Nov 10, 2023: Meet-the-Expert Roundtable Hosts were:
- Prof. Amita Trehan (India)
- Prof. Kathy Pritchard-Jones (UK)
- Prof. Marilyn Hockenberry (USA)
- Dr. Rawad Rihani (Jordan)
- Prof. Susan L. Cohn (USA)
Prof. Amita Trehan (India) is currently a Professor of Paediatric Haematology-Oncology at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India. She trained in Oncology in the UK under a fellowship of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child health . She have been involved in Pediatric Hematology & Oncology for 25 years and has been active in research and teaching. At present, she is involved in research in a multinational trial for leukemia and also exploring the genomic landscape of relapse. She has published 200+ papers in national and International journals. She served on Executive Committee (2020-2022) of the Pediatric Oncology in Eastern and Mediterranean (POEM) Countries Group. She is also on the advisory board of the Asian Pediatric Hemotology Oncology Group (2021-2023). She is at present the Chairperson of the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Chapter of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (2022-23). Her main Interests and achievements have been directed towards improving survival statistics in a resource limited set up, with special efforts directed at Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia. This has included (i) Decreasing abandonment and default rate in pediatric malignancies..(ii) Targeted effort towards decreasing treatment related mortality to <10% from 25% over the last 15 years (iii)Participation in collaborative trials: multicentre trial for a national protocol in Acute Lymphoblastic leukaemia and training smaller centers for the same (iv) Developing holistic care by having MoU’s with various NGO’s to provide support and enhance patient care.
Prof. Kathy Pritchard-Jones (UK) is the Immediate Past President and Chair of the newly formed WHO Non-State Actor Engagement Committee and Professor of Paediatric Oncology at University College London (UCL) Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK. She is an internationally recognised expert in childhood kidney cancers, where she has extensive experience of running multi-centre and international clinical trials and translational research. She also works with epidemiologists and healthcare data scientists for international benchmarking and outcomes research. She has a track record of enabling partnership working to deliver quality improvement in complex care and to accelerate research across both adult and childhood cancer services. Throughout her career she has been an active member of the work of the national Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG), the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) and SIOP Europe. She has published over 400 articles in the field of childhood cancer.
Prof. Marilyn Hockenberry (USA) is the Director of Global HOPE Nursing and a tenured Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. She is also the Bessie Baker Professor Emerita of Nursing at Duke University. In her current role with Global HOPE, Dr. Hockenberry provides expertise from her clinical, education, and research experiences to develop the curriculum to teach others about how to care for children with oncology and hematology diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Hockenberry is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. In 2016, Marilyn was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Research Hall of Fame. This international award is given to nurse researchers who have achieved significant and sustained international recognition for their work that has impacted the profession and people it serves. Marilyn is recognized for her research program that focuses on symptoms associated with childhood cancer treatment. She has over 135 professional publications and has received continuous research funding for the past 20 years. She is the senior editor for the Wong Pediatric Nursing textbooks used around the world. Dr. Hockenberry was among the first to specialize as a nurse practitioner in the care of children with cancer. She has spent most of her career practicing as a clinical nurse expert. She is a leader in nursing education and has received numerous awards for her role as nurse educator. Dr. Hockenberry’s passion is promoting excellence in nursing care of children with cancer and hematology disorders.
Dr. Rawad Rihani, MD, MSc. (Jordan) is a distinguished figure in the field of pediatric oncology and hematopoietic transplantation and cellular therapy. She is currently making a significant impact as Chairperson of the Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at the renowned King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in Amman, Jordan. As the current President of the Jordan Society of Pediatric Oncology (JSPO) and Chairperson of the Scientific Committee of the Pediatric East and Mediterranean (POEM) Group, Dr. Rihani demonstrates an unwavering commitment to advancing pediatric oncology in Jordan and the POEM region. With a career spanning nearly two decades, she remains a dedicated Consultant in Pediatric leukemia and blood and marrow transplantation, and cellular therapy at KHCC, while also contributing to education as a Teaching Assistant at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Her academic journey includes a recent achievement of a Master of Science Degree in Global Child Health as part of the St. Jude Global Scholars Program and is currently part of the Global Scholars Program. Dr. Rihani’s expertise is enriched by her Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT fellowship at the Center for Children’s Cancers and Blood Disorders at Sydney Children’s Hospital/the University of New South Wales. Beyond her clinical and academic roles, she is a dedicated advocate for the treatment of refugees and displaced children with cancer, ensuring that these vulnerable populations receive the specialized care and support they need to overcome the challenges of pediatric cancer in already trying circumstances.
Prof. Susan L. Cohn (USA) is a highly respected expert in pediatric cancers and blood diseases. She is a leading authority on neuroblastoma, a cancer of nerve cells and the most common type of cancer found in infants. Dr. Cohn is actively researching several aspects of neuroblastoma. She leads clinical trials for children with newly diagnosed neuroblastoma and is also one of the few pediatric oncologists in the United States who is conducting Phase I clinical trials of promising treatments for patients with relapsed disease. Her team has established the only 131I-meta-iodobenzlyguanidine (MIBG) treatment program in Illinois. She also is conducting research in the laboratory focused on developing more effective treatments for children with this aggressive cancer. Dr. Cohn’s research has received generous support from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Dr. Cohn has held several leadership positions in national pediatric cooperative clinical research groups, including serving as the first chair of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Neuroblastoma Disease Committee. She is the co-Chair of the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INRG) Task Force, and a past member of the Board of Directors for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and was ASCO Treasurer from 2012-2015. She currently serves on ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation Board of Directors and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation Board of Directors. In 2016, she received the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Pediatric Oncology Award, and in 2019, she received the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research. A prolific author, Dr. Cohn has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, several book chapters, and has co-edited two books. She also serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Clinical Oncology and Pediatric Blood and Cancer.
