
Overview
Richard F. Ambinder, M.D., Ph.D., currently serves as the James B. Murphy Professor of Oncology and the Director of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. He is program co-leader of the Hematologic Malignancies and Bone Marrow Transplantation Program and leads the AIDS Malignancy Consortium (AMC) site at Johns Hopkins and the AMC Translational Sciences Working Group nationally. Dr. Ambinder graduated from Harvard College with a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, after which he received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine before completing his residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also earned his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the Johns Hopkins University, and completed his oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins. Within the clinic, Dr. Ambinder is active in the treatment of lymphoma and Kaposi’s sarcoma. Dr. Ambinder’s research is focused on exploring opportunities to prevent or treat cancer with viral infections. Virus-associated tumors are among the most common malignancies in certain populations and regions. For instance, Burkitt's lymphoma (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma (KSHV) are common in equatorial Africa, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (EBV) is common in southern Chinese populations or those with southern Chinese origins, and immunoblastic lymphomas (EBV) are common in immunocompromised patients (organ transplant recipients, AIDS patients, etc). Thus, Dr. Ambinder’s new approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment stand to have a direct impact on the lives of cancer patients around the globe. Additionally, the study of how viruses can impact these tumors is important in creating model systems for the development of new approaches to cancer care. Currently, many immunotherapies target unidentified antigens, making the measurement of relevant immune responses problematic at best. However, in EBV-associated tumors the antigens are well defined, thus allowing the Ambinder lab to define the epitope-specific cellular immune responses. As a result of this breakthrough, interventions designed to alter immune response —whether they be vaccine based interventions, adoptive immunotherapy interventions, or pharmacologic interventions — may all be assessed in terms of relevant surrogate markers. Much in the same way the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma with radiotherapy and chemotherapy paved the way for the modern approach to cancer treatment more broadly, the treatment of EBV-associated tumors (including Hodgkin's lymphoma) may pave the way to the more generalized use of these modalities to treat a myriad of cancer types.
Dr. Ambinder is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Leukemia. His top areas of expertise are Hodgkin Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, B-Cell Lymphoma, Tissue Biopsy, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.
His clinical research consists of co-authoring 187 peer reviewed articles and participating in 16 clinical trials. MediFind looks at clinical research from the past 15 years. In particular, he has co-authored 11 articles in the study of Leukemia.
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Locations
401 North Broadway Street, Weinberg BLDG, Weinberg BLDG, Baltimore, MD 21287
Clinical Research
Clinical research consists of overseeing clinical studies of patients undergoing new treatments and therapies, and publishing articles in peer reviewed medical journals. Providers who actively participate in clinical research are generally at the forefront of the fields and aware of the most up-to-date advances in treatments for their patients.
16 Clinical Trials
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Mark J. Levis, M.D., Ph.D., professor of oncology, medicine and pharmacology in the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, co-directs the Hematologic Malignancies and Bone Marrow Transplantation Program and directs the Adult Leukemia Service at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. In addition to his role within the Kimmel Cancer Center, he serves on the faculty for the Johns Hopkins Graduate Training Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, a Ph.D. program that prepares scientists to conduct laboratory research at the cellular and molecular level that is designed to have a direct impact on the understanding of human diseases. Dr. Levis has expertise in acute and chronic myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and myelodysplastic syndromes. Dr. Levis received his medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, where he also earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins, followed by fellowships in medical oncology. Dr. Levis is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the European Hematology Association. He is an ad hoc member of the Oncology Drug Advisory Committee, as well as an ad hoc manuscript referee for peer-reviewed journals such as New England Journal of Medicine; Leukemia; Clinical Cancer Research; and The American Journal of Hematology. Dr. Levis has earned numerous awards, such as the Daniel Nathans Research Award from Johns Hopkins University, the Osler Housestaff Teaching Award, the Director's Teaching Award in Clinical Science, and the Advanced Clinical Research Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Levis’ laboratory research focuses on the development of molecularly-targeted therapies for leukemia. He is actively involved in the pre-clinical and clinical development of small molecule inhibitors of protein kinases, including FLT3. The research involves studying the biochemical effects of these inhibitors on samples taken from leukemia patients, with the broad goal of identifying and validating novel molecular therapeutic targets in these hematopoietic malignancies. While Dr. Levis plays a key role in the pre-clinical development of these therapies, he is particularly interested in translating this research to the bedside of his patients by using correlative studies to incorporate these novel therapies into existing treatments. In addition to his work in both the clinic and the laboratory, Dr. Levis has also conducted talks, mentorship and teaching lectures, and published extensively in the top journals in his field, including Leukemia; Blood; and the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Levis is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Leukemia. His top areas of expertise are Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Leukemia, Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia without Maturation, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.
Christopher Hourigan is an Oncologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Hourigan is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Leukemia. His top areas of expertise are Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Leukemia, Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Bone Graft, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. DeZern is a Professor of Oncology and Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is active in the Division of Hematology Malignancies, Leukemia Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. Dr. DeZern has expertise in aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, acute myeloid leukemia, and bone marrow transplantation. Dr. DeZern received her medical degree at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed a residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins, followed by fellowships in medical oncology and hematology, as well as obtained a Masters in Clinical Investigations at the Bloomberg School of Public health. Dr. DeZern is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Dr. DeZern’s principle research activities consist of designing and conducting clinical trials that test investigational new therapies and approaches in the treatment of bone marrow failure (aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndromes). She has specific expertise in the use of alternative donor bone marrow transplantation in patients with severe aplastic anemia and trials of novel therapeutics for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. Additionally, she has taken a rigorous approach to the study of diagnostics and supportive case (such as transfusion practices) in these patient populations. She is or has been the Principal Investigator for a number of multicenter trials in collaboration with the MDS Clinical Research Consortium, the Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group (ECOG)-ACRIN and now the Bone Marrow Trials Clinical Trials Network (BMTCTN). She is the Study Chair for the multi-site BMTCTN study (CHAMP) investigating the role of haploidentical donor transplantation using post-transplantation cyclophosphamide in patients with relapsed several aplastic anemia. Dr. DeZern is the local PI as well as the Deputy Chair for The National MDS Study, a collaborative natural history study of the NHLBI and the NCI. As a clinical investigator with a focus on translation of novel treatments to the clinic, Dr. DeZern’s goal is to improve outcomes for patients with bone marrow failure at the bedside and in her research environment. Dr. Dezern is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Leukemia. Her top areas of expertise are Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML), Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Bone Marrow Transplant, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.
Areas of Expertise
MediFind evaluates expertise by pulling from factors such as number of articles a doctor has published in medical journals, participation in clinical trials, speaking at industry conferences, prescribing and referral patterns, and strength of connections with other experts in their field.
Learn more about MediFind’s expert tiers
- Elite
- B-Cell LymphomaDr. Ambinder isElite. Learn about B-Cell Lymphoma.
- Hodgkin LymphomaDr. Ambinder isElite. Learn about Hodgkin Lymphoma.
- Non-Hodgkin LymphomaDr. Ambinder isElite. Learn about Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
- Distinguished
- Classical Hodgkin LymphomaDr. Ambinder isDistinguished. Learn about Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma.
- Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)Dr. Ambinder isDistinguished. Learn about Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL).
- Follicular LymphomaDr. Ambinder isDistinguished. Learn about Follicular Lymphoma.
- Large-Cell Immunoblastic LymphomaDr. Ambinder isDistinguished. Learn about Large-Cell Immunoblastic Lymphoma.
- Midline Lethal GranulomaDr. Ambinder isDistinguished. Learn about Midline Lethal Granuloma.
- T-Cell LymphomaDr. Ambinder isDistinguished. Learn about T-Cell Lymphoma.
- Advanced
- Adult Soft Tissue SarcomaDr. Ambinder isAdvanced. Learn about Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma.
- AgranulocytosisDr. Ambinder isAdvanced. Learn about Agranulocytosis.
- Burkitt LymphomaDr. Ambinder isAdvanced. Learn about Burkitt Lymphoma.
- Chronic B-Cell Leukemia (CBCL)Dr. Ambinder isAdvanced. Learn about Chronic B-Cell Leukemia (CBCL).
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)Dr. Ambinder isAdvanced. Learn about Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).
- Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL)Dr. Ambinder isAdvanced. Learn about Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL).
- Experienced
- Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)Dr. Ambinder isExperienced. Learn about Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
- Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia with MaturationDr. Ambinder isExperienced. Learn about Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia with Maturation.
- Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia without Maturation
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)Dr. Ambinder isExperienced. Learn about Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
- Anal CancerDr. Ambinder isExperienced. Learn about Anal Cancer.
- Anaplastic Large Cell LymphomaDr. Ambinder isExperienced. Learn about Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma.

