Center for Childhood Cancer Research

Extended Bio

I am a pediatric oncologist with expertise in the care of children with solid tumors. I have a particular interest in the treatment of patients with sarcomas and neuroblastoma, and I co-direct Children's Hospital's solid tumor program.

Current treatment regimens are effective for many children diagnosed with solid tumors in childhood, and the collaborative approach taken at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia allows patients to benefit from the expertise of surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists, nurses, nutritionists and other specialists who work together to provide state-of-the-art care for our patients. Our solid tumor team is committed to optimizing the effectiveness of current therapies while trying to minimize the side effects of treatment.

Our group also is committed to developing new treatments for childhood solid tumors. As a member of the Children's Hospital oncology developmental therapeutics team, I am involved in research studies (clinical trials) of new agents for patients whose cancers don't respond to initial or established treatments. My colleagues and I conduct research trials that provide patients with access to the newest anticancer medications. We study novel treatments that haven't previously been administered to children. These trials permit us to better understand how to use new treatments in the most effective way. We are currently expanding the number of new agent trials available to our patients, and we collaborate with colleagues from around the region and nation in our efforts to advance the field.

While there are tremendous challenges inherent in the pursuit of new treatments, the solid tumor and developmental therapeutics teams have the opportunity to build upon the expertise here to develop newer, less toxic treatments for childhood cancer. My highest priority is to make innovative treatments available to the children who need them.

Publications