Welcome to the web site of the Division of Hematology-Oncology in the Department of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern. Our missions are: (1) diagnosis and care of infants, children, and adolescents with cancer and myriad hematologic disorders; (2) education of medical students, residents, fellows, and other trainees as well as provision of continuing education to practicing physicians; (3) clinical, translational, and laboratory research aimed at improving and extending our knowledge about blood diseases and cancer; and, (4) advocacy of our cause on behalf of the patients and families which we serve.
Our clinical practice is based at Children's Medical Center Dallas where we staff a dedicated 22 bed inpatient unit on the 10th floor, a 6 bed inpatient chemotherapy unit, and a 9,000 sq. ft. outpatient facility. From the perspective of patient numbers, our program is one of the largest in the nation. Each year we see approximately 200 new cancer patients, and over 12,000 outpatient clinic visits are handled by our staff.
There are currently 16 full-time faculty members in the division, as well as 10 hematology-oncology fellows and an outstanding support and administrative staff of over 100 individuals.
We are the primary consultative and on-going patient care resource in northeast Texas for children with blood diseases and cancer. Through an active and multi-faceted outreach program, we serve primary and other referring physicians whose patients are suspected or confirmed as having a malignancy or hematologic problem.
Our education mission includes medical students, pediatric residents, and hematology-oncology fellows, the latter program being supported by a institutional NRSA T32 Training Grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The division also sponsors an innovative summer student internship program for outstanding premedical and medical students.
The Hematology-Oncology Division has a strong focus on research. Basic science research is enhanced by the world class investigative environment at UT Southwestern that includes 4 Nobel Prize winners and other internationally known scientists with whom hematology-oncology faculty regular collaborate. Currently 4 hematology-oncology faculty members are actively engaged in laboratory research on the main South or on the North campus in areas that include molecular oncology, programmed cell death, and gene targeting. Clinical research in oncology centers on our participation in Children's Oncology Group (COG) in key administrative and scientific leadership positions as well as substantial patient enrollment on studies. The program has a major commitment to participation in Phase I studies through an NCI-supported network of pediatric centers and in-house therapeutic, biological classification, and supportive care trials. An investigative program in late effects of cancer treatment and long-term survivorship during childhood and adolescents is particularly noteworthy.
Our division is also a national leader in clinical research in non-malignant hematology. We are one of ten National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers. We also participate in the Hemostasis-Transfusion Medicine Clinical Trials Network and several NIH-funded multi center studies involving Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia. Cutting edge clinical research in hemophilia/thrombophilia and ITP are also major commitments.
In the accompanying links, you, the visitors to our web site, can see for yourselves how our program is well positioned to achieve its goal of becoming one of the five top pediatric hematology-oncology programs in the world.
This summary was prepared by:
George R. Buchanan, M.D.
Director, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Children's Cancer Fund Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Oncology and Hematology
Director, Barrett Family Center for Pediatric Oncology
UT Southwestern Medical Center
