Translate 2021 Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellows
Lauren Jiménez-Kurlander, MD
Residency: NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center
Research interests: Late effects of novel cellular and gene therapies and early phase clinical trials
Lauren received her bachelor’s degree in biopsychology at Cornell University. Prior to her medical training, she completed an AmeriCorps year in East Harlem, New York, as a coach and tutor in an under-resourced school. She graduated from medical school at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School with distinction in global health for implementing a tablet-based health curriculum in Sierra Leone following the Ebola epidemic. She then completed pediatrics residency at NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell and received the Excellence in Teaching Award. Under Susan Prockop, she presented phase I/II clinical trial results of EBV-directed T-cells as an alternative therapy for EBV-associated leiomyosarcoma at the 2018 ESMO Immuno-Oncology conference. After residency, she pursued a survivorship fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and published the first report of COVID-19 outcomes in survivors. Her clinical interests include stem cell transplant and cellular therapies with specialization in late effects.
Rosemarie Mastropolo, MD
Residency: UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Research interests: Medical education and leukemia / lymphoma
Rosemarie received her bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she participated in research in intervertebral disc degeneration and interventions for improving disc health through biomechanical loading and vasogenic medications. She then completed her medical degree at State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, where she developed her love of medical education through her work on a feedback project regarding pediatric oral presentations. She went to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for pediatric residency, where she worked on a formalized feedback tool for inpatient rotations, a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) resident curriculum, and a supplemental resource for medical students to practice core-pediatric skills with one-on-one observation and formative feedback from a resident. During this time, she was engaged in research projects including a pediatric surgical oncology collaboration investigating pediatric neutropenic appendicitis and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors; a 5-year case-series on pediatric melanoma; and presentations on autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS). She stayed on as a chief resident after her residency, where she continued work on her interests in medical education and oncology.
James Morrow, MD, PhD
Residency: Boston Combined Residency Program
Research interests: Gene transcription, epigenomics, and solid tumor metastasis
James received his bachelor’s degree in biology with highest honors at Pennsylvania State University. He attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University, where he was selected as an HHMI-NIH Research Scholar. During this fellowship James worked in the pediatric oncology branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), studying the molecular mechanisms of solid tumor metastasis. James went on to complete a PhD, splitting research time between Case Western and NCI. His research showed that gene enhancer dysregulation is a key driver of osteosarcoma metastasis. James completed his pediatric residency in the Boston Combined Residency Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. He participated in the Integrated Research Pathway during residency, which allowed him to work in the lab of Kimberly Stegmaier at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's, studying the transcriptional dynamics of EWS/FLI1 in Ewing sarcoma and completing a small molecule screen to identify lead compounds for the development of EWS/FLI1-targeted therapy. James plans to pursue a career as a physician-scientist, studying and treating pediatric solid tumors.
Helen Reed, MD, MPH
Residency: Baylor College of Medicine
Research interests: Chronic disease within non-malignant hematology, including inherited bone marrow failure syndromes and transitions of care
Helen received bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry and neurobiology at the University of Texas at Austin and her Master of Public Health in epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, Berkeley. While at UC Berkeley, she worked with the California Childhood Leukemia Study on identifying genetic and environmental risk factors of childhood leukemia. She then went on to complete a Cancer Research Training Award fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she conducted epidemiologic research on the Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes study under the mentorship of Dr. Blanche Alter. Her time at the NIH was particularly formative, motivating her to pursue medicine and sparking an interest in non-malignant hematology. She received her MD at the University of Pennsylvania and completed her medicine-pediatrics residency at Baylor College of Medicine / Texas Children’s Hospital, where she served as the Med-Peds chief resident. Following residency, Helen took a brief hiatus from academia to work in primary care with the Albuquerque Indian Health Service.
Nitin Shrivastava, MD, MPH
Residency: Boston Combined Residency Program
Research interests: Global oncology and capacity building
Nitin majored in biochemistry and community health at Tufts University, where he first developed his passion for global health. He spent a year after college living in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, where he worked for Timmy Global Health and Asociación Pop Wujto to develop public health programming in chronic malnutrition as well as managed referrals for patients requiring subspecialty care. He attended the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Given his commitment to a career in global health, he earned a Master of Public Health in health management from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Throughout his time at UMass and subsequently in his residency at the Boston Combined Residency Program, he has been focused on improving access to pediatric oncology care in low- and middle-income countries. He plans to continue this work and will pursue a career in global oncology.