Speakers

Amin Alousi, MD 
Introduction to Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD) 

Dr. Amin Alousi is a Professor of Medicine and the Inpatient Medical Director of the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also the Director of the GVHD Clinic and Research Program at MD Anderson. 

Dr. Alousi specializes in the treatment of graft-versus-host disease, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, large-cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome and myelofibrosis. 

He is a member of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) Steering Committee – GVHD, the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology. 

Dr. Alousi has authored more than 180 articles and book chapters on stem cell transplantation and graft-versus-host disease and has presented nationally and internationally on the topic of GVHD.  

Dave Balachandran, MD 
Managing Sleep Challenges after Transplant 

 Dr. Dave Balachandran is a Professor in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Medical Director of the Sleep Center. His research focuses on sleep disturbances in cancer patients and interventions to address them. 

Dr. Balachandran has published more than 40 articles on cancer-related fatigue and sleep disorders and has been an invited speaker on the topic at numerous national and international scientific conferences. 

Minoo Battiwalla, MD, MS 
Safeguard Your Health from Late Complications after a Transplant Using Donor Cells (Allogeneic Transplant) 

Dr. Minoo Battiwalla is a stem cell transplant physician at the Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also the Director for Outcomes Research and leads the Survivorship program for the Sarah Cannon Blood Cancer Network.  

Dr. Battiwalla’s research has contributed to the fields of immunobiology and allogeneic transplant survivorship. He is the Steering Committee Chair of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Late Effects Initiative and co-chairs the Cardiovascular and Metabolic, NIH Late Effects Initiative.  

He previously served as Medical Director for the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research and has published extensively about complications and late effects of stem cell transplantation. 

Joseph Bubalo, PharmD, BCOP, BCPS  
Medical Marijuana and Stem Cell Transplant: What Do We Know?  

Dr. Joseph Bubalo is an oncology pharmacotherapy specialist with Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. He is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology.    

Dr. Bubalo has been active in the clinical care of stem cell transplant and cellular therapy patients for over 25 years. He has received research grants to investigate ways to improve supportive care and decrease symptoms for transplant and other cellular therapy patients.  

Carly Cappozzo, MSOT, OTR/L 
Learn Rehabilitation Therapies to Manage Side Effects of Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD) 

Carly Cappozzo is a senior occupational therapist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She developed MD Anderson's first chronic GVHD rehabilitation program in conjunction with one of the world's leading stem cell transplant/chronic GVHD physicians, and she collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of GVHD specialists each week to evaluate and treat GVHD patients from around the world.  

Ms. Cappozzo has a passion for holistic therapy interventions which build upon a patient’s unique strengths, interests, and goals. Using this information, she collaborates with her patients to design innovative strategies and solutions to allow patients to be successful with the activities and roles that matter most.   

Richard Champlin, MD 
Ask the Transplant Experts – Session Two 

Dr. Richard Champlin is Professor of Medicine and the Chair of the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He has worked in the field of stem cell transplantation for more than 40 years and is a pioneer and leader in the use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and bone marrow failure states. 

Dr. Champlin’s work has led to many advances in the field such as the use of peripheral blood stem cells for transplant, a better understanding of the graft-versus-leukemia effect and the development of reduced-intensity transplants which enable older adults to access the benefits of transplantation. 

Dr. Champlin co-chairs the Graft Sources Committee for the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplantation Research and is a member of the Advisory Council on Blood Stem Cell Transplantation of the US. Health and Human Services Administration (HRSA). 

He has published widely on leukemia and stem cell transplantation and has received numerous awards for his work.  

Beth Colaluca, PhD 
Helping Your Child with Attention, Organization and School after Transplant 

Dr. Beth Colaluca has worked as a pediatric neuropsychologist at Cook Children’s Medical Center for 19 years.  She specializes in the assessment of children with a variety of hematological/oncological conditions including brain tumors and leukemia. She is a member of several multidisciplinary teams including bone marrow transplant, neuro-oncology and neurofibromatosis.   

Dr. Colaluca conducts baseline neuropsychological evaluations prior to stem cell transplantation, followed by post-transplant evaluations, in an effort to determine changes as a result of treatment.  She is actively involved in numerous research trials at Cook Children’s that involve efforts to reduce late effects of treatment for cancer on neurocognitive functioning.   

Meredith A. Cowden, MA, AT, LPCC-S 
The Inward Journey of Healing through Art Therapy: Creating Mandalas 

Meredith Cowden is a psychotherapist in private practice with LifeStance Health, Inc. Her therapeutic work focuses on trauma, building personal resilience and living with chronic illness. She often uses art therapy in her work with patients. 

Ms. Cowden underwent an allogeneic bone marrow transplant in 2001 after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). She developed chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) which she has been living with for 20 years. 

Ms. Cowden focuses on education and support for those who are living with the after-effects of stem cell transplantation. Her family started The Meredith A. Cowden Foundation to raise awareness about the impact of leukemia and GVHD and to raise funds for research. 

She has been a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) GVHD Consensus Consortium Steering Committee since 2014 and led the 2020 NIH Chronic GVHD Consensus Conference Patient Advocacy Summit.  Ms. Cowden currently chairs the NIH Patient Advisory Committee, working to address the unmet needs of patients.  

Stephanie Davidson, PsyD 
Life After Treatment: Cultivating Resilience and Growing from Trauma 

Dr. Stephanie Davidson is a health psychologist who specializes in psycho-oncology. She began working with blood cancer patients and others with blood disorders at City of Hope Medical Center. There, Dr. Davidson supported patients and families from diagnosis through treatment and into survivorship.  

She has worked with those undergoing stem cell transplant as well as CAR T-cell therapy. Now in private practice, Dr. Davidson continues to work with those in active treatment from hospitals across Southern California as well as patients who are working their way through the challenges of long-term survivorship.  

Michael Fediw, MD 
Coping with Attention, Learning and Memory Challenges after Transplant 

Dr. Michael Fediw is a trained specialist in cancer rehabilitation at the UT Southwestern Medical Center, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center in Dallas, Texas.  

Dr. Fediw has experience in diagnosing and treating cognitive impairment that can occur after transplant such as difficulty concentrating and forgetfulness. Certain domains of cognition tend to be preferentially affected post-transplant and he uses different strategies to address these deficits to improve patients’ cognitive function and enhance their performance of activities of daily living.  

Ekta Gupta, MD 
How Rehabilitation Medicine Can Help Patients with Graft-versus-Host Disease 

Dr. Ekta Gupta is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Palliative Care, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and brain injury medicine.  

Dr. Gupta’s research interests include pre-habilitation for cancer patients prior to surgery, spasticity management, patient outcome measures, and functional improvement in cancer patients. She works with stem cell transplantation patients frequently, including those with graft-versus-host disease, as well as physical and occupational therapists to optimize function and quality of life in this patient population. 

Mohamed Hegazi, MD 
Ask the Transplant Experts – Session One 

Dr. Mohamed Hegazi is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Co-Director of the Blood Cancers, Cellular Therapeutic and Transplant Program at the UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center in Louisville, Kentucky. He specializes in cellular therapy and bone marrow transplants to treat cancers of the blood and bone marrow, including leukemia and lymphoma. 

Dr. Hegazi is also involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and was one of the society’s nominees for “Man of the Year” in 2019.  

Gerhard Hildebrandt, MD, FACP 
Ask the Transplant Experts - Session One 

Dr. Gerhard Hildebrandt is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Kentucky and Chief of the Division of Hematology and Blood Marrow Transplantation. His work focuses on patients with cancers of the blood and lymph system, and on patients with acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease. 

Dr. Hildebrandt was previously the Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - Shreveport and Director of the Utah Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the Huntsman Cancer Institute/University of Utah. 

He is a member of the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, and the American Association for Cancer Research. Dr. Hildebrandt has published extensively on transplantation and is actively involved in clinical trials.

Sharon R. Hymes, MD 

• Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD) of the Skin and Connective Tissue 
• Protecting Your Skin after Transplant 

Dr. Sharon Hymes is a board-certified internist and dermatologist and a Clinical Consultant at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Recently retired, she spent much of her career at the MD Anderson Cancer Center serving as the Associate Medical Director of the Melanoma and Skin Center. In addition, Dr. Hymes has been an integral member of the MD Anderson Chronic GVHD Clinic. This multidisciplinary clinic was created to diagnose and treat patients with all forms of chronic GVHD.  

Dr. Hymes focuses on cutaneous (skin) GVHD as well as all skin problems that occur in the setting of stem cell transplantation. She has published extensively on various aspects of cutaneous GVHD and is a nationally recognized expert on the subject. 

Karthik Jayaraman, PT, DPT 
Thriving, Not Just Surviving, after Transplant through Exercise and Fatigue Management 

Karthik Jayaraman is the Center Manager at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas, Texas where he focuses on multi-disciplinary outpatient rehabilitation of oncology patients. He is a certified specialist in oncologic physical therapy, a ReVital certified clinician in oncologic rehabilitation, and is certified in trigger point dry needling to relieve pain.  

Prior to transitioning to outpatient physical therapy, he worked in acute care on the bone marrow transplant unit at Baylor University Medical Center Dallas treating patients admitted for transplant work-up as well as for post-transplant complications.  Mr. Jayaraman and his colleagues have worked with the BMT team to develop a pre-habilitation protocol for all patients scheduled to undergo a transplant to help maximize function and survivorship. 

Robert Krance, MD 
Late Effects after a Pediatric Transplant/Transitioning to Adult Care 

Dr. Robert Krance is Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the Director of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT)/Stem Cell Transplant Program at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. The program, one of the most active in the country, treats patients with various hematologic, oncologic, immunologic and genetic disorders.  

Dr. Krance has been involved in bone marrow transplantation for more than 30 years. His research interests include the use of alternative donors and less than fully HLA matched related donors for transplant, and the impact of viral infection post-transplantation. 

Huifang Lu, MD, PhD  
Bone Health after Stem Cell Transplant 

Dr. Huifang (Linda) Lu is a Professor and rheumatologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the co-founder of the multidisciplinary Bone Health Clinic for cancer patients. Her clinical practice focuses on optimizing bone health in cancer patients and survivors.  

Over the past decade, Dr. Lu has done extensive clinical research in the field of bone health in patients who are hematopoietic stem cell transplant survivors. Research by her team showing higher fracture risk after stem cell transplant won her the Conquer Cancer Foundation merit award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).  

Dr. Lu has tested the utility of the Fracture Assessment Tool (FRAX) in stem cell transplant survivors. She also conducted clinical trials and systematic reviews on therapeutics for bone health of stem cell transplant patients.   

Bonnie Lucio, PT, CGS, CLT 
Thriving, Not Just Surviving, after Transplant through Exercise and Fatigue Management 

Bonnie Lucio is a physical therapist at the Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas, Texas. She has been working as a physical therapist for the stem cell patient population for the past 30 years. Ms. Lucio began her work with stem cell transplant patients in the inpatient setting where she developed a passion for helping patients keep their strength up to meet their goals for hospitalization and preparing for discharge.     

For the past eleven years she has been working in the outpatient setting and enjoys seeing patients prior to and after transplant to improve their quality of life.  

Ms. Lucio is board certified in oncologic physical therapy and is a geriatric clinical specialist.  

Zhonghui Katie Luo, MD, PhD  
Your Eyes and Graft-versus-Host Disease   

Dr. Zhonghui Katie Luo is a physician-scientist and member of the Cornea Service and Comprehensive Ophthalmology and Cataract Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School. Her specialty is ocular surface diseases and cataract surgery. 

For the past six years, she has worked closely with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with a focus on detection and treatment of ocular graft-versus-host disease (oGVHD) after stem cell transplant. Dr. Luo has been providing medical and surgical care to a large patient population with oGVHD. 

Dr. Luo is the principal investigator on a recently completed phase II randomized clinic trial on a novel treatment for oGVHD. Her long-term goal is to form a patient-centered care system structure to best serve the BMT population. 

Navneet Majhail, MD, MS, FASTCT 
Ask the Transplant Experts – Session One 

Dr. Navneet Majhail is Deputy Physician-in-Chief of Blood Cancers at Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Network. He also serves as the Director of the Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at TriStar Centennial in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Dr. Majhail specializes in the care of adult patients receiving blood and marrow transplantation. His research focuses on transplant outcomes, health services and health policy issues in blood and marrow transplantation, and quality of life and late effects in transplant survivors.  

He is a past-president of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and has been recognized as a fellow for his contributions to the field. Dr. Majhail is a respected thought leader in health outcomes research, and has published extensively on the prevention and management of early and late complications of hematopoietic cell transplantation and health policy issues such as healthcare disparities, quality of care, survivorship and economic issues related to transplantation and cellular therapy. 

Sandra Mitchell, PhD, CRNP, FAAN 
Managing Fatigue after Transplant: Creating Strength through Recovery 

Dr. Sandra Mitchell is a senior scientist in the Outcomes Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences.  A board-certified acute care nurse practitioner, Dr. Mitchell maintains a clinical practice in survivorship care and conducts research with the NCI Intramural Research Program, focusing on long-term survivors of stem cell transplantation experiencing chronic graft-versus-host disease and other long-term and late treatment effects. 

She is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society Research Advisory Panel, the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplant (EBMT) - National Cancer Institute Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease Task Force, and the National Institutes of Health Consensus Group for Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease Diagnosis, Staging, Therapeutic Response and Supportive Care. 

Dr. Mitchell is the author or co-author on more than 150 articles and book chapters on quality of life issues in cancer patients and transplant recipients, and has lectured extensively on quality of life and late effects after transplant. 

Luke Mountjoy, DO 
Ask the Transplant Experts – Session Two 

Dr. Luke Mountjoy is an Assistant Member Physician at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute and part of the Lymphoid Disease Group.  Dr. Mountjoy’s interest in medicine began as a teenager when his father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Mountjoy was diagnosed with acute leukemia. These life experiences led him to pursue a career in medicine and become a medical oncologist/hematologist.  

During training, Dr. Mountjoy spent much of his research time in stem cell transplant and prevention/management of graft-versus-host disease. He also worked to identify novel strategies to test for drug resistances in patients undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. In addition, Dr. Mountjoy was part of a large research team working to identify genetic risk factors/predispositions in patients and families with newly diagnosed cancers.  

Dr. Mountjoy is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.  

John Mulhall, MD, MSc, FECSM, FACS, FRCSI 
Sexual Concerns in Men after Transplantation 

Dr. John Mulhall is the Director of the Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, and he holds an adjunct position as Professor of Urology in the Department of Urology at Weill Cornell Medical College. 

Dr. Mulhall serves on the Board of Directors of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and is a Past-President. He is currently the Editor-In-Chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine and has published extensively on sexual health and fertility preservation after cancer therapy.  

In 2005, Dr. Mulhall was honored by the American Urological Association with the prestigious Gold Cystoscope Award. Also, he has been nominated as one of the Best Doctors in America and NY Best Doctors. 

Megan Nelson, MD 
How Rehabilitation Medicine Can Help Patients with Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD) 

Dr. Megan Nelson is an Associate Professor and the Medical Director of Cancer Rehabilitation at the UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center in Louisville, Kentucky, where she works closely with the UofL Blood Cancers, Cellular Therapeutics and Transplant Program. Dr. Nelson assists in both the outpatient and inpatient settings, diagnosing functional impairments and coordinating rehabilitation interventions.  

Dr. Nelson assists with rehabilitation needs prior, during, and after bone marrow transplantation. She also started a weekly BMT Rehab rounds to focus on the functional status of patients admitted in the hospital. 

Her focus is on unique health needs of cancer patients and she provides personalized care to patients and families in an innovative way using the most advanced health care techniques.   

Rachel Petrie, MS, OTR/L, MSCS 
Learn Rehabilitation Therapies to Manage Side Effects of Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD) 

Rachel Petrie is an occupational therapist at the UoL James Graham Brown Cancer Center in Louisville, Kentucky. She has been working with bone marrow and stem cell transplant patients in the acute care hospital setting for four years.   

She works together with patients and their families to address functional needs through precise activity analysis. Ms. Petrie educates them how, through adaptive equipment training and energy conservation, independence can be achieved. She uses upper extremity splinting/casting to allow for functional positioning and prevention of contractures. She also uses custom orthotic training to decrease pain and increase overall function so patients can participate in daily activities. Ms. Petrie’s hope is for all to be aware of when to get an occupational therapist involved in their unique journey. 

Luis Pineiro, MD 
Ask the Transplant Experts – Session Two 

Dr. Luis Pineiro is the Director of the Baylor Scott & White/Texas Oncology Blood and Marrow Transplant Program in Dallas, Texas. He has been in practice for more than 30 years treating patients who have a hematological malignancy with stem cell transplant and other cellular therapies. 

Dr. Pineiro is a member of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He has published over 90 abstracts and articles on a variety of topics related to both autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation. 

Uday Popat, MD 
Transplants for Older Adults: Who Is a Good Candidate? 

Dr. Uday Popat is a Professor in the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He is also the interim Deputy Chair of the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation. 

Dr. Popat’s research interests include reduced intensity allogeneic transplantation for patients with myelofibrosis; the use of stem cell transplantation to treat multiple sclerosis; and transplants for patients with co-morbidities (other medical issues in addition to their primary diagnosis). 

Jana Reynolds, MD 
Safeguard Your Health from Late Complications after a Transplant Using Your Own Cells (Autologous Transplant) 

Dr. Jana Reynolds is the Associate Medical Director for Blood & Marrow Transplant Services at the Texas Oncology-Baylor Sammons Cancer Center. Her clinical focus is autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.  

Dr. Reynolds is an active investigator on multiple clinical trials and developed a special interest in post-treatment survivorship care following her own stem cell transplant. 

Her interests include cancer survivorship education, late effects of treatment, management of psychosocial issues and exercise and lifestyle modification. 

Danielle Roberts, PA-C, is a physician assistant with the Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant (BMT) team at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Ms. Roberts serves as the APP Education Lead and the Co-Director of the Hematology/Oncology APP Fellowship. She specializes in managing complex bone marrow transplant patients such as patients with neuropathy and patients with chronic graft versus host disease. She takes a strong interest in the symptom management of the oncology patient. 

Jordan Rullo, PhD, ABPP, CST, AASECT 
Women’s Sexual Health after Transplant 

Dr. Jordan Rullo is a board-certified clinical health psychologist and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Utah. She is a certified sex therapist through the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, and a certified Gottman therapist. She also maintains a private practice in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Her areas of specialty include sexual health concerns and sexual health related to menopause and cancer. Academically speaking, her most favorite thing to talk about is sexual health! 

Nikki Samms, PT, DPT 
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy to Manage Vulva and Sexual Health for Women with Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD) 

Dr. Nikki Samms is a senior physical therapist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center who specializes in pelvic floor physical therapy. Using evidence-based practices, she helps male and female cancer patients who have a variety of disorders including genital GVHD, male and female urinary incontinence, dyspareunia and vestibulodynia, fecal incontinence, defecation dyssynergy, constipation, pelvic organ prolapsed, anorectal pain, scrotum/penis pain, and pudendal nerve dysfunction. 

Previously she worked at Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute.  

Shivan Shah, MD  
Infections after Transplant 

Dr. Shivan Shah is an onco-transplant infectious disease physician at Houston Methodist Hospital where he works with the oncology and stem cell transplant teams to treat patients who have various oncology- or transplant-related infections. He previously trained at MD Anderson Cancer Center where he helped develop protocols to treat opportunistic infections. 

Dr. Shah’s clinical interests include onco-transplant infections, infections in leukemia/lymphoma, respiratory infections and travel medicine. 

Paul Shaughnessy, MD 
Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD) of the GI Tract and Liver 

 Dr. Paul Shaughnessy is the Program Medical Director for the Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at Methodist Hospital San Antonio, where he closely follows transplant patients and helps them manage challenging medical situations. His research focuses on stem cell mobilization and improving the treatment of graft-versus-host disease. 

Dr. Shaughnessy is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and previously served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services of the Health Sciences from 1997-2001. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. 

Ajay Sheshadri, MD, MSCI 
Take a Breath: Managing Lung Problems after Transplant 

Dr. Ajay Sheshadri is the Medical Director of the Pulmonary Function Testing Laboratory at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine. His research focuses on bronchiolitis obliterans disease and other lung disorders after a stem cell transplant, and novel therapies to treat them. 

Dr. Sheshadri is a member of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, American Society of Hematology, American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians.

Renee Stubbins, PhD, RD, LD, CSO  
The Role of Nutrition in Long-Term Health after Transplant 

Dr. Renee Stubbins is a senior oncology dietitian for Houston Methodist Cancer Center and an assistant clinical member of the Houston Methodist Research Institute. She has worked at Houston Methodist since 2012 and has served as the oncology nutrition lead in the Cancer Infusion Center and in the Bone Marrow Transplant Units.  

Dr. Stubbins is a strong advocate for educating patients and their caregivers on evidenced-based nutrition information. She follows patients from pre-transplant through survivorship, acting as a reliable guide during their journey.  

Dr. Stubbins is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a leader for the Oncology Nutrition Practice group. Her research interests include utilizing medical nutrition therapy throughout the cancer care process and using nature to address patient barriers such as pain and anxiety to improve a patient’s quality of life.  

Paulette Taku PT, DPT 
Learn Rehabilitation Therapies to Manage Side Effects of Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD) 

Paulette Taku is a senior physical therapist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She currently works in the outpatient physical therapy clinic treating patients with orthopedic, pulmonary and neurological dysfunctions associated with cancer. In addition, Ms. Taku is the lead physical therapist for the Stem Cell Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Program and the Chronic Graft versus Host Disease Clinic.   

Michael Tees, MD, MPH 
CAR T-cell Therapy: The Good, the Bad and the Long-Term 

Dr. Michael Tees is an Associate Member at Colorado Blood Cancer Institute (CBCI) and a leader in CBCI’s Lymphoma and Autoimmune Programs. He focuses on the treatment and management of aggressive lymphocytic disorders and malignancies.  

In addition to stem cell transplantation, Dr. Tees treats patients with standard approach CAR T-cell therapy as well as CAR-based therapies on clinical trials. He favors the next phase of lymphoma care being rooted in an individualized and targeted approach and is excited about the rapid pace of development in the field. 

Dr. Tees also serves on the American Society of Hematology Communications Committee. Locally, he has been honored by his colleagues who voted him as a “Top Doc” in 5280 Magazine. He is also a board member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Mountain Region.

Nadarajah Vigneswaran, BDS, DMD, FAAOMP, DABOMP  
Your Mouth and Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD) 

Dr. Nadarajah Vigneswaran (Viggie) is a Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the UTHealth School of Dentistry at Houston (UTSD-H).  He holds joint appointments in the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at the MD Anderson Cancer Center as a Clinical Professor, and in the Department of Pathology at the UTHealth McGovern Medical School as an Adjunct Professor.  He directs the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology diagnostic biopsy service laboratory and residency program in oral and maxillofacial pathology at the UTSD-H.    

Dr. Vigneswaran specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of oral and oral mucosal, salivary glands and jawbone diseases. His clinical research focuses on evaluating non-invasive diagnostic devices for early diagnosis of oral cancer and its precursor lesions.  

Madhuri Vusirikala, MD 
Secondary Cancers after Transplant 

Dr. Madhuri Vusirikala is a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She is also the Medical Director of UT Southwestern’s Adult Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Program.   

Dr. Vusirikala leads the Long-Term Follow Up and Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease clinics, managing the complications commonly seen in allogeneic stem cell transplant survivors, with a focus on bone health, cardiac health, screening for secondary malignancies, and psychosocial wellbeing, to name a few. She works closely with the onco-cardiology, high risk dermatology, mineral metabolism, ophthalmology and several other specialty clinics to provide comprehensive care to the allogeneic transplant survivors.  

Dr. Vusirikala serves as the primary investigator for most of UT Southwestern’s clinical trials related to bone marrow transplantation. Her research interests include chronic graft-versus-host disease, allogeneic stem cell transplantation and survivorship issues.   

John Wingard, MD 
COVID 19: What Transplant Survivors Need to Know in 2022 

Dr. John Wingard is Professor of Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine within the Division of Hematology and Oncology, and Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program. He also serves as the Deputy Director of the UF Health Cancer Center.  

Dr. Wingard has held a number of leadership positions in the field of cellular therapy.  He is currently a member of the American Society for Hematology/American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy COVID Vaccine Task Force, and he chairs the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research’s Outcomes Forum Taskforce on COVID.

Vlad G. Zaha, MD, PhD, FACC, FAHA 
Heart and Vascular Health after Transplant - When Cure is Not Enough 

Dr. Vlad Zaha is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He is the founding Medical Director of the Cardio-Oncology Program at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, the inaugural Program Director of the Cardio-Oncology Fellowship and Liaison for the Center of Translational Medicine at the Advanced Imaging Research Center.  

Dr. Zaha combines patient-centered clinical cardiac care and cardiometabolic research. He leads a clinical program dedicated to the cardiovascular care of patients with active cancer and cancer survivors, and an active research program.  

He is Chair of the Cardio-Oncology Section of the Texas Chapter of American College of Cardiology, and member of the American Heart Association Cardio-Oncology Science Committee.  

Kate Zoll, MSW, LCSW 
Managing the Challenges of Caregiving after Transplant 

Kate Zoll is a licensed clinical social worker and the Psychosocial Oncology Supervisor for Colorado Blood Cancer Institute, Denver, Colorado. A personal encounter with cancer sparked her interest in the field of social work and she began her social work career in two Chicago area hospitals where she gained experience supporting the psychological, social and emotional needs of oncology patients as well as a variety of other patients facing complex, life-altering diagnoses. In 2020, she relocated to Denver and began working with hematology/oncology patients who are often going through the process of stem cell transplant.  

Ms. Zoll is passionate about advocating for each patient’s unique needs by helping them identify community resources, navigating cultural or financial issues, and supporting them through care transitions. She has ample experience helping patients cope with the uncertainty that often comes with a cancer diagnosis and is skilled at collaborating with patients as they make decisions around their care.