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Joelle Straehla is a pediatric oncologist at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, an Instructor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and a Charles W. (1955) and Jennifer C. Johnson Clinical Investigator at MIT's Koch Institute. She received her MD from Northwestern University in 2013, and in 2016 completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Washington. In 2017, during her fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Straehla joined Paula Hammond's lab at the Koch Institute as a postdoctoral fellow, focusing her research on nanotechnology-based drug delivery platforms. She is board certified in general pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology, and her clinical practice is focused on the care of children with tumors of the brain and spinal cord.
My research focuses on drug delivery, or how therapies are getting to the cancer cells. One of the main goals of my lab is to understand how drug carriers can improve drug delivery and potentially lead to more effective therapies with less side effects. This is a big goal and will take a large team effort to achieve.
Each child and family are unique, and your oncology team wants to provide the best care possible by including caregivers as a key member of the team. Caregivers are the experts when it comes to their children – I would encourage families and caregivers to be honest with their providers when they have questions, need more information, or want to hear information in a different way.
This is going to be highly dependent on the age of the child, but I think it’s important for children to be honest about their fears and worries with their caregivers and their treatment team. This builds trust in both directions, and giving a voice to our worries can be transformative – there is an entire field of psychosocial oncology that has brought evidence-based methods to improve quality of life for cancer patients of all ages.
There are many that come to mind – interacting with patients and families is the best part of my job. One experience that has surprised me is hearing from adolescent patients who are several years out from their treatment that they see their experience as a positive thing – some patients have said that having cancer helps them see the world and people in a more positive light.
I feel very hopeful because I see scientists wanting to work together to solve problems. This may mean forming a team containing biologists, chemists, engineers, and physicians who all have a different perspective but want the same goal –this type of teamwork is not only more effective but also more meaningful for each person involved. I think it will be the way of the future and am excited to champion this research model.
Dr. Mary Austin is an Associate Professor in both the department of Pediatric Surgery at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and in Surgical Oncology and Pediatrics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She completed her surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. During her residency, Dr. Austin also received a Masters in Public Health from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She completed her Surgical Critical Care and Pediatric Surgery training at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in July 2010. Dr. Austin is board certified in Surgery, Surgical Critical Care and Pediatric Surgery. She has a special interest in pediatric surgical oncology, surgical critical care including ECMO, and clinical research. Her research focus is clinical outcomes research in the field of pediatric surgical oncology. She is also interested in identifying geographic and socioeconomics barriers to care for pediatric cancer patients and working to dissolve these barriers.
I’m a pediatric surgeon who specializes in the care of children and adolescents with cancer and in particular, solid tumors that occur outside of the brain.
My best advice is to encourage parents to include their child in discussion and decision-making related to their care. Even young children learn quickly and they really understand a lot more than we often give them credit for understanding. I find that children with parents that really engage them in the care from an early stage are better able to cope and often even thrive as they go through their treatment often including major surgery.
I advise that they try to keep things as normal as possible in their life outside of the cancer treatment. I encourage them and their parents to remain engaged in activities that they enjoy and often will recommend that we schedule procedures around important life events so that they don’t feel like they are always missing out on important events due to their cancer diagnosis.
This is a really difficult question to answer as I’ve had many very impactful experiences with my patients. I genuinely believe that there is no greater privilege or trust bestowed on someone than to allow that person to operate on one’s child. Throughout my career, there have been many ups and downs but the special bond that I form with many of my patients and their parents is incredibly impactful for me.
The approach of using the body’s own immune system (i.e. cellular therapies) to fight cancer instead of cytotoxic drugs has been a total game changer for so many patients.
Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
I treat children and young adults with solid tumor cancers with a particular focus in patients with Neuroblastoma and Retinoblastoma.
I encourage siblings and parents to leave as much space for hope and optimism as they can in the beginning and to remember that we are here as a resource to help navigate this challenge with them.
Treatment can be extraordinarily challenging. I try to remind my patients often to not be ashamed or scared to ask for help from family, friends, our Team or a counselor. What they are having to face is very not normal, but how it makes them feel is extremely normal. A strong, positive system of support with family & friends will be immeasurably important.
I am always amazed at the strength and courage our patients fight with every day even in the most challenging times.
The sheer volume of research towards the eradication of cancer is remarkable and we are making progress at a faster rate than ever before.
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatrics
I work in hematological malignancies. This includes leukemia and lymphoma but also entities such as HLH, LCH, Castleman disease which result from an overactive immune system aspect.
I would tell them that this is like someone dropping a bomb in their life and that this will be their new normal for the foreseeable future. There will be a loss of control that they have never experienced before. Ask questions often. Take notes. The beginning is incredibly daunting but eventually, you will develop a rhythm. Connect with others with similar diseases and in support groups. And when able, take time to take care of yourself.
I would say being a part of this recent trial where a new oral medication that targets DNA changes in leukemia is curing kids that have seen every chemo for their disease. One of our earlier patients on the trial had a response and when the family saw his marrow producing new neutrophils, where there hasn’t been in months, was something they’d never imagine. Then came his remission. My son was the same age and we connected on a lot of things. I grew close to them. They had planned his funeral prior to the trial because that is how sick he was. Was crazy. Ultimately it was short lived as he passed away from infection. I really connected with that family though and the ups/downs. It made me press in and connect with families even if the outcome is bleak. Because, you can still make a difference.
Single cell analysis. Before, cells were grouped together and analyzed but now we can tease out cells and really analyze pathways and proteins and see what makes these cells work, get resistant to chemo, and what can lead to their death and pave the way for more targeted medications.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics Patient Care, Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
I see patients with solid tumors and do research on immunotherapy for solid tumors.
Always be honest with your kid and don’t hide anything. They can always figure out things even if you don’t tell them.
Be open with your parents about what you feel or what you want. Don’t ever listen to bullies, they don’t know how brave, strong, and extraordinary you are, and they never will. Ask all the questions to your parents or your doctors and remember we are here for you.
There is not one only impactful thing. Each patient has impacted my life in different ways and they all have taught me something.
Immunotherapy overall has made great improvements in the pediatric oncology field.
