Dr. Carla Alexander

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 highly rated in 27 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML), Bone Marrow Transplant, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.

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 highly rated in 14 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Leukemia, Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia without Maturation, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.

Dr. Nina Wagner-Johnston is Professor of Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her areas of clinical expertise include non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and HIV-related lymphomas. Dr. Wagner-Johnston serves as the Director for the Lymphoma Drug Development Program at the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Wagner-Johnston received her baccalaureate degree in nursing from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She earned her MD and completed her residency training at the University of Chicago, Chicago Illinois. She performed a fellowship in Medical Oncology at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Wagner-Johnston joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2015. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Dr. Wagner-Johnston was an Assistant Professor at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. Her research interests include clinical trial and biomarker development for patients with lymphoma. She is additionally involved in palliative/supportive care research and has a particular interest in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Dr. Wagner-Johnston serves as a member on the NCCN Cancer Related Fatigue Guidelines Panel and the ASCO Neuropathy Guidelines Panel. She has served as a journal reviewer for Annals of Oncology, Leukemia and Lymphoma, Blood, and the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. She is a previous recipient of a Young Investigator Award at the Supportive Oncology Conference as well as a Mentoring Program Award through the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She has served on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Lymphoma Steering Committee Clinical Trials Design Committee and the NCI Symptom Management and Health Related Quality of Life Steering Committee. She is a member of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the AIDS Malignancies Consortium (AMC), and the Eastern Cancer Oncology Group (ECOG) Lymphoma Committee. Dr. Wagner is highly rated in 22 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, B-Cell Lymphoma, Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), Bone Marrow Transplant, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.