Women's Cancer Imaging Fellowship
This combined fellowship provides in-depth knowledge of the multidisciplinary diagnostic approach to medical oncology, with an emphasis on breast imaging and intervention.
Rotation overview
- 50% will be spent in clinical rotations in breast imaging, rotating through both Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
- 50% will be spent in general (non-breast) imaging at Dana-Farber reading CT, MR and US. Inclusive of this 50% is approximately 20% dedicated academic time, assuming that a detailed research project outline has been presented and approved by an attending radiologist as the project mentor. Research milestone schedules are clearly articulated, and research progress is closely monitored.
- Four weeks of the fellowship is designated elective time. Elective time may be spent on approved research projects, or in other radiology disciplines elsewhere. This four-week block is taken from both breast and general imaging time.
- On-call responsibilities provided for both BWH and DFCI.
Beginning with the 2018 academic year, Dana-Farber will be participating in the SBI Breast Imaging Fellowship Match.
The Breast Imaging Fellowship Match is sponsored by the Society of Breast Imaging and it will be managed by the
National Resident Matching Program. In order to become a fellow with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, you must register with the Radiology Match, of which Breast Imaging is a part. Breast Imaging has implemented an All In Policy for the Match. This means that programs participating in the Match cannot extend any offers to candidates outside of the Match. Applicants can withdraw from the Match prior to the ranking
deadline if they accept a position outside of the Match.
Dates of the Match
- Interview Period begins January 1, 2019
- March 20, 2019: Match opens
- April 24, 2019: Ranking opens
- May 29, 2019: Ranking closes
- June 12, 2019: Match Day
- July 1, 2019: Training begins
Cost of the Match
Applicants will pay a $75 registration fee to register for the Match.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
In the Breast Imaging section at Dana-Farber, the fellow will be exposed to cancer imaging in a high-risk breast cancer patient sub-group. The majority of patients have a history of breast cancer; however, both screening and high-risk screening populations
are also imaged. There will be one attending to one trainee, at any one time. The fellow works closely with the breast care team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and breast surgeons.
In addition, the high-quality breast imaging services of Dana-Farber are brought directly to the neighborhoods in which women live and work, by Boston's Mammography Van. This is the only mobile mammography program in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
It provides screening mammograms and breast health education to women 40 years of age and older, regardless of their ability to pay. The van breaks down cultural, linguistic, financial, and logistical barriers to care and makes mammograms more accessible
to those least likely to obtain one. The Women's Cancer Imaging Fellow will also help in interpreting these screening studies at Dana-Farber.
Brigham and Women's Hospital
The Breast Imaging Fellowship focuses on all aspects of breast imaging and interventional procedures. The Lee Bell Center for Breast Imaging at Brigham and Women's Hospital has a high volume clinical service, evaluating a wide variety of normal and pathologic
processes with respective imaging studies. The breast imaging radiologists have a close working relationship with the surgeons and other staff at the Comprehensive Breast Center, which is located across the hall, encouraging frequent direct communication.
The Women's Cancer Imaging Fellow will spend time in both screening and diagnostic mammography. Screening mammograms will be batch read and reviewed with attending staff.
Diagnostic imaging will include mammography (with tomosynthesis) and ultrasound, tailored to problem-solving on an individual case basis. The Lee Bell Center for Breast Imaging includes an on-site 3 Tesla magnet dedicated to breast imaging. It is supported
by Computer Aided Detection and full biopsy capability. Breast MRI cases performed at Dana-Farber are also interpreted at the Lee Bell Center.
The Breast Imaging fellow will have structured time in the MRI suite, working directly with attending staff. He/she will also perform (under direct attending supervision) mammographically, sonographically and MRI-guided wire localizations, needle aspirations,
and core needle biopsies. In addition to the rich clinical experience, Dana-Farber fellows while rotating at Brigham and Women's Hospital will be expected to participate in weekly multidisciplinary conferences, and radiology-pathology correlation
conference.
Eligibility
U.S. applicants must be board eligible or board certified in radiology. Foreign applicants must be ECFMG certified and eligible to obtain a clinical visa prior to starting the fellowship. The fellowship at Dana-Farber is structured in accordance with
the fellowship regulations as provided by the Department of Radiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Teaching and conference responsibilities
At Dana-Farber there is a weekly seminar series designated for Category 1 CME credit, including introductory and modality-based lectures and disease-centric "blocks" thereafter. Other educational activities include a weekly radiology-pathology conference, drug conferences, journal club and MRI/CT case conferences. These are in addition to continual one-on-one teaching throughout the day. At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, fellows will also participate in journal club, weekly conferences and trainings.
Fellowship supervision and evaluation
Dana-Farber Cancer Imaging Fellows will receive continuous on-site training, teaching and feedback. Dr. Fiona Fennessy, Director of the Dana-Farber Cancer Imaging Fellowship Program, Dr. Atul Shinagare, Co-Director of the Fellowship Program, Dr. Gunjan Senapati, Director of Brigham and Women's Hospital Women's Imaging Fellowship, and Dr. Moritz Kircher, Chair of the Department of Imaging at Dana-Farber, will evaluate the fellow's performance.
Equipment and Resources
At Dana-Farber, state-of-the-art equipment includes two Hologic Selenia Dimensions mammography units, three 5 megapixel SecurView diagnostic workstations, one Philips EIPQ 7G Breast Ultrasound Unit, one GE LOGIQ E9 XDclear 2.0 Ultrasound Unit, one Siemens Aera 1.5T MRI scanner, one Siemens Prisma Fit 3.0T MRI scanner, one GE HD Discovery 750 dual energy CT scanner, two GE Revolution GSI dual energy CT scanners and two TRAD Plus diagnostic digital radiography (DR) units. Clinical images are housed on an enterprise-wide GE Centricity PACS. There are twenty-four Enterprise PACS/2MP workstations for reviewing images in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. There are several tools and applications supporting Radiology research projects.
At Brigham and Women’s, state of the art equipment includes Hologic digital breast tomosynthesis, Philips US units, an Affirm upright stereotactic biopsy unit, Siemens and GE 3.0T and many other 1.5T magnets.
Application procedure
Applicants should
complete the application found on the Brigham and Women's Hospital website, where additional information about the Fellowship
can be found. Be sure to specify on the application the program that you are applying for is the Women's Cancer Imaging Track.
Fiona M. Fennessy, MD, PhD, Cancer Imaging Fellowship Program Director, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Atul Shinagare, MD, Cancer Imaging Fellowship Associate Director, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Gunjan Senapati, MD, Women's Imaging Fellowship Program Director, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Department of Imaging (DL101)
450 Brookline Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
Attn: Ashley Watterson
Phone: 617-632-4891
Fax: 617-582-8574
Email:
CancerImagingFellowship@dfci.harvard.edu