Division of Hematology and Oncology: Department of Medicine: Feinberg School of Medicine: Northwestern University

The Division of Hematology and Oncology is focused on improving patients’ therapeutic options and quality of life while working to better prevent, diagnose and treat cancer and hematologic disorders.

“Our division houses laboratory-based investigators focused on a broad array of topics, including chemoprevention, cell signal pathways, epigenetics, immune-modulation, and nanotechnology theranostics.”

– William J. Gradishar, MD

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What We Do

Education

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Research

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Patient Care

Cancer Care

Faculty: Meet the Team

View individual profiles of our faculty members and learn about their research and clinical specialties.

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Jeffrey A Sosman, MD

Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology)

I have been an active clinical investigator vested in the immune-based therapy of melanoma. This has led to my role in the clinical development of initially Interleukin-2 and more recently anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD1/PDL-1. While checkpoint therapy has been a great breakthrough in cancer treatment, additional immune-based strategies are still critically needed. Efforts to identify mechanisms of resistance to checkpoint inhibitors and approaches to overcome de novo and acquired resistance are one of my major interest. In addition I have ongoing efforts in the personalized therapy of melanoma with ...

Maha H.A. Hussain, MBChB

Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology)

Maha Hussain, MD, FACP, FASCO, is the Genevieve Teuton Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, and the Deputy Director at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a practicing oncologist, internationally renowned expert and clinical researcher in genitourinary oncology particularly prostate and bladder cancer. Her clinical research has contributed to impacting the standards of care for patients with metastatic hormone sensitive and castration resistant prostate cancer. P...

Elizabeth A Eklund, MD

Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology)

Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma

Chad A Mirkin, PhD

Professor of Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and Medicine (Hematology and Oncology)

Dr. Chad A. Mirkin is the Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology and the George B. Rathmann Prof. of Chemistry, Prof. of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Prof. of Biomedical Engineering, Prof. of Materials Science & Engineering, and Prof. of Medicine at Northwestern University. He is a chemist and a world-renowned nanoscience expert, who is known for his discovery and development of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) and SNA-based biodetection and therapeutic schemes, the invention of Dip-Pen Nanolithography (DPN) and related cantilever-free nanopatterning methodologies, O...

Mary F Mulcahy, MD

Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology), Radiology and Surgery (Organ Transplantation)

Colon cancer, Esophagus cancer, Gastric cancer, Hepatocellular cancer, Pancreas cancer, Rectal cancer

Young Kwang Chae, MD, MPH, MBA

Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology)

Personalized Cancer Therapy, Precision Medicine, Early Phase Clinical Trials, First-in-Human Study, Novel Combination Cancer Therapy, Targeted therapy, Immunotherapy, Biomarker Study, Novel Drug Development, Novel Drug Delivery System, Adaptive Clinical Trials Design, Cell Signaling Pathway, Immune Checkpoint Pathway

Panagiotis Ntziachristos, PhD

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and Medicine (Hematology and Oncology)

The Ntziachristos laboratory studies the mechanistic aspects of oncogenesis with an emphasis on transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of acute leukemia. Up to 25% of children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia will fail frontline therapy and their prognosis is dismal. Cure rates for patients relapsing on therapy are approximate 20%. While patients with later relapses have a better prognosis, the majority eventually succumbs to the disease (overall cure rate 40 to 50%). Important questions in our laboratory are related to how oncogenes interact with each other and with epigenetic modulator...

John D Crispino, PhD

Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology) and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Research in the Crispino laboratory is focused on investigating the regulatory mechanisms governing normal and malignant blood cell development, with an emphasis on understanding the growth of erythroid cells (red blood cells) and megakaryocytes (platelet-producing cells). In addition, the group has a major interest in learning how changes in normal essential regulatory molecules lead to human blood diseases, including acute leukemias and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). The lab seeks to make seminal basic science discoveries while simultaneously translating these discoveries in ways that ...

Krishan Kumar, PhD

Research Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an extremely lethal malignancy with dense stromal matrix. The central focus of my research is studying the role and regulation of dense stromal matrix in tumor progression and therapy resistance in PDAC. Overall my research goals are to delineate the molecular basis of PDAC to identify novel approaches for pancreatic cancer treatment.

Leonidas C Platanias, MD, PhD

Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology) and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

chronic leukemias, multiple myeloma, non-hodgkin's lymphoma

News

New Therapy for Rare Lymphoma

Cancer isn't a war or a battle, but maybe cancer research is

Lurie Cancer Center Earns Exceptional Rating from National Cancer Institute

Kircher Named 2018 ASCO Health Policy Fellow

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Events

The CD95/Fas Ligand mRNA is Toxic to Cells

September 20
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Transitioning to High Quality Survivorship Care after Head and Ne...

September 21
7:30 AM - 9:30 AM

Annual Chung Lee Lectureship-Targeting Androgen Receptor Nuclear ...

September 27
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

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Contact Us

We welcome your questions and comments.

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Diversity and Inclusion

The department works toward an environment of inclusion and support through the Diversity and Cultural Affairs Council and through several dedicated events and initiatives.

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Housestaff Research Portal

Graduate Research Resources

We offer a wide range of resources, mentorship opportunities and training to help our residents and fellows excel as physician-scientists. Explore all of the resources and hear from housestaff who are making research a major part of their career development plans.

Visit the Housestaff Research Portal

Giving

Support What We Do

We invite your philanthropic partnership in helping us achieve our research and teaching missions each day.

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Contact Terri Dillon for more information on supporting the Division of Hematology-Oncology at 312-503-4837 or terri-dillon@northwestern.edu.