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The time spent in clinical practice versus research time depends
on the fellowship path you choose.
You may have the option of electing clinical and/or laboratory
rotations with other neuro-oncology specialists at Mayo Clinic in
Jacksonville, Fla., or Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Clinical Training
Over the first three months of the fellowship, you will undergo
a period of acclimation, during which your role as a physician in
the care of patients is reviewed by mentors.
During this period, you gain insight on how to inform new patients
of the trials available to them and enrolling them on the basis
of patients informed consent. Over the course of the fellowship,
you will be trained in the comprehensive evaluation of patients
with neuro-oncologic disorders. This includes experience in
the management of relapses and progressive disease and the appropriate
choice of medicine for each disease stage.
Required clinical rotations include medical and surgical neuro-oncology,
radiation oncology and the Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Unit.
Electives are available in neuropathology, Cancer Center statistics,
neuroimaging and other specialty areas.
In the second and third years, you may elect a research project
under the supervision of a program investigator in one of several
areas that relate to neuro-oncology. These include, but are not
limited to:
- Experimental neuropathology
- Neuro-imaging
- Molecular medicine (including gene therapy and
gene transfer therapy)
- Tumor genetics
- Basic tumor biology
Research Training
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute
(NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center. It has been continuously
funded since the Center's Program began in 1971. The Neuro-Oncology
Program is one of only a few NCI-funded Programs. In addition, Mayo
has received an NCI Specialized Project of Research Excellence (SPORE)
for brain cancer research.
Mayo Clinic is a premier site for the conduct of clinical trials
involving the use of new prescription drugs, combination therapies,
rescue treatments and novel therapeutic agents. You are expected
to participate actively in clinical trials that enroll patients
in the early stages of their disease, as well as those that enroll
progressive patients.
You will participate in these trials as an examining physician
and gain experience in the use and interpretation of clinical outcome
measures.
You are expected to participate in weekly neuro-oncology seminars
to review research progress and to interact with other research
members.
Didactic Training
Clinical conferences, seminars, small discussion groups, journal
clubs, didactic courses and one-on-one instruction are an integral
part of Mayo Clinic's Neuro-Oncology Fellowship Program.
Formal didactic courses are required during the fellowship. Understanding
statistical principles as applied to biomedical investigation is
an important component of the fellowship. Mayo Clinic offers a number
of courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, and design and conduct
of clinical trials.
Conferences
Throughout your fellowship, you will participate or make presentations
in weekly teaching conferences. There are scheduled departmental
conferences on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. These conferences
focus on the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of neuro-oncologic
disorders.
Research presentations are given by either Mayo Clinic or visiting
faculty and by “in-house” residents and fellows. Clinical pathological
conferences are held several times a year.
On Wednesdays, clinical neurology hospital conferences are held
and alternate between the adult, the child and adolescent hospital
services, neurosurgery and neuro-ophthalmology.
Subspecialty conferences are presented on Fridays by all divisions
of the Department of Neurology including neuro-oncology. In addition,
there is a weekly program-wide research seminar and a weekly ‘work
conference' (similar to a Tumor Board).
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