Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy (PTCT) fellowships are offered to individuals who have completed their fellowships in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric Immunology, Adult Oncology or Adult Hematology and who desire additional exposure and training in clinical and research aspects of pediatric blood and marrow transplantation and cellular therapies. Duke’s PTCT, formerly known as the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation (PBMT), program is one of the largest and most distinguished in the country and has been training fellows for almost 20 years. The one year fellowship at the PGY-VII or PGY-VIII level is predominantly focused on developing skills in all areas of transplant and cell therapy. In addition to traditional hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), our division has significant clinical and research experience in a range of cell therapies including mesenchymal stem cell (MSC), CAR-T and gene therapy. The program curriculum is individualized for each fellow.

The fellowship program trains fellows in the fundamentals of donor selection (related/unrelated; allogeneic/autologous; HLA matched/mismatched/haploidentical), graft sources (cord blood/bone marrow/peripheral blood stem cells), bone marrow harvest, stem cell procurement, characterization, processing, cryopreservation, infusion as well as in aspects of pre-PTCT evaluation and post-PTCT complications. In addition, fellows will select a project that will require them to acquire the skills necessary to allow them to become independent investigators.  Fellows are required to present their work at local meetings as well as present and publish their work in peer-reviewed journals and/or meetings. Trainees' schedules typically include approximately 4 months of inpatient service and fellow call; 2 days per week in clinic; a weekly fellows’ meeting; a weekly interdisciplinary PTCT team meeting; and a weekly PTCT new patient planning meeting.

Fellows may rotate through inpatient and clinical rotations, the stem cell laboratory, the research laboratory, the BMP cell manufacturing laboratory, and the cord blood bank. If interested, trainees may develop a clinical or basic research project (with a mentor) which would require a second year of fellowship.

About the Division

The Duke Division of Pediatrics Transplant and Cellular Therapy performs transplantation for the full spectrum of diagnoses. Our patients come from throughout the United States and around the world. Our faculty members have published seminal articles in top national and international journals in the field of transplantation. The division has performed 2,200 transplants over the past 30 years and has made significant contributions to the field of Pediatric Transplant and Cell Therapy, offering some of the world’s greatest experience in the use of unrelated cord blood transplants in children and particularly in patients with inherited metabolic diseases. The division also has a large number of active research protocols investigating various aspects of transplantation. 

• Positions offered per year: One or two
• Program duration: One year minimum. Fellows engaged in research can stay up to three years.
• Accrediting body: Duke ICGME
• Match participation?: No

Contact person

Devin Walker
Fellowship Program Coordinator
919.684.3829
919.668.4455 fax
devin.walker@duke.edu

How to apply

Contact:
Vinod Prasad, MD, MRCP
Professor of Pediatrics
Box 3350 DUMC
Durham, NC 27710
919.668.1100
919.668.1180 fax
vinod.prasad@duke.edu
 
Joanne Kurtzberg, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Box 3350 DUMC
Durham, NC 27710
919.668.1100
919.668.1119
919.668.1183 fax
kurtz001@mc.duke.edu

Program director

Vinod Prasad, MD, MBBS
Professor of Pediatrics
919.668.1100
vinod.prasad@duke.edu

Associate program director

Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, MRCP
Professor of Pediatrics
Professor of Pathology
Chief Scientific Officer, Robertson Clinical and Translational Cell Therapy Program
Director, Carolinas Cord Blood Bank
Co-Director, Stem Cell Laboratory
kurtz001@mc.duke.edu

Current fellows

Second year
Taymour Hammoudi, MD