Each year, on the new Hematology and Oncology fellows‘ first day of fellowship, program leadership has always invited faculty and senior fellows to stop in to the Hamilton Conference Room for a breakfast and to welcome them to the program. In recent years this has been less possible, but this year was a return to form. Pastries and coffee were available to all and a steady stream of faculty members stopped in to introduce themselves.

Faculty members who stopped by at the invitation of Fellowship Program Director Daniel Berg, MD, included Division Director Mo Milhem, MBBS; Brian Link, MD; Taher Abu Hejleh, MBBS; Arwa Abruizik, MD, MS; Eric Mou, MD; and Sneha Phadke, DO. Each one introduced themselves and offered a few pieces of advice. Many reminisced about their own fellowship days, many alumni of the program at Iowa. All made it clear just how welcome this new class of six fellows was in the program, emphasizing that their doors are always open for any concerns.

Current fellows also kept the conversation going, offering practical tips like making sure they joined the always-active group chat and how to stay alert through some of the local speed traps in nearby neighborhoods. Some previews of what they would get at the more formal orientation was also discussed.

More important than any advice, however was the underlying message that the members of the fellowship program and the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation are grateful and excited to welcome their newest colleagues to Iowa.

Welcome!
Luna Acharya, MBBS
Justin Buzick, MD
Udhay Grewal, MBBS
Greg Kirkpatrick, MD, PhD
Samragnyi Madala, MD
Ben Staum, MD