Andrew L. Coveler, MD, was in his last year of hematology-oncology fellowship in 2009, gearing up to get ready for his board exams, when he realized the in-depth preparation required to succeed was going to be a DIY affair.
Unlike other parts of the U.S., the Pacific Northwest had no comprehensive board review course. So Coveler, now director of Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s Pancreatic Cancer Specialty Clinic, decided to build his own.
With the backing of Fred Hutch’s chief medical officer, Coveler developed a board review course, created a schedule, personally invited the speakers and booked a venue, with support from Fred Hutch.
“Everyone saw the need for this type of educational review course,” Coveler said. “It fit well with our educational mission.”
Fifteen years later, the Comprehensive Hematology & Oncology Review Course is still going strong. Each year, it attracts more than 100 people in-person and more online to learn about guidelines, recommendations and recent advances regarding therapeutic options for patients with solid tumor cancers and malignant and nonmalignant hematologic disorders.
Fred Hutch faculty deliver more than 50 lectures on a wide range of topics that physicians might be tested on when they sit for board exams. The course is designed to prepare physicians (oncologists as well as primary care physicians, or PCPs), advanced practice providers, nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals and fellows for exams and certifications, but it’s also useful for providers who want to learn more about recent advances in cancer research and clinical practice, including less common clinical scenarios that hematologists and oncologists may not often encounter.
Hematology has been a focus since 2019
The original course focused mainly on solid tumors but has since expanded to include a range of hematologic topics.
Ryan Cassaday, MD, took the course when he was a trainee more than 10 years ago. Now he co-chairs the course and is responsible for the hematology content.
“My first exposure to the course was as a learner,” said Cassaday, who runs a clinic focusing on acute lymphoblastic leukemia. “Back then, there wasn’t a whole lot of hematology in the course. It was mostly focused on oncology. But since many trainees go through both hematology and oncology training and many community providers see both hematology and oncology patients, we wanted to beef up that part of the course.”
For the past five years, speakers have covered hematology topics including thrombosis (or blood clots) and hemostasis, benign cellular disorders and hemoglobinopathies (a group of blood disorders inherited from family).
The course also provides an opportunity for comprehensive review for practicing providers who want to stay up to date on new developments in cancer care and treatment.
