Medical Oncology Fellowship
Find out about the Medical Oncology Fellowship from our fellows and faculty.
Learn more about residencies and fellowships at the University of South Alabama and life on the Gulf Coast.
Welcome to the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute medical oncology fellowship program.
We are delighted that you have taken interest in our program and are glad you have
taken the time to visit our website for more information. We accept two fellows per
year to our ACGME-accredited two-year program.
Our mission is to train future generations of competent medical oncologists. Our graduates
are trained to demonstrate excellence in clinical care, patient-based translational
research, quality improvement and cancer prevention. We are uniquely positioned to
provide solid medical oncology training because of our patient base that represent
minorities and our team that consist of laboratory and clinical research faculty,
expert clinical disease-focused multidisciplinary team and clinical trials (including
phase 1) comprehensive program.
Our training is well-structured to provide an independent environment, yet it ensures
adequate supervision. The training is well balanced between clinical duties and protected
time for each fellow to tailor their training to their future career plans. During
their protected time, fellows can work with their mentors/teams on their clinical
education, research, quality improvement projects, cancer prevention program, develop
teaching skills required to be a physician educator or a variety of other pursuits.
Our fellows have direct access to faculty that provide mentorship. A high faculty-to-fellows
ratio affords a significant level of individual attention, and our faculty is dedicated
to helping fellows achieve their goals.
Our culture encourages curiosity and challenges assumptions as we push each other
to improve the health of patients. We sincerely believe in our stated mission: "We
help people lead longer, better lives." As a fellow in the division of Medical Oncology,
you will be a part of this culture, these people, and this mission. We know you will
find many unique features at USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute that make this an
exciting and challenging place to pursue your career in oncology.
- Adequately tailor fellowship training to prepare medical oncology fellows for their
specific career interest (i.e. academic or private practice) while still ensuring
competent training with the broad skill set needed to treat cancer, contribute to
science, educate students and trainees and participate in quality improvement and
cancer prevention.
- Train fellows to care for patients in all stages of cancer and blood disorders. Fellows
will provide consultation on risk reduction, prevention, adjuvant, curative and palliative
uses of chemotherapy.
- Fellows will appraise and assimilate scientific evidence and continuously improve
patient care based on constant self-evaluation and life-long learning in an educational
environment built on evidence-based practice.
- Train fellows to participate in multidisciplinary teams that focus on patient-centered and tailored treatment plans appropriate to the individual goals of the patient.
The Medical Oncology Fellowship Program is a two-year program designed to provide
the fellow with the education, training, and clinical skills necessary to pursue an
academic career in Medical Oncology medicine. Teaching facilities include the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute and the USA Health University Hospital.
All fellows will participate in research during their training with the intent to train academic physicians. Research time is provided in order to maximize opportunities for career interests to develop. Fellows may choose mentors and projects ranging from clinical research to basic science research at the Mitchell Cancer Institute. Fellows are expected to present their research at local and international conferences and to prepare manuscripts for publication.
Brian E. Persing, M.D.
Division Director, Medical Oncology; Program Director; Arlene and Mayer Mitchell Chair
of Medical Oncology; Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology
Omar Alkharabsheh, M.D.
Associate Program Director
Associate Professor
Hematologic Oncology
Ahmed Abdalla, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Gastrointestinal Oncology
Thomas W. Butler, M.D.
Associate Professor
Palliative/Supportive Care
Daniel Cameron, M.D.
Associate Professor
General Oncology
Nabin Karki, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Genitourinary Oncology
Pranitha Prodduturvar, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Thoracic
Zachary M. Trisel, M.D.
Assistant Professor
General Oncology
We offer a fully integrated, two-year medical oncology program. The 24 months of training
incorporates six months of in-patient rotation, six months of medical oncology specialties
rotation, one month of stem cell transplant and two months of research. The remaining
rotations are selected by each fellow according to their interest and their future
desired career. Our program offers flexibility during this time period in which fellows
can pursue a wide range of interests. Some of the opportunities include spending time
in a basic science laboratory, developing skills in clinical and translational research,
training in quality improvement projects and developing teaching skills required to
be a clinician educator. Our fellows are encouraged to pursue scholarly activities
and research projects and compete for national and international presentations and
awards.
The general structure of the rotations is listed below, with each rotation lasting approximately one month:
In-patient Rotation:
- In-Patient rotation at University Hospital
Medical Oncology Specialties Rotations:
- Breast Medical Oncology
- Gastrointestinal (GI) Oncology
- Genitourinary (GU) Oncology
- Head and Neck Oncology
- Hematologic Malignancies
- Melanoma and Cutaneous Malignancies
- Neuro Oncology
- Palliative/Supportive Care
- Soft Tissue Sarcoma
- Thoracic Oncology
Stem Cell Transplant Rotation:
- Stem Cell Transplant at The University of Alabama
- Stem Cell Transplant at MD Anderson
Elective Rotations
- Gynecologic Oncology
- Surgical Oncology
- Radiation oncology
- Pathology
- Radiology
- Interventional Radiology
- Endocrine Oncology
Research
- Clinical Research
- Translational Research
- Basic science Research
- Quality Improvement research
Fellows have formal education through clinical teaching, tumor boards, didactic lectures and other educational conferences. See other didactic lectures.
First-year fellows participate in an Introduction to Research Series, in which leaders
at USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute highlight research opportunities that fellows
can pursue throughout their time in the program. Fellows hear from each department
about topics that include:
- Support for Grant Writing
- Basic Science Research
- Clinical Research
- Translational Research
- Quality Improvement Projects
First-Year Fellows
Sana Ozair, M.D.
Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Undergraduate: University of South Alabama
Medical School: University of South Alabama College of Medicine
Residency: Internal Medicine, University of South Alabama
Gaurav Sharma, M.D.
Hometown: New Delhi, India
Undergraduate/Medical School: Seth GS Medical College, Mumbai, India
Residency: University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
Second-Year Fellows
Anita Mazloom, M.D.
Hometown: San Jose, California
Undergraduate: Brown University
Graduate: Georgetown University
Medical School: St. George's University School of Medicine
Residency: Internal Medicine, New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital - Weill Cornell Medical College
Daisy Escobar, M.D.
Hometown: Sun Valley, California
Undergraduate: University of California Los Angeles
Medical School: Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara Facultad de Medicina Guadalajara
Residency: University of South Alabama
Program Alumni
Delmer Montoya, M.D.
Hometown: El Progresso, Honduras
Medical School: Catholic University of Honduras
Residency: Internal Medicine, Canton Medical Education Foundation
Fellowship: Hospice and Palliative Care, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Plans after Mitchell Cancer Institute Medical Oncology Fellowship: Arizona Oncology Tucson, AZ
Alhareth Alsayed, M.D.
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Medical School: Damascus University, Faculty of Medicine
Residency: Internal Medicine, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University
Plans after Mitchell Cancer Institute Medical Oncology Fellowship: CGH Medical Center Sterling, IL
Pranitha Prodduturvar, M.D.
Hometown: Nirmal, India
Medical School: Govt Medical College
Residency: Saint Joseph Hospital
Fellowship: Hospice and Palliative Care, University of Chicago
Plans after Mitchell Cancer Institute Medical Oncology Fellowship: Thoracic Oncology Fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN
Ashish Manne, M.D.
Hometown: Hyderabad, India
Residency: Internal Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Fellowship: Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Plans after Mitchell Cancer Institute Medical Oncology Fellowship: Gastroenterology Cancer Faculty at Ohio State University
Sunil Badami, M.D.
Hometown: Vijayapura
Medical School: Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute
Residency: Internal Medicine, Hurley Medical Center/MSU, Flint, Mich.
Fellowship: Hospice and Palliative Care, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Zachary Trisel, M.D.
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Undergraduate: University of Cincinnati
Medical School: University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Residency: Internal Medicine, Drexel University
Contact Us
Program Director: Brian Persing, M.D - bpersing@health.southalabama.edu
Program Coordinator: Alana Bell - alanabell@health.southalabama.edu
Telephone: (251) 445-8401