Overview
"Chen's primary area of research focuses on bone marrow transplantation (BMT), a highly complex and specialized aspect of pediatric oncology that, in recent years, has become an accepted form of therapy for an increasingly broad range of cancers. In addition to the myriad ways BMT is currently being utilized at Hopkins, Chen is working to refine novel approaches to the therapy and apply them to some of the toughest cases. ""One hypothesis is that, in patients receiving a transplant using their own stored stem cells, we can induce an immunologic response from their own cells that mimics the graft received from a healthy donor,"" Chen says. ""We're also excited about the ability to foster immune tolerance when the only available healthy donors aren't perfect matches for the patient."" In a quest to solve some of the rarest and most troubling treatment challenges facing pediatric oncology, Chen and fellow pediatric oncologists at Hopkins have joined forces with others around North America in the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium. ""We're trying to develop multi-institutional studies to improve the effectiveness of BMT for cancer. The study we're working on now will help us to understand why some patients relapse in spite of BMT for acute myeloid leukemia,"" says Chen, who chairs the Oncology Strategy Group of this consortium. Chen also immerses himself in several Hopkins-based initiatives. Recently, he was named Chair of the Oncology Clinical Research Review Committee, a group mandated to oversee all patient-oriented research in the comprehensive cancer center to ensure it meets the center's standards of scientific merit and priority. He also chairs the Performance Improvement Committee. This multi-disciplinary group consists of physicians, nurses, and pharmacists who examine practical ways to reduce errors and improve patient outcomes. The committee recently joined forces with Hopkins' information technology professionals to apply a computerized order entry system—even to complex treatment protocols like chemotherapy. ""We've seen an amazing improvement; a number of potential medication errors decreased dramatically,"" Chen says. Currently, the committee is analyzing ways to reduce bloodstream infections in pediatric patients, which can create potentially life-threatening complications. Despite the hectic pace of Chen's professional life, he has managed to find a way to leave behind the stress of his job and bond with his own children. He and his sons began taking Kung Fu classes when his older son began middle school. He's since grown up and left for college, but Chen continues the practice as both a student and a teacher. Regardless of where Chen is, he's never too far removed from the challenges that await him at work. ""Sometimes, in the wee hours of the morning, I suddenly realize why a complication has occurred,"" he says.".
His top areas of expertise are Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Ganglioneuroblastoma, Leukemia, and Neuroblastoma.
His clinical research consists of co-authoring 57 peer reviewed articles and participating in 7 clinical trials. MediFind looks at clinical research from the past 15 years.
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Locations
1800 Orleans Street, Bloomberg 11N, Bloomberg 11N, 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.
7 Clinical Trials
Skip Viragh Outpatient Cancer Center
Dr. Matthias Holdhoff is a medical oncologist and co-director of the Brain Cancer Disease Group at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. He is a professor of oncology, neurology and neurological surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Holdhoff’s expertise is in primary brain cancers and central nervous system lymphomas. He earned his medical degree from Freie Universität Berlin, received his doctorate degree at Charité University Medicine Berlin. Dr. Holdhoff completed residency training in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in medical oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital with research training at the Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics (Kinzler-Vogelstein lab). As a clinical investigator in neuro-oncology, his research is focused on novel trials and translational biomarker studies in malignant gliomas and primary central nervous system lymphomas. He has led and contributed to numerous clinical trials, publications and presentations. Dr. Holdhoff serves as the director of the solid tumor inpatient service at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is passionately involved in mentoring and teaching of fellows, residents and students. He is the director of the UCNS-certified neuro-oncology fellowship program at Johns Hopkins, and he is a teaching attending physician for the Osler internal medicine residency program. Dr. Holdhoff is highly rated in 19 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Glioma, Glioblastoma, Astrocytoma, and Brain Tumor.
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 highly rated in 27 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML), Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Bone Marrow Transplant, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.
Johns Hopkins Children's Center
Eric Raabe, M.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor of oncology and pathology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Raabe majored in neural science at Brown University and received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He completed his pediatric internship and residency at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. After spending a year working in Africa as part of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative, Dr. Raabe joined Johns Hopkins as a pediatric oncology fellow. Working in the laboratory of Charles Eberhart in Neuropathology, Dr. Raabe established a neural stem cell system to create genetically accurate models of pediatric brain tumors. In collaboration with patients and families, he has also developed multiple pediatric brain tumor cell lines that are some of the key models used for pre-clinical testing. Dr. Raabe sees patients in the pediatric oncology outpatient clinic at Johns Hopkins, with a focus on pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Raabe is also the point person in oncology for retinoblastoma care. He continues his research in the new Smith Building of the Wilmer Eye Institute in the Neuropathology Division, in collaboration with Charles Eberhart. Dr. Raabe is highly rated in 8 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Rhabdoid Tumor, Diffuse Midline Glioma H3 K27M-Mutant, Glioma, and Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma (pLGG).
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
- Experienced
- Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)Dr. Chen isExperienced. Learn about Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
- Adult Soft Tissue SarcomaDr. Chen isExperienced. Learn about Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma.
- Bone TumorDr. Chen isExperienced. Learn about Bone Tumor.
- Childhood Acute Myeloid LeukemiaDr. Chen isExperienced. Learn about Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
- Embryonal Tumor with Multilayered Rosettes
- GanglioneuroblastomaDr. Chen isExperienced. Learn about Ganglioneuroblastoma.