HPB-Surgical Oncology Research Fellowship

Program Description 

Moffitt Cancer Center has a new position for a (1 or 2 year) HPB-Surgical Oncology Research Fellowship (academic year 2026-2027). Candidates will spend (1 or 2 years) away from their General Surgery residency training (usually after PGY-2 or PGY-3 is completed) or after completion of a CGSO, HPB, or Transplant fellowship. The program provides immersive clinical research opportunities working alongside HPB faculty and opportunities to tailor their time based on their specific interests.

Fellows will have the opportunity to work with both clinical faculty and/or research science faculty. The research year will be spent conducting clinical and/or basic science research. An important component of the orientation process is to provide clinical trials design support and training in the first month of the program while the fellow identifies potential area(s) of research interest. Fellows will be given every opportunity to spend their research time in a scholarly environment suited to their area/s of interest.

Fellows will complete a minimum of two clinical research projects targeted for publication and prepare a minimum of two regional and one national scientific paper for presentation at a specialty meeting.  Fellows participate annually in the Fellow Research Day, with poster presentations, oral presentations of selected abstracts, and research prizes awarded based on the presentations. The Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME) also sponsors several one-day seminars on topics such as clinical research and grantsmanship, which will be available for the fellow to attend.

All publications of presentations need to be added to New Innovations within 30 days of publication and presentations.  All research activities are expected to adhere to applicable federal, state and local regulations, including those related to patient privacy, IRB regulations, Moffitt Cancer Center and University of South Florida rules and regulations. At no time is remuneration of any kind, from any source- intramural or extramural- to be incurred as a result of clinical or scholarly activity to be accepted by the fellow without express notification and approval of any Moffitt Cancer Center surgical faculty member.

The Research fellows may spend up to 20% of their time in clinical experiences at the discretion of the program director and research mentor. The amount of time and type of clinical experiences performed will require approval by the program director/s to ensure protection of scholarly activity.

Didactic Components

• Fellows’ Journal club – monthly
• Surgical M&M conference/grand rounds – weekly
• Multidisciplinary tumor boards – weekly (rotation specific)
• SSO videoconference – quarterly
• GME Lecture series modules
• Tampa Bay Surgical Oncology Society meetings
• Biostats 101(optional during the first year of fellowship)
• GME Multi-D Symposium
• Research Scientific Symposium

Eligibility

The applicant must be a current surgery resident at an ACGME-accredited program in good standing or must have completed a fellowship in CGSO, HPB, or Transplant. The applicant needs to have passed Steps 1, 2 and 3 and be eligible to apply for a Florida medical license.  

Candidates must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to qualify. They must be a categorical resident in an ACGME surgical training program with a written commitment from the residency program to accept them back after their 1 or 2 year research agreement, or have completed a fellowship in CGSO, HPB, or Transplant.

Duration

The research fellowship is a non-ACGME accredited fellowship.

Program Certifications

The fellow receives a Moffitt certificate for completion as a Research Fellow.

Research

Research: The fellow works with their selected HPB mentor/s on abstracts, manuscripts and research projects that align best with their research interests, with at least monthly meetings. The surgical HPB faculty includes:

• Daniel Anaya, MD
• Jason Denbo, MD
• Pamela Hodul, MD
• Betzaira Childers, MD
• Mokenge Malafa, MD
• Andrew Sinnamon, MD

Facilities

The training sites are any campus associated with the Moffitt Cancer Center.

Funding

Salary and benefits commensurate with PGY level will be covered by Moffitt Cancer Center. Fellows will receive additional educational funding through the GME office for conferences and other educational endeavors. Once these funds are exhausted, additional funding will be the responsibility of the respective project mentors.

Supervision and Evaluation

The fellow will participate in numerous research projects with their mentors and receive scholarly mentorship throughout the fellowship.  Mentors will also supervise and evaluate the fellow on any clinical experience and time spent with faculty.    

How to Apply

To apply to the HPB-Surgical Oncology Research Fellowship Program, candidates should send the following documents. Please email Cortney.Bruce@Moffitt.org to receive the specific application. Interviews will be conducted on Zoom.

• Curriculum vitae
• Letter of intent detailing career goals in academic surgery (Personal Statement)