The Impact of v‐SYMPHONY's Virtual Boot Camp on Trainee Transition From Residency to Fellowship
BACKGROUND: Starting a pediatric subspecialty fellowship presents numerous challenges to trainees. Virtual Symposium of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology of New York (v-SYMPHONY), an educational collaborative organized by 18 pediatric hematology-oncology (PHO) programs, initiated an annual bootcamp in 2022 aimed at easing the transition from pediatric residency to PHO fellowship. METHODS: The bootcamp consisted of virtual clinical lectures and fellow-led panels, which were created with input from diverse program leadership, educators, and past fellows using Kern's six-step module of curriculum development. It was offered to incoming fellows, first in the NY/NJ/CT region, and subsequently expanded nationally. RESULTS: Over 4 years (2022-2025), 147 pediatric residents completed this virtual bootcamp. The number of residents attending the live sessions increased from 19 in 2022 to 62 in 2025. Forty-four participants completed pre- and post-bootcamp surveys over this period, which showed significant improvement in both self-reported medical knowledge and preparedness and reported a decrease in transition to fellowship anxiety scores. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the need and benefits of a standardized orientation program that can be delivered virtually to ease the transition of PHO trainees from residency to fellowship. Such a standardized curriculum is feasible, adaptable, and potentially scalable to a national level.
Authors
- Jennifer Levine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1417-0169)
- Alexander J. Chou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7926-3326)
- Anshul Vagrecha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9095-7575)
- D Wolfe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9382-0523)
- Kayleen Bailey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8193-642X)
- Adit L. Tal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2179-1791)
- Jeremy Rosenblum
- Katharine Offer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3420-0265)
- Prakash Satwani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3867-9066)
- Andrea D. Orsey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1147-6851)
- Mahvish Q. Rahim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3851-1979)
- Kavitha Ramaswamy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1658-1404)
- Gabriel Robbins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4447-0667)
- Scott Moerdler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2067-4817)
- Jessica Briggs
- Joanna Pierro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0164-8573)
- Viviana Vidal‐Anaya
- Farzana Pashankar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2883-0957)
Institutions
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US)
- Northwell Health (US)
- Westchester Medical Center (US)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US)
- Montefiore Medical Center (US)
- University of Connecticut (US)
- University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus (PR)
- Cornell University (US)
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center (US)
- Staten Island University Hospital (US)
- Johnson University (US)
- Yale Cancer Center (US)
- Yale University (US)
- NYU Langone Health (US)
- Mount Sinai Hospital (US)
- Connecticut Children's Medical Center (US)
- Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (US)
- Island Hospital (US)
- Hackensack Meridian Health (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Pediatric Blood & Cancer
- Published
- 2026-09-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/1545-5017.70686
- Primary Topic
- Innovations in Medical Education
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00