Training fellows in genomic oncology: A pilot team-based workshop.

Abstract

9024 Background: Genomic oncology (GO) is central to diagnosis and management of patients with cancer. However, GO training is an unmet need for hematology/oncology (H/O) fellows. The Training Fellows in Genomic (TFIG) Working Group developed a team-based GO workshop, with goals of creating a “train-the-trainer” experience for faculty and improving fellows’ GO knowledge. Methods: Ten North American H/O fellowship programs participated in the TFIG pilot. Cross-disciplinary faculty (H/O fellowship program leaders [PL] with local GO faculty experts) participated in (2) 60-minute virtual “train-the-trainer” sessions on team-based learning (TBL) and GO content. Faculty then led (2) 120-minute case-based TBL workshops for fellows at their home institutions: 1) methodology and selection of cancer gene panels, and 2) result interpretation and clinical utility. Participating faculty and fellows were sent a post-workshop survey. Fellows received an additional follow-up survey seven months after workshop participation. Results: 96 fellows and 24 faculty participated in the TFIG workshop. 68 fellows (71%) and 21 faculty (88%) completed the post-workshop survey; 60 fellows (62%) completed the follow-up survey. In addition to H/O PL, workshop faculty included pathologists (n=2), genetic counselors (n=2), laboratory geneticists (n=2), medical geneticists (n=1), and genomics professors (n=1). Most (90%) felt train-the-trainer sessions were helpful for workshop preparation. All agreed/strongly agreed that the workshop will help fellows as practicing oncologists. All would recommend the workshop to other fellowship programs. While most fellows (88%) reported using GO in their clinics, 97% had no prior training during fellowship. The majority reported that their pre-workshop knowledge of GO was poor (31%) or fair (43%). Almost all (91%) agreed/strongly agreed that the workshop will help their clinical practice, and most (88%) would recommend this workshop to other fellows. At seven months post-workshop, more than half (52%) of fellows reported greater interactions with genetics professionals and increased use of web-based GO resources introduced during the workshop; 32% reported using knowledge gained during the workshop to educate others. Conclusions: Formalized training in GO is required for H/O practice and remains an unmet need for H/O fellows. Our TFIG pilot demonstrated that an interactive GO workshop is feasible through implementation of standardized faculty training and a case-based TBL format. Faculty found the “train-the-trainer” model helpful and noted TFIG content is effective and recommended for fellows. Fellows reported sustained improvements in GO knowledge, increased use of web-based GO tools explored during the workshop, and greater interdisciplinary engagement with GO experts. These findings support the TFIG model as a scalable and effective means to deliver expert-led, team-based GO training for H/O fellows.