Hematology/Oncology Fellowship
The McGovern Medical School Hematology/Oncology Fellowship is a 3-year program that provides newly graduated internal medicine physicians with the opportunity to gain a solid foundation in the clinical and research practice of Hematology/Oncology. Our program was accredited in 2016 by the American Council for Graduate Medical Education, the non-profit private council that evaluates and accredits medical residency and internship programs for physicians in the United States. Our program seeks to provide young physicians with the training necessary to enter a clinical practice or research career with confidence. The curriculum grounds our fellows in the basics of Hematology/Oncology, with rotations in both malignant and benign hematology, as well as in solid tumor malignancies.
Mission Statement:
The Hematology/Oncology program at UTHealth will provide the necessary resources for trainees to master the art and science of treating and caring for patients with hematologic and oncologic diseases. The program is committed to train and mentor fellows to improve their clinical abilities and facilitate the development of a clinical career or an investigative pathway for translational and/or clinical research.
Provide trainees with analytical skills and evidence-based medicine to care for patients with a broad spectrum of hematologic and oncologic diseases. The Program will provide guidance through mentorship for fellows to assure the successful implementation of an appropriate investigative research project and career development plan. Intrinsic to the discipline is scientific knowledge, the scientific method of problem-solving, evidence-based decision-making, a commitment to lifelong learning, and an attitude of caring that is derived from humanistic and professional values. Inpatient and outpatient clinical rotations have been specifically planned to develop clinical excellence and encourage academic discussions and debate.
Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Director:

Dr. Jessica T. Jones, Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology/Oncology, received her medical degree from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Long School of Medicine. She completed her internship, residency, and hematology-oncology fellowship at the same institution, serving as Chief Fellow her final year. She joined the Division of Hematology/Oncology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 2019 as Assistant Professor in breast medical oncology. Her passion for preventive care led her to spearhead the founding of the UT Physicians Breast Cancer Prevention Clinic in 2020. Dr. Jones is the head medical oncologist for our sarcoma treatment program, as part of which she is involved in a translational research study into the use of patient-derived cell clusters to predict treatment response. She has been the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching each year since her arrival and was awarded the Champions of Clinical Learning Environment for McGovern Medical School in 2021.

Associate Program Directors:

Dr. Jafri pursued an extra Fellowship in Integrative Medicine from The Arizona Center of Integrative Medicine under the directorship of Dr. Andrew Weil and started a very popular integrative medicine program at LSU. He joined UTHealth in November 2013 to head our thoracic and head & neck oncology program. He is Board certified in hematology and oncology.

Core Faculty:
The Fellows in the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship enjoy the expertise of institutionally based core faculty members who serve as key faculty. They are expert competency evaluators who work closely with the Program Director and Associate Program Directors in development and implementation of the evaluation system and in teaching and advising the Fellows. Each core faculty is ABIM certified in their respective subspecialty and are clinically active in both direct patient care and observation of Fellows in their patient care. Each key faculty member is accountable to the Program Director for coordination of the Fellows’ educational experiences in order to accomplish the goals and objectives of each rotation. The Key Faculty also participate in the mentorship program available to Fellows to help guide and provide advice about career and educational goals.