Immuno-Oncology

The Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a division of Providence Cancer Institute, offers a one-year immuno-oncology research fellowship as part of the three-year head and neck surgery fellowship.

Located within the Robert W. Franz Cancer Center in Portland, Ore., the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute is a leader in immuno-oncology, and home to a team of world-renowned scientists and physicians. With expertise in cancer immunotherapy, clinical and translational research, and training programs spanning the continuum of higher education, it provides a rich environment for immuno-oncology fellowship.

Program Hallmarks

The purpose of the immuno-oncology research fellowship is to provide structured education and training to facilitate expertise in clinical immunotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer, and to provide a foundation in research methodology that will equip the fellow for a successful academic career in immuno-oncology. Hallmarks of the program include:

• Expert program faculty for instruction and mentorship.
• A structured immuno-oncology curriculum consisting of curated reading syllabi accompanied by one-on-one discussion/didactic sessions with leaders in the field.
• Rotations in the medical oncology clinic, inpatient biotherapy service (includes TIL, CAR-T and high-dose IL-2), immune monitoring laboratory and clinical trials office.
• 70 percent protected time to conduct mentored, independent research in immuno-oncology, with the expectation of publication.

Candidates for Fellowship

The immuno-oncology research fellowship will provide advanced, supplemental training in the field of immuno-oncology, and is not intended to replace accredited fellowship training in oncology. The fellowship is ideal for recent medical/surgical oncology fellowship graduates, or internal medicine/surgery residency graduates who wish to pursue formal subspecialty training in medical/surgical oncology fellowship after a one-year period of intensive immuno-oncology training and research. To be eligible, a fellow must have completed at least one year of residency training in a related field (e.g., medicine, surgery or pathology). Candidates should be proficient in general immunology, but are neither required nor expected to have previous formal training in tumor immunology.

Program Curriculum

The curriculum consists of the following components:

• Structured didactic training and weekly lecture series (15 percent).
  • Fellows will receive intensive didactic training in the principles of immuno-oncology, taught by leaders in the field across a variety of domains, including clinical immuno-oncology, translational/basic immunology and clinical trials management/nursing.
• Practicums in clinical/laboratory rotations and observer-ships (15 percent).
  • Concurrent to didactic training, practicums will provide on-the-job immersion experiences. While the nature and quantity of practicums will depend on the interest of the fellow, at least one practicum for each didactic unit will be required.
• Mentored research projects (70 percent).
  • Under faculty guidance, the fellow will formulate several research projects in immuno-oncology to gain hands-on experience in clinical trials development, biomarkers development and literature review. Projects should be cohesive and thematic, allowing the fellow to develop in-depth knowledge and research which he/she may continue to pursue following fellowship completion.

Expected Outcomes

At conclusion of the fellowship, the fellow will demonstrate depth of knowledge and exposure to a variety of domains in clinical immunotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer, as well as expertise in clinical and translational research methodologies. In collaboration with one or more faculty members, the fellow will lead formative research projects that will culminate in publication in a peer-reviewed journal and/or presentation at an international immuno-oncology meeting.