As a physician scientist in the hematological malignancies and stem cell transplantation division with Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Johns Hopkins, my focus is on the various aspects of cellular therapy in the treatment of hematological malignancies. My primary research focus is to develop strategies to prevent relapse of hematological malignancies following allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Additionally, I serve as the director of the adult CAR T program for hematological malignancies as we grow our CAR T program to help patients with advanced hematological malignancies. My academic interest in this space lies in studying the aspects of toxicity of CAR T cell therapy with an aim to improve long term outcomes in these patients. Among hematological malignancies, myeloproliferative disorders are my area of interest and I work to study newer drugs in early phase of development and also its treatment using allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Patient appointments: 410-955-8893. Dr. Jain is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Myelofibrosis, Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN), Splenomegaly, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Splenectomy.

Dr. Cooke is Director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center’s Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Program. Prior to his appointment at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Cooke headed the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, in Cleveland, Ohio. He also co-directed the Hematologic Disorders Program of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University. A nationally recognized transplantation immunology expert, Dr. Cooke focuses primarily on new strategies to prevent and treat graft-vs-host disease and lung complications following blood and bone marrow transplantation. His research efforts have been recognized by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Society of Clinical Investigation. In addition to his younger patients, Dr. Cooke also cares for adolescents and young adults. Dr. Cooke is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Graft Versus Host Disease (GvHD), Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease (cGvHD), Anemia, Aplastic Anemia, and Bone Marrow Transplant.

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 a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML), Bone Marrow Transplant, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.

Dr. Robert Brodsky is a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His area of clinical expertise is classical hematology and haploidentical bone marrow transplant for sickle cell disease and aplastic anemia. Dr. Brodsky serves as the director of the Division of Hematology and the T32 Training Program. He is the Johns Hopkins Family Professor of Medicine and Oncology. He received his M.D. from Hahnemann University. He completed his residency at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He performed a fellowship in hematology at the National Institutes of Health and a fellowship in oncology at Johns Hopkins. He joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 1997. From 2017 to 2022 he served as Associate Editor to The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI) and Secretary to American Society of Hematology (ASH). He serves as President of The American Society of Hematology (ASH) in 2023. Dr. Brodsky is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH), Paroxysmal Cold Hemoglobinuria, Anemia, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Splenectomy.

"In her first decade as a pediatric oncologist, Dr. Symons already has shown an impressive ability to juggle multiple research projects, in addition to caring for patients. One of Dr. Symons' research pursuits focuses on using a novel immunotherapy approach to treating both solid tumors and hematologic (blood-borne) malignancies. The basis of her work stems from the theory that cancer patients' immune systems should recognize tumor cells as foreign and destroy them. This doesn't happen, theorizes Dr. Symons, because the immune system attacks only those cells it perceives as dangerous—not cancer cells, which it sees simply as foreign. That's where her research comes into play. Evaluating an experimental therapy, Dr. Symons is pairing donor lymphocytes (white blood cells that activate the body's immune system) with chemotherapy to determine if this combination will ""awaken"" patients' immune systems to the danger of existing cancer cells and, in turn, elicit an immune response. In a separate yet equally compelling research endeavor, Dr. Symons is working to increase the availability of donors for children whose cancer requires bone marrow transplants (BMTs) as a potentially lifesaving treatment. ""It can be challenging to find a 'matched' donor,"" says Dr. Symons, who explains that only about 40 percent of patients who require a BMT find a matched donor. ""Sometimes, we don't have the benefit of time, because remissions can be short-lived. But almost all patients have a half-matched donor: a parent, sibling, or child,"" adds Dr. Symons, who is examining ways to reduce BMT-related complications ordinarily associated with half-matched donors after ablative (high dose) chemotherapy. ""Like anything else that's new, it will take some time to prove that this is a feasible option that's safe,"" she says. But she's optimistic. ""It has the potential to revolutionize BMT."" Dr. Symons knows it's worth the wait. ""Seeing the research I do in the lab translate into clinical trials, then seeing patients in these trials survive long term, is incredibly rewarding,"" she says.". Dr. Symons is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Graft Versus Host Disease (GvHD), Aplastic Anemia, Anemia, Leukemia, and Bone Marrow Transplant.

Dr. Lode J. Swinnen is a cancer specialist in Baltimore caring for patients with lymphoma. Dr. Swinnen received his M.B.Ch.B. degree from the University of Cape Town Medical School. He completed his residency at Presence Saint Joseph Hospital and performed a fellowship in hematology-oncology at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Swinnen joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2002. His research interests include lymphomas and immunodeficiency-associated malignancies. Dr. Swinnen is a member of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Dr. Swinnen is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), Hodgkin Lymphoma, Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL), and Bone Marrow Transplant.

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 rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. 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.

Jean Yared is a Hematologist Oncology specialist and a Hematologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Yared is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Graft Versus Host Disease (GvHD), Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Multiple Myeloma, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Bone Marrow Aspiration. Dr. Yared is currently accepting new patients.

Aaron Rapoport is a Hematologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Rapoport is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, B-Cell Lymphoma, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Bone Marrow Aspiration. Dr. Rapoport is currently accepting new patients.

Dennis Hickstein is a Hematologist Oncology provider in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Hickstein is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency Type 1, Hyper IgE Syndrome, Autosomal Dominant Hyper IgE Syndrome, and Bone Marrow Transplant.

Ashraf Badros is an Oncologist and a Transplant Surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Badros is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Multiple Myeloma, Smoldering Multiple Myeloma, Relapsed Refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM), Plasmacytoma, and Bone Marrow Transplant. Dr. Badros is currently accepting new patients.

Mehmet Kocoglu is a Hematologist Oncology specialist and a Hematologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Kocoglu is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Multiple Myeloma, Relapsed Refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM), Smoldering Multiple Myeloma, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Bone Marrow Aspiration. Dr. Kocoglu is currently accepting new patients.

Djordje Atanackovic is a Hematologist and a Hematologist Oncology provider in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Atanackovic is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Multiple Myeloma, Smoldering Multiple Myeloma, T-Cell Lymphoma, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.

Dr. Ivana Gojo is a Hematologist/Oncologist in Baltimore. Her clinical focus is on diagnosis and management of patients with acute leukemias (AML, ALL) and other myeloid malignancies (MDS, MPNs, CML), with emphasis on the development of novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases. She is nationally and internationally recognized expert in clinical translation of novel therapeutics for acute leukemias and principal investigator on multiple multi-center investigator-initiated studies. Dr. Gojo joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2012 as the Co-Director of Leukemia Drug Development Program. She has served on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Investigational Drug Steering Committee since 2014. Dr. Gojo received a Service Star Award from Johns Hopkins Medicine Service Excellence in 2018 for her exemplary care of leukemia patients. Dr. Gojo contributed to the clinical translational and drug development effort of multiple novel agents targeting pathogenic pathways in patients with acute leukemia. Her research efforts are now concentrated on the development and integration of novel immunotherapies into therapeutic armamentarium for patients with acute leukemia. She mentors basic and clinical research fellows and junior faculty on the development and design of novel clinical trials and mechanistic laboratory studies associated with these trials. She served as a leukemia team leader on the National Institute of Health (NIH)/NCI N01 grant (Phase II consortium) (2009-2011), and is co-principal investigator (PI) on the Experimental Therapeutics (ET)-Clinical Trial Network (CTN) UM1 grant supporting early clinical trials. Dr. Gojo has served on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline panel for AML since 2019, Myeloid Growth Factor guideline panel since 2015 and previously served on the MPNs guideline panel (2016-2019). She has extensive experience in the regulatory aspects of drug development and served as the Chair (2015-2016) and Co-Chair (2014-2015) of the Cancer Research Review Committee at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC) at Johns Hopkins, and serves as a member of the SKCCC Biostatistics Core Advisory Committee and SKCCC Clinical Research Office Coordinating Center Oversight Committee. Dr. Gojo is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Leukemia, Bone Marrow Aspiration, and Bone Marrow Transplant.

As instructor of oncology and pediatrics, Llosa’s research focus is the immunotherapy of sarcomas. My research focuses on understanding how the immune system interacts with cancer cells from sarcoma tumors. Sarcoma is a type of cancer that can occur in various locations in the body. Sarcoma is the general term for a broad group of cancers that includes tumors that form in the bones and in the soft (also called connective) tissues. Sarcomas affect people of all ages and some, such as Rhabdomyosarcoma, Neuroblastoma, Ewings sarcoma and Osteosarcoma, are more common in children and young adults. Treatments for sarcoma vary depending on tumor type, location and other factors. I concentrate in the immunotherapy of sarcomas. Immunotherapy (also called biologic therapy or biotherapy) is a type of cancer treatment designed to boost the body's natural defenses to fight the cancer. It uses materials either made by the body or in a laboratory to improve, target, or restore immune system function. Immunotherapy works by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells, stopping cancer from spreading to other parts of the body, or helping the immune system increase its effectiveness at eliminating cancer cells. There are several types of immunotherapy, including monoclonal antibodies, non-specific immunotherapies, and cancer vaccines. My specific area of interest is the use of drugs that target immune system checkpoints. The immune system has checkpoints to keep itself from attacking other normal cells in the body. Cancer cells sometimes take advantage of these checkpoints to avoid being attacked by the immune system. CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 are checkpoint molecules found on immune system cells (T cells) that can be blocked with drugs leading to a general raise in the immune system of the patients which helps it attack cancer cells. These types of drugs are currently being given to patients with melanoma (skin cancer), lung cancer and kidney cancer with great success and they have been found to shrink advanced tumors in many people. The best part of the treatment is that many of these tumor responses have been long-lasting so far, and the side effects are generally less serious than when using chemotherapy. Larger clinical trials are now studying both drugs, both alone and/or in combination with other treatments. My task is and will continue to be using the same type of approach for attacking sarcomas and hopefully obtained the very promising results and long lasting responses observed with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in other types of cancer. Dr. Llosa is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Osteosarcoma, Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor, Rhabdomyosarcoma, and Bone Marrow Transplant.

Yiouli Ktena is a Pediatrics provider in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Ktena is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Graft Versus Host Disease (GvHD), Sickle Cell Disease, Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), and Bone Marrow Transplant.

As an active participant in the medical community, Mohit Narang, M.D. has served as a primary investigator and research assistant on many trials. During Dr. Narang’s fellowship, he was honored with the invitation to attend the Masterclass in Clinical Oncology at Montecatini, Italy by the European School of Oncology. He holds professional memberships with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, as well as the European Society of Medical Oncology. Learn more at marylandoncology.com. Dr. Narang is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Multiple Myeloma, Agranulocytosis, Paget Disease of the Breast, Thrombocytopenia, and Bone Marrow Transplant.

Dr. Ghiaur, a member of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, is a physician-scientist whose primary interest is normal and malignant hematopoiesis, especially the role of the microenvironment in cell extrinsic drug resistance and persistence of minimal residual disease. He has distinguished himself as an outstanding laboratory-based investigator and a superior clinician. His research has translational potential in stem cell therapeutics, as well as acute leukemia and multiple myeloma. Dr. Ghiaur is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia without Maturation, Bone Marrow Aspiration, and Bone Marrow Transplant.

Dr. Alexander J. Ambinder is an instructor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is active in the Division of Hematology Malignancies, Leukemia Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Ambinder has expertise in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and bone marrow transplantation. Dr. Ambinder received his B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. He earned his M.D. from Emory University School of Medicine and his M.P.H. from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. He completed the Osler Medical Residency Training Program in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins and subsequently served as an Assistant Chief of Service (Chief Resident). He completed his fellowships in Hematology and Oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and also served as a Chief Fellow. Dr. Ambinder is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Ambinder’s principle research interest is in designing and conducting clinical trials inspired by laboratory insights to improve the management of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. He also has an interest in building large databases that will yield insights that allow for more personalized approaches to the care and treatment of patients with blood cancers. Dr. Ambinder is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. His top areas of expertise are Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia without Maturation, Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Bone Marrow Aspiration, and Bone Marrow Transplant.

Dr. Lydia H. Pecker is a pediatric hematologist and Director of the Young Adult Clinic at the Sickle Cell Center for Adults at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Pecker received her undergraduate degree in Africana studies from Brown University and earned her M.D. at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She completed residency training at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and completed a fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute before joining the Hopkins faculty in 2016. Dr. Pecker's NIH and foundation-funded research focuses on reproductive health in people with ovaries and sickle cell disease. Dr. Pecker is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Bone Marrow Transplant. Her top areas of expertise are Sickle Cell Disease, Congenital Hemolytic Anemia, Hemoglobinopathy, Tubal Ligation, and Bone Marrow Transplant.