I am a pediatric hematologist/oncologist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. I treat patients with various cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumors such as sarcomas, neuroblastoma, kidney, liver and germ cell tumors. I also specialize in benign blood disorders, sickle cell disease, thalassemia and bleeding disorders.

One of my favorite parts of this job is forming personal relationships with my patients and their families as I guide them through these very difficult challenges. Together, we decide on treatment regimens, which are always grounded in evidence-based medicine. Most importantly, I emphasize clear, compassionate communication to ensure a positive and effective patient experience. My patients inspire me with their courage, resilience  and trust.

I also look beyond the patient's experience during therapy and examine the late effects that can occur in survivors long after their treatment. At Nicklaus Children's Hospital, I was the founder and director of the Survivor Late Effects Program, which involved a multidisciplinary team that provided cancer survivors with support services and future surveillance plans to make sure that they thrive as they grow into adulthood.

Throughout my career, I’ve also held multiple leadership positions involving medical education and quality improvement. I was the quality control physician for the Cancer Committee for nine years and the associate director of the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellowship at Nicklaus Children's Hospital. As a result of my commitment to medical education, I was humbled to receive two awards: the Dr. Marielys Rodriguez-Varela Compassion in Medicine Award in June 2022 and the Attending Physician of the Year Award in June 2023.

It is also essential that hematologist oncologists are actively involved with the Children's Oncology Group (COG), the foundation of research and innovation in pediatric cancer care. As a member, I along with the team determine which of our oncology patients qualify for available COG clinical trials which could provide innovative opportunities in their care and increase our knowledge to help future children. I am also involved in research investigating the feasibility and clinical utility of ex-vivo drug testing to potentially improve outcomes in relapsed cancers.

Languages

• English
• Arabic

• Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
• Memorial Hospital Miramar
• Memorial Regional Hospital