University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Program Director	Program Admin
Qing H Meng, PhD, MD, DABCC	Alexis Evans
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine	Program Coordinator
qhmeng@mdanderson.org	AKEvans@mdanderson.org
(713) 792-6320	(713) 794-1944

About the Program

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. It is both a degree-granting academic institution and a cancer treatment and research center located at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. The Department of Laboratory Medicine offers a two-year training program in clinical chemistry to provide PhD scientists with analytical, clinical, research, and management experience towards the American Board of Clinical Chemistry (ABCC) certification in clinical chemistry. MD Anderson’s Clinical Chemistry area performs over eight million tests each year. The program is designed to provide training in the operation of a clinical laboratory, analytical methodologies, instrument/method selection and evaluation, therapeutic drug monitoring, molecular diagnostics, point-of-care testing, quality control and assurance, and laboratory management and regulations. Test interpretation and clinical consultation are especially emphasized. Research projects involving method development or validation, error investigation, translational and clinical studies related to clinical chemistry are required. Fellows join training with clinical pathology residents and gain more knowledge and understanding of the pathophysiology of diseases and clinical diagnosis. In addition, this program offers special opportunity to gain experience in the area of tumor markers and other cancer-related testing. The first year of the program focuses on laboratory rotation in the area of clinical chemistry, special chemistry, TDM, and molecular diagnostics. The second year of training is to conduct consultation, quality management, and research projects. Upon completion of the program, fellows are expected to take the ABCC examination.

Program Requirements

To be considered for the program, prospective fellows must have:

1. Doctoral or medical degree(s) in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, medicine, pathology, pathobiology or pharmacology from an accredited university.
2. Minimum of 30 semester hours (undergraduate or graduate level) of coursework in analytical, inorganic, organic, physical, and biochemistry to qualify for certification by the ABCC.
   • If a candidate’s academic credentials are obtained outside the United States, they must be deemed equivalent by an appropriate education evaluation agency.

To Apply

Deadline for applications is September 1, for fellows applying for a start date of July the following year. Formal interviews begin September 1 and offers will be extended on or after October 1. Candidates will be given a window of at least 2 weeks to consider the offer.

The application packet must include:

1. Letter of interest
2. Curriculum vitae

Applicants should submit the application packet to the program director. Upon notification, applicants will be required to submit their undergraduate/graduate transcripts and three letters of recommendation to the program director and coordinator.

Training Level

Postdoctoral Training Level
Number of positions available per year: 1 every other year
Duration of program: 2 years
Approximate annual salary or stipend: PGY Scale
Source of funding: Department Funding and ACGME
Current number of trainees: 1
Number of past graduates: 3

Faculty

Roger Bertholf, PhD, DABCC	Chemistry, Toxicology and Endocrinology
Sridevi Devaraj, PhD, DABCC, FRSC	Pediatric Chemistry, Quality Management
Xiang-Yang Han, MD, Ph.D, ABP, AP/CP	Microbiology, Immunology, Serology, Molecular Diagnostics
Xin Han, MD, ABP, AP/CP	Point-of-Care Testing and Coagulation
Beverly Handy, MD, ABP, CP	Special Chemistry, Protein Electrophoresis, Serology
Cheryl Hirsch-Ginsberg, MD, ABP, CP	Laboratory Management, Quality Assessment and Quality Improvement
Rajyalakshmi Luthra, Ph.D, DABMGG	Molecular Diagnostics
Qing H Meng, PhD, DABCC	General Chemistry, Immunoassays, TDM, QC/QA
Michael Riben, MD, ABP, AP	Laboratory Informatics
Xiaoping Sun, MD, Ph.D, ABP, AP/CP	Hematology
Xin Yi, PhD, DABCC	Chemistry, TDM, Immunology, Mass Spectrometry
Yu Zhang, PhD, DABCC	General Chemistry, Immunoassay, TDM, Toxicology, Mass Spectrometry