The University of Washington Department of Radiation Oncology welcomes medical students for clinical rotations and has a medical student research fellowship. We welcome students both from the University of Washington and other schools of medicine.
For clinical rotations, one-month in-person and two-week virtual clerkships are available.
For the research fellowship, we encourage longer periods for skills development and mentorship. Please see details about eligibility, requirements, and application process at the link below.
The University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center offer a clinical research fellowship for medical students interested in dedicating 10-12 months to research. This fellowship program is in partnership with the Integrative Medicine Department at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and activities occur under the supervision of Dr. Erin Gillespie, Associate Professor and Radiation Oncologist specializing in breast cancer and metastatic disease at the University of Washington, and Dr. Jun Mao, Attending Member and Chief of the Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Fellows will be paired with a primary mentor for conducting their research projects.
Potential projects involve clinical trials, care delivery innovation, health equity, implementation science, symptom science, quality and safety, health services, healthcare policy, and educational research, with opportunities available to conduct multidisciplinary studies with experts in biostatistics, epidemiology, behavioral sciences, and clinical trial methodology. Research fellows typically design, conduct, analyze, and publish 2-3 studies during the research year, as well as participate in ongoing educational and clinical programming initiatives. Leadership opportunities include overseeing research projects and managing eContour’s content and strategic partnerships, such as the cloud imaging solution MIM Software Inc. Research fellows will participate in formal didactics which includes a practical course in applied statistics. Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in limited clinical activities in radiation oncology, medical oncology, and/or integrative medicine.
Medical students in good standing who have completed at least one year of medical school (typically fellows are between 3rd and 4th year) and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents may apply. Underrepresented minorities and women are encouraged to apply. The student must commit to full-time research for a minimum of 8 months. Ideally, candidates should have some clinical research experience; however, it is more important that they be motivated, hard-working, and eager to learn. Two to three research fellows will be chosen per year. Fellows will have a research base at either UW/FHCC (in Seattle) or MSK (in New York City). Working remotely may also be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.
The stipend for FY 2026-2027 was approximately $700/week or $36,400 for 12 months. In addition, funds to travel to one meeting to present research may be provided.
Please email the following materials to eringill@uw.edu:
The deadline for applications is December 31, 2025 but are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants will be notified soon thereafter for a videoconference interview, and decisions will be provided no later than February 1, 2026.
For general questions about the program, please contact eringill@uw.edu
Disclosure: Dr. Gillespie is a co-founder and editor-in-chief for eContour
Elaine Cha, MD (Fellow ‘19-20) Radiation Oncology Residency at MD Anderson Cancer Center
Kaitlyn Lapen, MD (Fellow ‘19-20) Radiation Oncology Residency at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Helen Zhang, MD (Fellow ‘20-21) Radiation Oncology Residency at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Noah Mathis, MD (Fellow ’20-21) Internal Medicine Residency and Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital
Nahomy Ledesma Vicioso, MD (Fellow ’21-22) Ophthalmology Residency at University of Rochester
Nick Verdini, MD (Fellow ’22-23) Radiation Oncology Residency at Stanford University
Kirin Saint, MD (Fellow ’22-23) Internal Medicine Residency at Rush University
Sierra Silverwood, MD (Fellow ’23-24) Radiation Oncology Residency at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center