Blood and Marrow Transplantation
The Duke Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in both established techniques and research initiatives.
Under the direction of Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, our physicians have performed over 1,400 autologous and allogeneic transplants in children with cancer or genetic diseases since 1990.
Using a variety of approaches, the program has pioneered the use of unrelated donor umbilical cord blood stem cells in patients who do not have a fully matched donor, thus extending this life-saving therapy to many more patients. The cord blood program allows for rapid identification of unrelated donors quickly (generally within a few weeks), which is a critical concern for patients with inborn errors of metabolism, bone marrow failure, immunodeficiency syndromes, or advanced leukemias.
The program provides hematopoietic stem cell transplant as a treatment option for a variety of acquired and congenital disorders of children and young adults including hematopoietic malignancies and solid tumors including neuroblastoma and brain tumors, inherited immune deficiency syndromes, bone marrow failure syndromes, hemoglobinopathies, and inherited metabolic diseases.
Treatments
We offer services to those patients for whom bone marrow transplant may provide curative therapy, such as:
- hematologic malignancies
- bone marrow failure syndromes
- immunodeficiencies
- hemoglobinopathies, and
- inborn errors of metabolism
Commonly performed procedures include:
- bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cell, and umbilical cord blood transplants
- hematopoietic stem cell mobilization and pheresis
- donor leukocyte infusions, and
- mobilized parental granulocyte infusions
Physicians and Staff
Physicians
| Name | Areas of Special Interest |
|---|---|
| Timothy Driscoll, MD | Pediatric bone-marrow transplant, oncology, new treatments in high-risk neuroblastoma, chemotherapy-induced apoptosis |
| Joanne Kurtzberg, MD | Umbilical cord-blood transplantation; nucleoside therapy; T-cell ALL; asparaginase; ITP; aplastic anemia; BM and UCB transplantation; growth-factor therapy; hematopoiesis; transplantation therapy for inborn errors of metabolism, immunodeficiency syndromes, congenital marrow-failure syndromes, and hemoglobinopathies; cell therapy for acquired and genetic brain injuries |
| Paul L. Martin, MD, PhD | Pediatric oncology, pediatric leukemia, stem-cell transplantation, infections in immunocompromised patients |
| Kristin M. Page, MD | Pediatric blood and marrow transplantation |
| Suhag H. Parikh, MD | Stem-cell (cord blood, peripheral blood, bone marrow) transplantation for hemoglobinopathies such as sickle-cell disease and thalassemia; inherited metabolic disorders, immune disorders, and childhood malignancies; reduced-intensity transplantation for non-malignant diseases |
| Vinod K. Prasad, MD, MBBS | Cord-blood, stem-cell, and bone-marrow transplant for childhood cancers; inherited metabolic disorders; immunodeficiency; hemoglobinopathies and other serious diseases; histocompatibility (tissue typing) and other determinants of alloreactivity, with a focus on identifying the best-matched donors by using cutting-edge molecular techniques; post-transplant viral infections, with a focus on early detection and treatment |
Nurse Coordinators and Practitioners
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| June Allison, RN, CPON | Senior Nurse Coordinator |
| Lynn Boyd, RN, BSN | Nurse Coordinator |
| Jayne Cash, RN, BSN, CPON | Nurse Coordinator |
| Danielle Robinette, RN, BSN | Nurse Coordinator |
| Sloan Kojis, RN | Nurse Coordinator |
| Anne Shawcross, RN | Nurse Coordinator |
| Gilbert Ciocci, MSN, FNP | Senior Nurse Practitioner, Certified Family Nurse Practitioner |
| Barbara Kassmann, MSN, C-PNP | Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner |
| Jerelyn Moffet, MSN, C-PNP | Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner |
| Michelle Schweitzer, MSN, CAPPNP | Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner |
| Deborah Semmel, MSN, C-FNP | Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner |
| M. Ann Shonkwiler, C-PNP | Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner |
| Lauren Stafford, AC-PNC | Certified Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner |
| Susan Wood, MN, CPNP | Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner |
Staff
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Katie Breen | Clinical Social Worker |
| Marion Kalbacker, MSW, LCSW | Clinical Social Worker |
| Susan Trout, CCLS, MPH, MSW | Clinical Social Worker |
| Lindsey Kearns, BS | Director, Family Support Program |
| Rachel Tripp | Family Support Program |
| Caroline Sweezy, CCLS | Family Support Program |
| Jennifer H. Baker, RN | Clinical Research Coordinator |
| Caroline Elkins, RN | Research Nurse |
| June Allison | Clinical Operations Director |
| Jennifer H. Baker, RN | Clinical Research Coordinator |
| Kristine Gurganus | Clinical Research Coordinator |
| Jodi Russell, BA, CCRP Monitor | Clinical Research Coordinator |
| Allison Browne-Topete | Child Life Specialist |
| Diane Humphrey | Transplant Insurance Coordinator |
| Leigh Garmussen, RN | Discharge Coordinator |
| Maureen Kester | Transplant Search Coordinator |
| Barbara Chance | Housing Coordinator |
| Rebecca Lewis | New and Return Appointments |
| Jannell Patterson | New Appointments |
Clinic Hours & Locations
Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center
2301 Erwin Road
Durham, NC 27710
Tel: 919-668-4000
Hours: Daily, 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Appointments and Contact Information
To serve our patients and referring physicians, faculty physicians covering pediatric blood and marrow transplantation are always on call to answer questions and provide consultation.
- For a new appointment, please call 919-668-1100. Appointments for new patients are made through referring physicians and/or nurse coordinators.
- For a return appointment, please call 919-668-1129.
- For urgent calls during business hours, call the divisional office at 919-668-1100.
- For urgent calls after business hours, on weekends, or on holidays, please page the pediatric BMT physician on call at 919-970-1424.
- For physicians requesting consultations or making referrals, please call the divisional office at 919-668-1100 or the Duke Consultation and Referral Center at 800-MED-DUKE (800-633-3853).
If Your Transplant Patient is Sick
If your child is sick, please call one of the following numbers:
- For life-threatening emergencies, call 911.
- Between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm, call Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center at 919-668-4490.
- Between 8:00 pm and 8:00 am, page the PBMT physician on call at 919-970-1424, or call the PBMT unit at 919-681-5241 and ask for the physician on call or the charge nurse.
Disease-Specific Programs
Duke Resources
Articles
- The Value of Saving Umbilical Cord Blood
- Bone Marrow Transplants
- Cord Blood Viable Option for Kids With Life-Threatening Metabolic Disorders
- Duke Scientists Discover Key to Growing New Stem Cells
- Life Savings
- Power in the Blood
- Robertson Foundation Donates $10.2 Million for Duke Cell Therapy Center
Web Sites
- Pediatric Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation
(Duke School of Medicine) - Duke Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation
- Carolinas Cord Blood Bank
- Duke Cancer Institute
- Duke Children's Health Library
Related Video
- Cord Blood Breakthrough
CBS News
Related Links
- Angel Flight America
- Children's Organ Transplant Association
- Corporate Angel Network
- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- The Bone Marrow Foundation
- National Children's Cancer Society
- National Foundation for Transplants
- National Transplant Assistance Fund