The timeline
Internal medicine residency is three years, and you apply to fellowship at the very start of PGY3. Programs read your application in July of PGY3, so whatever is on it by then is what they see. In practice, the work that gets you into fellowship happens in PGY1 and PGY2.
The second clock to watch is the abstract calendar. A project only helps your application if it turns into an abstract or paper before July of PGY3. That means the abstract deadlines in PGY2 are the ones that count most.
| When | Your training | Abstract deadlines to hit |
|---|---|---|
| PGY1 July to December | Explore. Do a heme/onc rotation or consult month if you can. Meet faculty and find a research mentor. | None yet. Join a project now so it has data by next summer. |
| PGY1 January to June | Projects move from idea to data. Decide which meeting each project is aiming for and work backward. | ASCO Annual (late January) is usually too early for a brand new project, but an ongoing group project may make it. |
| PGY2 July to October | Max out heme/onc electives. This is abstract season. | SABCS mid July, ASH early August, ASCO GI mid to late September, ASCO GU mid to late October. |
| PGY2 November to February | Present at December and winter meetings (SABCS, ASH, GI, GU). Network hard. Start thinking about letter writers. | ASCO Annual late January. This is the last big deadline whose decision comes back before you apply. |
| PGY2 March to June | Ask for letters by spring. Write your personal statement and finish your CV. ERAS opens in early June. Attend ASCO Annual (late May into June) and meet the programs you want. | Turn accepted abstracts into manuscripts. |
| PGY3 July | Submit ERAS as soon as programs can receive it (early July). Programs start reviewing in mid July. Early and complete beats late and polished. | SABCS and ASH deadlines come around again. Submit anyway; acceptances can be sent to programs as updates. |
| PGY3 August to November | Interview season. Rank lists are due in late November. | ASCO GI and GU deadlines. If an abstract is accepted during interview season, email a short update to programs. |
| PGY3 Early December | Match Day for hem/onc and the other medicine subspecialties. Then enjoy the rest of PGY3. | Present at ASH or SABCS in December, now as an incoming fellow. |
| July after PGY3 | Fellowship starts. |
How to use this
- Plan backward from the deadline. If you want to present at ASH in PGY2, your data has to be analyzed by late July of PGY2. That means the project starts in PGY1.
- Give every project a target meeting when it starts, and put the deadline in your calendar.
- Count what lands before July of PGY3. Accepted abstracts and submitted manuscripts by then go on your ERAS application.
- Keep submitting after you apply. New acceptances during interview season are worth a short update email to programs.
Based on the 2027 ERAS fellowship cycle: ERAS opened June 4, 2026, applicants could submit to July cycle programs from July 1, programs could review from July 15, and the medicine subspecialty Match Day fell in early December. Dates shift slightly every year, so check the AAMC ERAS fellowship timeline, the NRMP Medical Specialties Matching Program and our live conference calendar for your cycle. See The abstract calendar for each meeting.