Description

ONCOLOGY REHABILITATION FELLOWSHIP

The Oncology Rehabilitation Fellowship at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University offers a one-year advanced clinical and academic training experience for physicians seeking specialized expertise in the rehabilitation of individuals living with and beyond cancer. The fellowship provides comprehensive exposure to the neurologic, musculoskeletal, lymphatic, functional, and quality-of-life impairments associated with cancer and cancer treatments across inpatient, outpatient, and consultative settings.

The fellow will hold an appointment as a Clinical Instructor and Senior Associate within the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and will be fully embedded within Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University-Georgia's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, providing multidisciplinary cancer care across a large and diverse patient population.

Fellows train under the mentorship of four full-time fellowship-trained oncology rehabilitation physiatrists, including a dedicated inpatient oncology rehabilitation physiatrist, providing a depth of inpatient and outpatient exposure not available at many programs nationwide. The fellowship is intentionally flexible and can be tailored to the fellow's individual clinical and career interests, including outpatient procedural training, inpatient rehabilitation, electrodiagnostics, survivorship care, research, and program development.

Fellowship applicants must have successfully completed an ACGME-accredited Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency prior to entering the program and must be board certified or board eligible in PM&R at the time of application.

Clinical Experience

Fellows will evaluate and manage a broad range of cancer-related impairments including neuropathy, radiation fibrosis syndrome, lymphedema, cancer-related fatigue, musculoskeletal dysfunction, spasticity, cognitive changes, dysphagia, pelvic floor dysfunction, and neurologic complications of cancer and cancer treatment.

Clinical experiences include:

• Outpatient oncology rehabilitation clinics with progressive autonomy
• Dedicated inpatient rehabilitation and acute consult services
• Exposure to hematologic malignancies, solid tumor oncology, and survivorship care
• Multidisciplinary brain tumor clinic participation
• Oncology-focused physical and occupational therapy services, including ReVital Cancer Rehabilitation
• Rotations with palliative care and cancer pain services
• Exposure to proton therapy and radiation oncology services

The fellowship emphasizes procedure-heavy oncology rehabilitation training, including advanced ultrasound-guided interventions not routinely taught during standard PM&R residency. Fellows maintain an independent continuity clinic with full billing responsibilities using Epic.

Procedural training includes:

• Advanced ultrasound-guided musculoskeletal and peripheral nerve procedures
• Botulinum toxin injections for cancer-related spasticity and radiation-induced muscle spasms
• Trigger point and myofascial injections
• Procedure planning in medically complex oncology patients

Oncology-Focused EMG and Electrodiagnostic Training

Two oncology rehabilitation physiatrists perform EMG and nerve conduction studies, providing fellows dedicated exposure to complex neuromuscular complications of cancer and cancer treatment, including:

• Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
• Brachial plexopathies, including differentiation of tumor-related, postsurgical, and radiation-induced etiologies
• Radiation fibrosis-associated neuromuscular complications and radiation plexopathy
• Cancer-related myelopathies, radiculopathies, plexopathies, and focal mononeuropathies

Program Development and Leadership Training

Fellows gain practical experience in oncology rehabilitation program development and leadership within a major academic cancer center, including:

• Building and expanding oncology rehabilitation programs
• Developing referral networks and multidisciplinary partnerships
• Integrating rehabilitation within oncology care pathways
• Billing, coding, and documentation specific to oncology rehabilitation
• Operational and financial aspects of developing sustainable oncology rehabilitation services

Didactic Learning Experience

The fellow will participate in structured didactic sessions, journal clubs, multidisciplinary tumor boards, and educational conferences focused on oncology rehabilitation and survivorship care.

Teaching

The fellow will participate in the education of PM&R residents, medical students, therapy trainees, and visiting learners through bedside teaching, formal lectures, multidisciplinary presentations, and educational conferences within the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute.

Research and Scholarly Activity

Fellows may participate in clinical research, quality improvement, survivorship projects, and scholarly activity. Areas of focus may include:

• Rehabilitation outcomes research and cancer survivorship initiatives
• Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and radiation late effects
• Lymphedema and cancer-related functional decline
• Procedural interventions and medical informatics in oncology rehabilitation

Fellows interested in research and academic development will receive mentorship and institutional support for presentations, publications, and national meeting participation.

Call Responsibilities

Home call responsibilities are light and occur approximately one week every 2-3 months. Responsibilities primarily involve supervising PM&R residents. During the call week, the fellow takes home call Monday through Friday and comes in for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday to assist with supervision and patient care oversight. Call does not include primary admission or discharge responsibilities.

Why Atlanta, Emory, and Winship

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University is Georgia's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, seeing more than 21,000 new patients each year across a large and diverse regional oncology population.

Fellows train in and around Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Midtown, a state-of-the-art cancer center that opened in 2023, housing advanced oncology care, infusion services, imaging, radiation oncology, multidisciplinary clinical programs, and inpatient oncology care. Fellows also benefit from access to the Emory Proton Therapy Center, Georgia's only proton therapy center, providing unique exposure to advanced radiation oncology care and radiation-related survivorship complications.

Atlanta is one of the nation's fastest-growing metropolitan areas, offering fellows a vibrant, diverse, and highly desirable city in which to live and train.

Specifics

• Advanced Degree: No
• Eligible for Georgia Medical License: Yes
• ACGME Accredited: No
• Length of Fellowship: 1 year
• Start Date: July 1
• Number of Positions: 1 per year
• Application Requirements: Completion of an ACGME-accredited PM&R residency program; Board Eligible or Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Salary/Benefits: TBD

NOTE: Position tasks are generally required to be performed in-person at an Emory University location. Remote work from home day options may be granted at department discretion. Emory reserves the right to change remote work status with notice to employee.