ASH Hematology-Focused Fellowship Training Program (HFFTP)

The ASH Hematology-Focused Fellowship Training Program (HFFTP) is an exclusive pathway that offers physicians the opportunity to pair comprehensive classical hematology training with career-enhancing education in transfusion medicine, sickle cell disease, hemostasis/thrombosis, as well as fields like medical education, systems-based hematology,  outcomes research, health equity research, global health, safety/quality improvement, lifespan hematology, and more.

Funded entirely by ASH, 10 new hematology-focused fellowship tracks have been created within existing hematology-oncology programs at nine rigorously selected institutions accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) across the United States. HFFTP aims to strengthen the next generation of hematologists, with the goal of producing 50 new academic hematologists by 2030.

As part of ASH’s mission of fostering high-quality, equitable care, transformative research, and innovative education to improve the lives of patients with blood and bone marrow disorders, ASH is making a substantial commitment to address the shortage of hematologists through the ASH HFFTP, which will provide critical education, mentorship, and research opportunities for fellows interested in pursuing careers in hematology.

Preparing the Hematology Workforce for the Future

In 2019 ASH conducted, in partnership with the George Washington University Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity, a comprehensive longitudinal workforce study designed to examine the current hematology workforce and the existing pipeline of future hematologists.

Out of 2,500 practicing hematologists surveyed in the U.S., 46% reported a shortage of classical hematology specialists and 31% reported a shortage of hematologists who specialize in blood cancers. HFFTP participants benefit from a comprehensive and innovative curriculum in classical hematology that will lead to eligibility for the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) hematology certification.

HFFTP Awarded Institutions and Alliance Partner Institutions

ASH has stepped up to address hematology workforce problems by establishing the Hematology-Focused Fellowship Training Program (HFFTP), a program investing $19 million to create ten new hematology-focused fellowship programs across nine institutions in the United States, thus expanding the hematology workforce. Due to the Society’s groundbreaking investment in HFFTP, three institutions were inspired to launch additional hematology-focused fellowship programs. Because of this innovative and bold initiative, institutions are poised to create as many as 105 new hematology-focused fellows by 2030, revealing a bright future for these programs and for the hematology profession as a whole. Explore the participating institutions below:

Benefits of HFFTP

Institutions enrolled in HFFTP receive:

• Visiting Rotation Stipend: $5,000 annually for three years per fellow to cover travel and living expenses to attend a one-month rotation per year at a Center of Excellence (e.g. Sickle Cell Disease Center of Excellence)
• ASH Annual Meeting Stipend: $1,000 annually for three years per fellow to cover expenses to attend the ASH Annual Meeting (free registration to attend the ASH Annual Meeting is provided through the Fundamentals of Hematology Fellowship (FHF) Program described below)
• Scholarly Research Stipend: $1,500 annually for three years per fellow to cover scholarly research and expenses to submit manuscripts for publication

All ASH HFFTP awarded institutions participate in the ASH Fundamentals of Hematology Fellowship (FHF) program which provides the following free benefits to all hematology-oncology fellows enrolled at an ASH HFFTP awarded institution:

• ASH Associate membership
• One complimentary ASH meeting registration (or access to recorded sessions for one ASH meeting) per academic year
• Online access to the ASH Self-Assessment Program (ASH-SAP)
• Annual enrollment in the ASH Hematology Review Series
• Discounted price for the ASH Hematology In-Service Exam

Key Dates

Questions? 

For more information about this program, please contact Piper Sloan at [email protected].