Welcome to the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Improving the lives of patients with pediatric cancer and blood diseases by:
- Delivering world-class clinical care
- Advancing translation of discoveries from bench-to-bedside
- Training the next generations of physician scientists
We care for our patients in state-of-the art facilities within the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and at our outreach sites at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, and El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. Our research laboratories are located at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Our location on the campus of Stanford University provides an unparalleled opportunity for collaborative, cross-disciplinary research to further the mission of the Division. Our fellowship program is designed to train the next generation of leaders in the field.
Sheri Spunt, MD, MBA
Endowed Professor of Pediatric Cancer and Division Chief
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Co-Director of Bass Center for Childhood
Cancer and Blood Disorders
The nurses of the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, are constantly inspired by the patients and families we serve. Their courage, their resislience, and their joy even in the most difficult of times is a demonstration of true super hero strength. We created this music video as a fun way to honor our patient families and give you a glimpse into their world. Be a hero for our patients and join the fight against childhood cancer. Our goal is to raise $5,000 for the Bass Center and show our kids that the community cares. Donate today!
St. Baldrick's Award Recipients
The “Sweet Caroline St. Baldrick’s Fellow” award was granted to Avanthi Shah, MD. Using the $195,000 grant, Dr. Shah is designing a tool to detect tumor-specific genetic alterations found in the blood of pediatric sarcoma patients and hopes this test will serve as a better way to measure tumor size and response to treatment than current imaging methods. The grant is named in memory of Caroline Richards, a 2015 St. Baldrick’s Ambassador who passed away from cancer in January.
St. Baldrick's Award Recipients
Based on strong progress in her research, Kara Davis, DO, was awarded a new $115,000 grant to fund an additional year of her “NetApp St. Baldrick’s Scholar” award. Previous funding from St. Baldrick’s has allowed Dr. Davis and her team to uncover features of cells that put patients at higher risk for relapse. This project looks to investigate how the communication in cancer cells differs in children who are cured of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, compared to those whose disease relapses.
St. Baldrick's Award Recipients
A total of $100,000 was awarded to Kathleen Sakamoto, MD, PhD to study acute myeloid leukemia (AML) – an aggressive form of childhood leukemia. Dr. Sakamoto’s team will study the role of a protein, RSK, in the development of AML, and will examine RSK inhibition as a potential approach to treat this type of leukemia.
St. Baldrick's Award Recipients
E. Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, MD was awarded the “ Team Clarkie St. Baldrick’s Research Grant,” totaling $100,000. Dr. Sweet-Cordero's grant aims to understand how a DNA mutation causes Ewing sarcoma. He hopes that understanding this mutation will lead to better therapies for children with this cancer. The grant is named in honor of Clarkie Carroll, 12, who was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in 2013 and now shows no evidence of disease.
Division Chief
Sheri Spunt, MD, MBA
Dr. Spunt is an Endowed Professor of Pediatric Cancer and in 2013 was recruited to Stanford University from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where she was Deputy Clinical Director of the hospital. Her clinical and research interests have focused on the treatment and biology of soft tissue sarcomas, an area where she is an internationally recognized expert. She serves on multiple committees of the Children’s Oncology Group and is Vice-Chair of its Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee. In addition to being Division Chief of Hematology/Oncology she is co-Director of the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Stanford Children's Health, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.
Find out how you can help provide the best care for patients and families at Packard Children’s. Everyone can support the hospital in a way that is meaningful for them.
Story of family's tumor donation inspires more donations
With the donated tissue, a Stanford team has created the first cell line and mouse model of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a deadly tumor. More Info »