Boonshoft School of Medicine resident selected for NIH fellowship with National Cancer Institute

Sadia Ilyas, a Boonshoft School of Medicine resident in surgery, is training for academic career in surgical oncology through a fellowship with the National Cancer Institute.

Sadia Ilyas, M.D., a Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine resident in surgery, is in her second year of a three-year National Institutes of Health fellowship with the National Cancer Institute.

The Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program trains surgeons committed to academic careers in surgical oncology. Eight positions per year are available for this fellowship program.

Ilyas began the fellowship in 2013, focusing on immunotherapy, a treatment that uses the body’s immune system to help fight cancer. She is now in the surgical oncology research program, which includes six months in clinical services and 18 months in the research laboratory.

Ilyas, who plans to become a physician-scientist, was interested in the fellowship because of the clinical experience in the field of immunotherapy and clinical trials.

“This fellowship allows significant, dedicated time in the laboratory in a highly translational setting,” she said. “It provides me with the opportunity to work with and learn from top researchers.”