The CAR T-Cell Therapy Team
A specialized team of caregivers will guide you through the
CAR T-cell process. Members of the team will include:
Lewis
B. Silverman, MD
Director of Clinical Research and Clinical Care, Department of Pediatric
Oncology
Dr. Silverman's major research focus is in childhood acute lymphoblastic
leukemia (ALL). He is the principal investigator of the DFCI ALL Consortium, a
multi-institutional group conducting clinical trials in children with newly
diagnosed and relapsed ALL. Dr. Silverman designs and oversees these studies,
which have yielded high cure rates for children with newly diagnosed ALL. His
research is also focused on reducing short- and long-term effects of treatment
in pediatric ALL patients, as well as testing novel therapies in patients with
relapsed disease.
Andrew
E. Place, MD, PhD
Clinical Director, Pediatric Hematologic Malignancy Center
Dr. Place is a physician-scientist in the Hematologic Malignancy Center. His
clinic expertise focuses on the treatment of children and adolescents with
high-risk leukemias and lymphomas. With an intent to improve outcomes for these
patients, Dr. Place is pioneering new and effective treatments through
high-impact clinical trials.
Kimberly
J. Davies, MD
Medical Director,
Jimmy Fund Clinic, and Program Leader for Pediatric Oncology Clinical Services,
Boston Children’s Hospital
Dr. Davies is an institute physician at Dana-Farber/Boston
Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and a member of the Hematologic
Malignancy Center in the department of pediatric oncology. She has a clinical
specialty interest in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is the panel chair for the
National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s (NCCN) guidelines committee for
Pediatric Aggressive Mature B-Cell Lymphomas. Her professional interests
include ambulatory oncology, clinical operations, and treatment of pediatric
hematologic malignancies.
Susanne
Baumeister, MD
Physician, Stem Cell
Transplant Center
Dr. Baumeister is a physician-scientist in our pediatric Stem
Cell Transplant Center. She has comprehensive clinical expertise in pediatric
stem cell transplantation and the management of immune effector therapies. Her
clinical-translational research focuses on the development of novel cell-based
immunotherapies and stem cell transplant approaches. In this capacity, she
leads innovative CAR T-cell clinical trials to improve outcomes for patients
with high-risk hematologic malignancies.
Colleen Dansereau, RN, MSN, CPN
Director of Clinical Operations, Gene Therapy Program
As operations director of the Gene Therapy Program, Colleen administratively
manages the CAR T-cell therapy program as well as all administrative
responsibility for all of the gene therapy clinical trials that take place at
Dana-Farber/Boston Children's, for conditions including sickle cell disease,
Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS), and chronic granulomatous disease (CGD).
Nurse Navigators: Robyn Blacken, BSN, RN, CPHON, BMTCN,
and Brenda MacKinnon, BSN, RN
Robyn and Brenda are the two nurse navigators that will guide you and your
child through the entire treatment process. They both specialize in treating
children with cancer and blood disorders. From collecting your child's T-cells
through apheresis to infusion of the modified cells, they will be with you each
step of the way to support you and make the process as smooth as possible.
Psychosocial
support team
Our care team includes physicians, social workers, psychologists, and
psychiatrists. Each member of this team has special expertise in the social,
emotional, and psychological aspects of caring for children with cancer. We know
that the whole family is affected by a cancer diagnosis so we provide care and
support for each family member throughout each stage of the treatment journey.