Observing Clinical Care and Research at Dana-Farber

As a leading provider of cancer care and research, Dana-Farber enjoys a worldwide reputation that attracts researchers and clinicians who seek to learn from us.

The Institute welcomes outside practitioners and students to observe clinicians and researchers onsite in accordance with Institute guidelines. These guidelines have been developed to ensure patient confidentiality, provide a safe environment for staff and observers, and protect the intellectual property rights of individual researchers and the Institute.

The Observership Program is an informal educational program. The observer will not receive any academic credit for the experience, but may receive a letter of recommendation or a statement from the Dana-Farber sponsor.

The observership does not constitute formal medical education, formal graduate medical education, continuing medical education or training leading to licensure or board certification. The observer is not a Dana-Farber/Harvard Medical School student, resident or medical staff member and may not represent him/herself as such. Participation in an observership may not be claimed as formal training or referenced in a Curriculum Vitae (CV).

All observers must have an identified supervising sponsor, who must be arranged in advance. Availability of positions will depend upon the availability of supervising sponsors and is subject to change.

Eligibility

An observer is defined as any physician, clinician, medical trainee, researcher, other professional and/or student who participates in an uncompensated association or visit to Dana-Farber for a defined period of time: not less than two weeks (or ten non-consecutive days within two months) and not more than two months.

Harvard Medical School fellows and medical, nursing, nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant (PA) students with formal affiliation agreements are not considered observers. An observer is not a volunteer, Dana-Farber formal trainee, contracted or sponsored employee.

Observers may be of any educational level or research or clinical discipline, but must be 18 years of age or older.

Representatives from the media or pharmaceutical or device companies are not eligible to observe clinical care or research work at Dana-Farber.

Individuals may participate as observers in the following areas:

• Laboratory based research
• Outpatient clinics
• Other areas, as approved by Dana-Farber supervising sponsor

An observer will not be eligible to observe on any inpatient units at Brigham and Women's Hospital and/or Boston Children's Hospital.

All international observers, who are not permanent residents or citizens of the U.S., must be in the U.S. on a visitor's visa (B1) or a J1 visa. Dana-Farber will not sponsor anyone for the sole purpose of participating in an observership.

Individuals who are classified as observers do not have an employment relationship or credentialed status with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Nothing in the observership relationship is intended to create or be construed as creating an implied contract of employment between Dana-Farber and the observer. All observer applicants must acknowledge this classification on the Observation Program Application.

Application Process

In order to become an observer at Dana-Farber, the following items must be submitted to the appropriate Division Chief, Disease Center Leader or Department Director, and approved by the appropriate individual before the observership begins:

1. Observership Program Application form, which must be submitted at least one month prior to the intended start date of the observership, but no more than twelve months prior to the date on which the observership would commence. Applications must be submitted to Dana-Farber's Medical Oncology Office. The application MUST be signed by the appropriate Dana-Farber supervising sponsor BEFORE submission. 
2. Letter from home institution attesting that the applicant's affiliation is in good standing
3. Applicant's curriculum vitae or résumé
4. Immunization records (see application for details about immunization requirements)
5. Signed HIPAA confidentiality statement 
6. Signed criminal background check form 
7. Payment for costs associated with observer screening and orientation ($400 as of June 2012). Payment is accepted via PayPal or personal check. Create a PayPal account or login to your existing account, then go to PayPal's secure payment page and make your payment to observerships@dfci.harvard.edu. Retain confirmation information for your records. If paying by personal check, funds must be drawn on a bank with a US branch. Please make your check payable to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
8. Proof of completion of Dana-Farber Orientation

International applicants must also submit:

• Proof of federally mandated health insurance
• A copy of the observer's J1 visa (form DS2019), OR a copy of the observer's visitor's visa (B1)

Dana-Farber requests a minimum of 4 weeks to process observership applications. Completed applications should be mailed to:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Attn: Medical Oncology, Dana 1608
450 Brookline Avenue
Boston, MA 02215

Direct questions about observership status or the application process to observerships@dfci.harvard.edu.