helps fellows develop as compassionate clinicians, engaged educators, healthcare leaders, and ground-breaking researchers.
Overview of the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship
- 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 Johns Hopkins All Children’s.
- 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 Johns Hopkins All Children’s 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.
Clinical Learning Environment: The Fellow’s Teaching Team
Hematology-oncology faculty, nurses, chemopharmacists, staff, and leadership are excited and united in their support of a stellar pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship program.
Each hematology-oncology 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.
The Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute at Johns Hopkins All Children’s was one of the first cancer facilities in Florida dedicated solely to treating children, and we have decades of experience treating children of all ages with cancers and blood disorders both rare and common.
Our expert team provides patients with innovative treatments, access to clinical trials and a whole-child approach to care that recognizes the complex physical and emotional needs of children with cancer or blood disorders. s
Learn More About Our Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute
Rotations at a Glance
Fellowship Years 2/3: Physician-scientist training. Fellows will learn how to conduct high quality clinical, translational and/or laboratory-based research and will lead educational activities.
During the second and third years of hematology-oncology fellowship, there will be no weekday call expectations. Fellows will be assigned one weekend per month (total 10/year), meaning rounds in-house on Saturday/Sunday and answering phone calls from home during assigned on-call weekend nights.
Dedicated Academic Time
- Weekly lecture series/formal Hematology-Oncology curriculum
- Small group sessions with mentors and peers
- Monthly journal clubs
- Hematology-Oncology Tumor Board
- Disease-specific weekly team meetings
- Training in research techniques and design
- Johns Hopkins All Children’s Pediatric Grand Rounds and research forums
- Johns Hopkins All Children’s Seminar Series in Academia
- American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology membership
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.
Apply to Our Program
Timeline and Process:
- The Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship is a three-year fellowship program.
- Three fellows per year will be accepted for fellowship training.
- Candidates must have completed an ACGME-accredited pediatric residency program and be eligible for a State of Florida Medical Training License.
- The program accepts applications through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and interviews will be conducted from August-November.
- Our fellowship enrolls with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Pediatric and Medical Specialties Match.