Fellows

For more than two decades, CURE has funded the training of pediatric oncology fellows at Emory University School of Medicine. Providing funding to further their education helps ensure that those future oncologists become clinicians and researchers we need in order to eradicate childhood cancer.

Catherine Blackburn, MD, MPH

Connolly Family Fellow

Dr. Catherine Blackburn earned her undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences, with a minor in public health, at the University of South Florida (USF), where she also completed her master of Public Health with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health and her Doctor of Medicine degree. During her time at USF, Dr. Blackburn conducted research at Moffitt Cancer Center, collaborating with multiple investigators on a range of studies. She was also significantly involved as a student director at USF’s student-run free clinic, which provides primary care services to medically underserved patients in the community. As a reflection of her dedication to her community and strong interpersonal connections with colleagues and patients alike, she was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

After medical school, Dr. Blackburn moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, to complete her pediatrics residency at the University of Virginia. There, she developed a strong clinical and research interest in pediatric solid tumors, particularly Ewing sarcoma, which is a type of aggressive bone cancer among children and adolescents. During her Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship, Dr. Blackburn is planning to focus her research on advancing the treatment and outcomes for pediatric patients with solid tumors.

Catherine Blackburn, MD, MPH

Connolly Family Fellow

Peter Carlson, MD, PhD

Dr. Carlson brings a very strong oncology research background with the promise of a fruitful career as a physician-scientist. Dr. Carlson earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Washington, where he majored in bioengineering with a minor in chemistry. As an undergraduate, he developed a strong basic science background with accomplishments in two academic labs. Upon graduation, he spent an additional year carrying out cutting-edge immunotherapy research in a biotech-pharmaceutical lab in Seattle. He attained his PhD at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the field of cellular and molecular biology. He specifically studied the role of combining low-dose radiation with cancer vaccines. He even developed several new laboratory methods for the evaluation of radio-immunotherapy in order to complete this work.

Despite his vast research experience, Dr. Carlson also values clinical care. His residency attendings report that his ability to manage the clinical care team and to lead difficult family conversations are great strengths.

Peter Carlson, MD, PhD

Marina Girgis, MD

Sam Robb Fellow

Dr. Marina Girgis earned her undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia before completing her Doctor of Medicine degree at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. During medical school, she contributed to research on brain tumors associated with neurofibromatosis-1 and neurologic toxicity in cancer patients—work that reflects her early interest in the complex consequences of cancer and its treatment. She then matched into the combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency program at Vanderbilt University, a highly competitive track that trains physicians to care for patients across the full age spectrum. During residency, she earned praise from mentors for her meticulous preparation and thoughtful approach to patient care, and conducted scholarly work examining opioid use in adolescent and young adult cancer patients and its impact on psychological functioning.

In July 2024, Dr. Girgis joined the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University for combined fellowship training in adult and pediatric hematology/oncology. This dual-track training uniquely positions her to care for adolescents and young adults with cancer—a population that benefits enormously from physicians fluent in both pediatric and adult medicine. As she enters the research phase of her fellowship, Dr. Girgis is pursuing a Master of Clinical Research through the Emory Laney Graduate School. Her research focuses on identifying risk factors for invasive fungal infections in children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a serious and often life-threatening complication of treatment that remains poorly understood.

Marina Girgis, MD

Sam Robb Fellow

Past Fellows

Through the generous support of our donors, CURE Childhood Cancer has funded 24 research fellowships in the effort to fight pediatric cancer. Twenty-three past CURE Fellows are now practicing medicine in top institutions around the country, treating patients and pursuing research for cures. Roll over an image below to see where they are now.

Becker Hewes, MD

Chief Medical Officer, Blueprint Medicines

Roland Chu, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Michigan

Karen Wasilewski, MD

Medical Director, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Mary Abraham, MD

Medical Director of Medical Subspecialties, Samaritan Health Services, Corvallis, OR

Hal Crosswell, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Bon Secours Health Systems, Greenville, SC

Keith August, MD, MS

Section Chief, Oncology, Director, Leukemia and Lymphoma Program, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City

Tanya Watt, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Health, Dallas

Weston Miller, MD

Chief Medical Officer, Epicrispr Biotechnologies

Nicole Schlesinger McKinney, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Memorial Hospital, Aurora, CO

Himalee Sabnis, MD, MSc

Clinical Director of Leukemia/Lymphoma Program, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Jennifer Andrews, MD, MSc

Medical Director of the Blood Bank, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Haneen Yasin Abdella, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital, Miami, FL

Jonathan Metts, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL

David Siegel, MD, MPH

Medical Officer, Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service/CDC

James Felker, MD

Director of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA

Ryan Summers, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Jenny Shim, MD

Senior Research Associate, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Rafi Kazi, MD

Fellowship Associate Director, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Center

Juhi Jain, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC

Sanyu Janardan, MD

Survivorship, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Frank Chien, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Robert Lisac, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, BMT Faculty Member, Phoenix Children’s Hospital

Toni Chanroo, MD, MPH

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Global HOPE

Jason Stevenson, MD

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Zuri Hudson, DO

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta