Stem Cell Transplant, Cell and Gene Therapy Fellowship

Overview

The program is a comprehensive, one-year advanced training designed for physicians seeking specialized expertise in the rapidly advancing fields of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, broader cellular therapies, and the groundbreaking application of gene therapy.

Mission Statement

Henry Ford Health: "We improve people's lives through excellence in the science and art of health care and healing."

Fellowship Program: "To train and prepare physicians for a career in the rapidly evolving field of stem cell transplant, cell and gene therapies through excellence in clinical care and scientific inquiry."

Program Aims

The fellowship is designed to equip fellows with the knowledge and practical skills to independently manage patients undergoing stem cell transplant, cell and gene therapies for both malignant and non-malignant diseases.

Upon completion of the fellowship, trainees will be able to:

• Master the principles and practices of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), including autologous, allogeneic (matched sibling, matched and mismatched unrelated, haploidentical, and cord blood), and syngeneic transplants for both malignant and non-malignant conditions.
• Develop expertise in emerging cellular therapies such as CAR-T cell therapy and other immune effector cell therapies.
• Gain experience in gene therapy for sickle cell disease and thalassemia, including patient selection, pre- and post-treatment management, and gene editing/addition technologies.
• Comprehend and manage complex complications, including graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), cytokine release syndrome (CRS), neurotoxicity, infections, and long-term effects.
• Engage in impactful clinical and translational research to improve outcomes and expand access to curative treatments.
• Develop leadership, communication, and teaching skills to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams and educate future healthcare professionals.

Fellowship Rotations

Fellows will gain extensive experience through structured rotations in both inpatient and outpatient settings:

• Inpatient Transplant & Cell Therapy Service: Manage acutely ill patients undergoing stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies, focusing on pre-transplant conditioning, infusion, and early post-transplant complications.
• Outpatient Transplant & Cell Therapy Clinics: Provide longitudinal care for patients before, during, and long after transplant or therapy, including chronic GVHD and survivorship management.
• Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia Gene Therapy Clinic: Participate in evaluation, counseling, pre-treatment, administration, and follow-up of patients receiving gene therapy, with exposure to diverse gene therapy platforms.
• Apheresis and Cell Processing Unit: Learn the principles and practice of stem cell collection, processing, cryopreservation, and quality control.
• Specialty Rotations: Electives in Transplant Infectious Diseases and HLA lab.
• Research: Dedicated research block where fellows identify a mentor and pursue a scholarly project aligned with their interests.