NYBCe’s one-year Transfusion Medicine Fellowship Program has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since July 1987. Our program has successfully trained over 100 physicians to achieve the competence required to pass the American Board of Pathology sub-specialty certification in Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine.
Each year, we provide funding for up to four fellowship positions. An additional year of funding may be available for selected candidates interested in pursuing an academic research project in transfusion medicine.
Our fellowship program is unique in providing:
- Training at one of the largest nonprofit academic blood centers in the U.S.
- Clinical rotations at top New York academic medical centers
- Service to the diverse patient population in the New York metropolitan area
Program Description
Fellows spend 4 months at NYBCe. The 4-month program at NYBCe trains the fellow in the following areas:
- Donor center operations including mobile whole blood and apheresis collections
- Blood product manufacturing: processing, labeling, and release
- Immunohematology and blood group genomics laboratories
- HLA Laboratory
- Cellular therapy collections and processing including National Marrow Donor Program operations
- Mobile therapeutic apheresis and peri-operative autologous transfusion services
- Storage and release of cord blood units
- Regulatory and accreditation compliance for blood center and cellular therapy operations
Fellows spend 4 months at each of 2 partner hospitals (total of 8 months). This 8-month program trains the fellow in the following areas:
- Transfusion-related laboratory testing
- Clinical indications and consultation for blood components and therapeutic apheresis
- Transfusion practices and sequelae, including transfusion reaction investigation and management
- Quality assurance and blood utilization monitoring
- Cellular therapy laboratory processes
- Coagulation testing
The two partner hospitals are either:
Prerequisites
- Eligible for an unrestricted active license to practice medicine in New York State
- Eligible for subspecialty certification upon fellowship completion as defined by the American Board of Pathology (ABP). This includes eligibility in CP, AP/CP, or another ABMS board as defined by the ABP.
Stipend
Commensurate with level of postgraduate training PGY 5. Also provided are professional development funds for books and/or a meeting. Fellows receive a full benefits package, including professional liability insurance and 15 days of vacation.
Application Process
- Admissions are rolling. We prefer to receive complete applications starting in April, two years prior to the intended start date (i.e. July 2027 will be April 1, 2025). However, we accept applications until available positions are filled.
- Potential applicants in the country on a H1B Visa, please ensure that your visa is transferable and will remain current during the one-year fellowship.
- Email us ([email protected]) to receive an application or for further information on available positions. We look forward to hearing from you!
Additional Fellowship Program Information
Meet Our Current Fellows
Dr. Suzanne Brandt received a B.S. in Economics from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington DC. She completed her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and a fellowship in Cytopathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. After training, she was a cytopathologist at NYP/Weill Cornell before moving to New Jersey where she worked at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood for several years practicing both anatomic and clinical pathology
Chinwe Madubata is a Transfusion Medicine Fellow at NYBC and Weill Cornell Medical Center. She completed an Anatomic Pathology/Clinical Pathology residency and a Molecular Genetic Pathology fellowship at Columbia University. During fellowship, she plans to explore the uses of genetic testing, including human erythrocyte and leukocyte antigen typing, in transfusion and transplantation medicine.
Ian Mellis is a Transfusion Medicine Fellow at NYBC and Columbia University. He completed Clinical Pathology residency at Columbia in the Physician-Scientist Research Pathway track. Prior to that, he attended the University of Pennsylvania for his MD and PhD training in Genomics and Computational Biology. His prior research focused on cellular reprogramming, gene regulation, and genetic engineering. He looks forward to working on projects about Transfusion Medicine-related topics during fellowship, including serum antibody characterization, antiviral host immune responses, and genetic engineering. Outside of medicine and science, Ian enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and learning languages.
Evan Waldron received his B.A. in Biochemistry from Vassar College in 2012. He subsequently received his MD and PhD from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, where he worked in the laboratory of Dr. Matthew Neiditch using x-ray crystallography to determine the structure and function of various proteins involved in bacterial quorum sensing. Dr. Waldron completed his residency in Clinical Pathology at Columbia University where he also conducted postdoctoral work on phage defense in the laboratory of Dr. Jonathan Dworkin through the Physician-Scientist Research Pathway. As a fellow, he is excited to use single particle cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) to investigate the molecular structure of blood group antigens.
Past Fellows
Fellows in past 10 years
2023-2024
Ronald Devera, MD
Beth Raju, MD
2022-2023
Behnam Rafiee, MD
Tobias Cohen, MD PhD
2021-2022
Michael Karasick, MD
2020-2021
Stacia Semple, MD
Maha Al-Ghafry, MD
Marilyn Nedumcheril, MD
2019-2020
Alexandra Budhai, MD
Elizabeth Stone, MD PhD
Kristin Sticco, MD
2018-2019
Aaron Wyble, MD
Gianna Ballon, MD
Sabrina Racine-Brzostek, MD PhD
Sarah Vossoughi, MD RN
2017-2018
Elizabeth Godbey, MD
Monika Paroder, MD PhD
Robert DeSimone, MD
Swathi Ratkal, MD
2016-2017
Susmitha Edappallath, MD
Stuart Weisberg, MD PhD
Edward Yoon, MD
2015-2016
Chancey Christenson, MD
Ruchika Goel, MD MPH
Alexandra Jimenez, MD
NYBCe Transfusion Medicine Fellowship Leadership
Overall Fellowship Program Director
Jed Gorlin, MD
Vice President, Medical and Regulatory Affairs
[email protected]
Fellowship Leadership
NYBC Associate Director
Patricia Shi, MD
Vice President, Medical Director
[email protected]
Columbia Director
Yvette Tanhehco, MD PhD
Medical Director of Cellular Therapy Laboratory
Assistant Director of Transfusion Medicine
Associate Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology
[email protected]
Weill Cornell Director
Alexandra Jimenez, MD
Director of Transfusion Medicine Education
Associate Director of Transfusion Medicine and Cellular Therapy
Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine [email protected]
Northwell Health Director
Vishesh Chhibber, MD
Medical Director, North Shore University Hospital Transfusion Services
Associate Medical Director, Northwell Health Transfusion Medicine
[email protected]
Mount Sinai Director
Tayler Vandenakker, MD
Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Program Coordinator
Noemi Aponte
Fellowship Coordinator, New York Blood Center
[email protected]