HLA Director-In-Training, Department of Surgery
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA
Full-time
Administration / Clerical
Posted on June 17, 2023
Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory Fellowship Program
The Division of Transplant Surgery in the Department of Surgery is pleased to announce the establishment of a new VCU Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory (HIL) Fellowship Program. This is a Two-Year American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) accredited HLA Director-In-Training Program to prepare HIL Fellows to obtain (1) certification as a Fellow of the American College of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ACHI) and (2) provide the leadership and technical skills necessary to direct HIL operations and contribute, as a member of the Hume-Lee Transplant Center's transplant programs, to the clinical care of our patient population.
The VCU Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory, formerly known as the HLA Laboratory, opened in 1965 as one of the first of its kind in the world. Located within the Hume-Lee Transplant Center and the Division of Transplant Surgery, the lab specializes in cutting edge antibody detection and compatibility testing to match organ donors with waiting recipients for both the solid organ and bone marrow transplant programs. The Laboratory is located in a recently rebuilt 10,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park and is currently led by Dr. Mary Carmelle Philogne, F(ACHI).
The mission of the Division of Transplant Surgery is to provide excellence in clinical care, the advancement of science through research, and the training of undergraduate and graduate students in our discipline. The Department fosters a level of professional activity essential to the graduate and to the professional growth of the faculty. The Division provides junior faculty with clinical and research experiences that prepare them for their professional careers. The Division is committed to enhance diversity among its faculty, staff, and students. Finally, faculty have a responsibility to provide service to their profession and to the university community. Transplant care at VCU is a highly integrated, team-based approach.
APPLICATION TIMELINE
Open Monday April 17 through Friday, June 30, 2023
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The VCU Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory (HIL) Fellowship Program provides two years of formal training in Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics with the principal goal of providing trainees with the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to competently fulfill the responsibilities of a histocompatibility and immunogenetics laboratory director. The goals of the fellowship program are to provide:
Advanced training in histocompatibility and immunogenetics using state of the art diagnostic techniques.
Training in clinical consultation and understanding of the clinical aspects of the patient populations served by the laboratory;
Training in transplantation policy and the principles of laboratory management; and
Knowledge, skills, and experience to successfully sit for the American College of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ACHI) Laboratory Director Examination.
Under the direct guidance of the laboratory director, the HIL fellow will learn a full range of techniques including flow cytometry, solid phase HLA and non-HLA antibody testing, crossmatching, and molecular HLA typing. Additionally, the fellow will become proficient at integrating specialized testing into diagnostic decision-making and performing clinical case reviews. Research opportunities in basic and translational clinical studies in Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics are available in collaboration with the laboratory director and other members of the transplant program. Completion of this post-doctoral fellowship training program will provide the trainee with two years of education and experience, with partial fulfillment of the requirements needed to be a qualified histocompatibility and immunogenetics laboratory director under CLIA/CMS, United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), and ASHI standards. Specifically, the HIL fellow will learn to:
- Oversee/establish technical protocols for clinical testing including HLA serology, HLA molecular testing (by SSP, SSO, qPCR, SBT and/or NGS), crossmatching (by serology and flow cytometry), HLA antibody testing (by flow cytometry and/or Luminex) and non-HLA testing (by Elisa and/or Luminex);
- Oversee/establish ranges and critical reporting values for all tests;
- Establish interpretive guidelines for test results for each patient type and each service line. This includes living donor and deceased donor kidney and liver transplant, deceased donor heart transplant for VCUH and VA, related and non-related bone marrow transplant and disease associated testing (ex: celiac);
- Communicate with clinical providers regarding test interpretation and evolving program laboratory needs
- Provide clinical consultation;
- Oversee/establish quality control processes for all procedures, all equipment, all reagents and all personnel;
- Maintain regulatory compliance with CAP, ASHI, OPTN and NMDP. Develop and initiate corrective actions in case of deficiencies discovered during accreditation inspections by CAP and ASHI;
- Establish training criteria for all technologies and all personnel;
- Establish job responsibilities for all technologists;
- Oversee/establish lab processes and performance metrics for equipment, reagents and personnel;
- Develop and implement the budget and strategic plan for the lab; and
- Develop and monitor mandatory continuing education requirements
The HIL fellow/director trainee must have earned an MD, PhD or an MD/PhD in Immunology, genetics, or in a related biological science from an accredited institution. In addition, the applicant should have at least 2 years of full-time post-doctoral laboratory training or experience in Immunology, Histocompatibility, or Immunogenetics; a residency in clinical and/or anatomic pathology or other related medical specialty; or have at least 2 years full-time post-doctoral training in directing or supervising high complexity testing in human Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics in an ASHI-accredited or approved laboratory. Reference letters documenting the level of clinical involvement are required.
If the applicant has relevant pre-doctoral experience supervising high complexity testing in human Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics in an ASHI accredited or approved laboratory, this may be credited at a rate of 0.5 years of post-doctoral training per each year of appropriate pre-doctoral experience up to a total of 2 of 4 years of post-doctoral experience.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Mary Carmelle Philogne, PhD, F(ACHI)
Associate Professor | Director
Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory
Division of Transplant Surgery
Department of Surgery
Hume-Lee Transplant Center
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
TO BE CONSIDERED FOR AN INTERVIEW
You must have a completed application on file that is composed of the items listed below:
- Letter of intent summarizing your education, training and experience that are relevant to the HIL fellowship/training program;
- The candidate's CV;
- 3-5 letters of reference/recommendation (3 required; 2 additional are optional); and
- Names and contact information for at least three references.
Please note we cannot support Research visas in the clinical laboratory specialties.
Contact Information
Jessica Carey
jessica.carey@vcuhealth.org
Salary Range: Commensurate with NIH Requirements
Position Details:
Department: Department of SurgeryEmployment Type: PD - Post DocRestricted Status: YesFTE: 1.0Exemption Status: Exempt
