Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Leadership

Andrew Place, MD, PhD

Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center 
Chief Medical Officer, Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research (ICCTR), Boston Children's Hospital
Co-Director of the Hematologic Malignancy Center (Clinical Service & Clinical Research)
Associate Director, Developmental Therapeutics
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Andrew Place received his PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from Dartmouth College in 2004 and his MD from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in 2006. He completed his pediatric residency training in the Boston Combined Residency Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center. He subsequently completed a fellowship in pediatric hematology-oncology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His lab currently participates in the development of early phase clinical trials for children and adolescents with high-risk leukemias. Dr. Place is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. 

Matthew M. Heeney, MD

Associate Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
Director, Sickle Cell Program
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Matthew Heeney received his MD at the University of Calgary, Alberta. He completed his pediatrics residency at Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University, and completed his pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship at Duke University. He is the Associate Chief for Hematology in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and the Director of the Sickle Cell Program in Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Dr. Heeney’s research interests are focused on sickle cell disease and congenital disorders of iron metabolism. He is also an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

Jon Whiting, DNP, RN, CCRN

Associate Chief Nurse, Clinical and Patient Care Operations, Boston Children's Hospital

Jon Whiting is Vice President and Associate Chief Nurse of Clinical and Patient Care Operations at Boston Children’s Hospital. Jon serves as the Leadership Co-Chair of the Boston Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Council. In partnership with the Chief Experience Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, Jon leads the Office of Experience. Jon provides system-level leadership to advance nursing and hospital-wide initiatives ranging from safe and effective care delivery for a broad scope of patients and care services to providing organization-wide leadership during emergencies, including COVID-19. Jon is passionate about improving aspects of patient and family care experiences, and he is committed to partnering with patients and families to do so.

Barbara Cuccovia, PhD, RN, BMTCN

Director of Nursing, Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Barbara Cuccovia is Director of Nursing, Pediatric Oncology, at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where she oversees the daily and clinical operations of the Jimmy Fund Clinic. She is leading an initiative to transform the nursing model in the pediatric clinic, and she serves as clinical advisor to Dana-Farber’s Pediatric Patient and Family Advisory Council. Previously, she was Nurse Manager of the Stem Cell Transplant Unit at Boston Children’s Hospital. Barbara serves on the Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nursing (APHON) and is president of the local Boston APHON Chapter. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the State University of New York at Binghamton and her master’s degree in nursing, nursing leadership, and health systems management from Drexel University.